It was my privilege this year to frame the discussion that we embarked upon at our 2014 annual summer conference. On an annual basis we put together a proposal for future conference themes. That process though begins much earlier through the Center’s ongoing work in trend analysis. A multitude of considerations are brought to bear as we identify the particular strategic theme for any given conference and event. Our executive director Paige Cunningham has described the trend analysis component of our work as a sort of sentry in the watchtower, alert to changes in the various winds of bioethical inquiry.