Executive Administrator/Founder of Non-Profit Ministry
The Mute Swan Ministry
Married for almost forty years to Dr. Roger F. Classen, Debra speaks today as his widow, honoring his professional and personal life. Her educational background includes a B.A. in Psychology from Kent State University, an M.A. in Counseling from John Carroll University, and an M.A. in Theology from St. Mary Graduate School.
As the wife of a general surgeon, she lived her family life within the context of three generations of Classen osteopathic surgeons in Cleveland, Ohio. While raising their family she supported her husband's professional career as they traveled throughout the United States and Canada together, attending osteopathic surgical conferences, clinical meetings for breast cancer research, Dr. Classen's work with medical education for the "Brentwood Foundation" and volunteer work as a part of the HELPS medical team (a non-profit organization dedicated to the care of Guatemalans who have no access to medical care).
Together they began a non-profit ministry in 2005. The mission "to encourage others to discover hope and healing through God's beauty in the world in times of loss and suffering" was carried out through speaking, writing, and outreach projects. Debra has spoken in prisons, hospitals, churches, workplaces and community centers for the ministry.
Debra describes 2019 as a tsunami year, with the death of three family members, including the sudden death of her beloved husband. Months later she moved from Cleveland, Ohio, to Florida to be near 3 of her grandchildren, on the cusp of a worldwide pandemic. Her experiences of grief have given Debra a uniquely personal and professional perspective on healing body, mind and spirit after loss, for surgeons, patients and their families.
Theodore F. Classen Memorial Lecture: A Holistic Approach to Grief for Surgeons and their Patients
Thursday, September 15, 2022
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM East Coast USA Time
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
