This plenary address will set the stage for the conference by providing a core of understanding regarding the field of bioethics, the human body, and the many issues surfaced when the two are brought into conversation with one another. In particular, the lecture will explore ways in which the questions that confront us and the resources presented to us differ even as they overlap for ethicists, physicians, nurses, other healthcare practitioners, attorneys, theologians, philosophers, students, and others who consider and discuss bioethics and the body. Finally, the talk will map out the arc of the conference, highlighting ways in which various components will speak to the work of the various constituencies in attendance.