History

In 2007, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center became a satellite site of The Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. This effort was led by Rev. Herb Lodder, manager of spiritual care and chaplaincy, with financial and administrative support from Anita Langford, vice president of care management services, and other executive leaders. Johns Hopkins Bayview was able to employ a staff chaplain/supervisory education student, Rev. Jim Pfeiffer, under the supervision of Rev. Dr. Paula Teague, manager of CPE at JHH. In the fall of that year, a CPE intern group of four began at the Medical Center.

In June 2010, Rev. Dr. Teague became the director of spiritual care and chaplaincy at Johns Hopkins Bayview, and in 2011, the Medical Center was independently accredited as a CPE program by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Johns Hopkins Bayview and The Johns Hopkins Hospital maintained a close and active connection by collaborating on education events, CPE admissions, and supervisory education.

In May 2013, the academic division of Johns Hopkins Medicine received system-centered accreditation for its two component sites: Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. 

In 2014, Rev. Dr. Teague was named the senior director of spiritual care and chaplaincy for the Johns Hopkins Health System, in addition to her director role at JHBMC. That same year Rev. Chris Brown joined the Johns Hopkins System-sponsored CPE program as faculty and the Johns Hopkins Medicine academic division as CPE program manager. In December 2016, Rev. Brown was named CPE director and director of community chaplaincy. This meant the community aspect of the CPE program could grow. Caring for the City, a program for congregational leaders, began in 2016. In the fall of 2017, the community partners CPE program started meeting in the community at the Mary Harvin Transformation Center for the educational component of their CPE training.

In October 2018, Rev. Dr. Teague and Rev. Brown piloted Caring for the Peacemakers, a CPE program in partnership with the Baltimore Police Department. In 2019, Rev. Dr. Teague received two generous grants from ACPE to develop and implement a curriculum focused on trauma-informed spiritual care. She presented the curriculum at the ACPE Annual Conference in May 2021. You can view her presentation here

In 2020, Rev. Brown left his position as CPE director and director of community chaplaincy. In 2021, Rev. Tamekia Milton became the manager for the CPE program, officially taking on many of the additional tasks that she had been performing in her educator role. She left the role in January 2023 and Rev. Sally Miller joined our CPE faculty as the CPE manager in September 2023.

Rev. Dr. Teague retired from her role as senior director for the Johns Hopkins Health System and director for Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in September 2023. That same year, ACPE announced they would no longer accredit system-centered sites; thus, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and The Johns Hopkins Hospital CPE programs started operating more independently.

In October 2024, Rev. Dr. Marla Coulter-McDonald was hired as the director and ACPE certified educator for spiritual care and chaplaincy at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Overview

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center offers ACPE accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training. The focus of learning in CPE is gaining new skills and tools for ministry while identifying particular gifts and goals for ministry. The CPE training includes group work and didactic presentations from ACPE certified educators and the Johns Hopkins interdisciplinary team. Curriculum includes behavioral sciences and theological reflection. CPE at Johns Hopkins Bayview is based upon adult learning theories that allow the student to direct the educational process. CPE students work in collaboration with their peer group, ACPE certified educators and staff chaplains to achieve their education goals.

CPE is an experience in process education that has been honed over several decades and remains responsive to cultural developments that facilitate pastoral growth. The heart of CPE is ministry with the sick, injured, and dying, and learning from that ministry. CPE students learn through reflection, discussion, and evaluation, and are able to apply their learning in future ministry experiences. This type of adult learning is accomplished with other CPE students and an ACPE certified educator in a dynamic, small group setting.

The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center CPE Program is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), located at:

1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800
Atlanta, GA 30328
Telephone: 404-320-1472

Faculty

Rev. Marla Coulter-McDonald, D.Min., B.C.C.
Director and ACPE Certified Educator, Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Department
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center