Fayth Parks, Ph.D, a psychologist and professor at Georgia Southern University was a speaker at TEDx Talk Augusta in Augusta, Ga. this weekend.

The theme of the talks was connections. Parks spoke on the connection between modern medicine and cultural traditions.

“Conventional medicine minimizes cultural formulations as legitimate partners. However, there are connections between cultural practices and modern medicine,” Parks said.

She has over 25 years of experience in her field and has been teaching at GSU for 11 years.

“I study healing traditions as a cultural group’s belief system and coping strategies,” Parks said. “Generally, these beliefs and practices are woven into narratives that give people meaning and order in healing and recovery.”