Sherman, Texas -- Austin College will welcome Nathan Carlin, Ph.D. as the speaker for the 2026 Allen-Head Lecture. The event will take place on Thursday, March 5 in Wright Campus Center with a reception at 4:30 p.m. in the Johnson Art Gallery and the lecture, titled “The Secularization of Medicine,” starting at 5:30 p.m. in Room 231 of the same building. The event is free and open to the public.
Carlin is the Director of the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Humanities, the national journal of the field. Carlin received the 2025 Health Humanities Consortium Visionary Award for his critical contributions to the field of health humanities.
The Allen-Head Lecture Series was established by an endowment gift in 1985 in memory and celebration of E.T. Allen Sr. and Mary Bell Anderson Allen; Mr. & Mrs. E.T. Allen Jr.; and Mr. & Mrs. R.B. Head Jr. of Whitesboro, Texas. The lectures feature nationally prominent speakers in the areas of religion, philosophy, psychology, history, and literature.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, pre-professional foundations, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 45 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
