Catherine Flowers
Spiritual and Religious Factors in Public Health Training, Research, and Practice
The focus of the project is on the connections between Religion/Spirituality and Public Health, with the intention of improving relationships between these communities and improving how R/S factors are taught in public health graduate schools. My contribution to this work will consist of qualitative coding and analysis of the Key Informant Interviews that our project team has conducted throughout the past year with faith leaders, Professors in Public Health schools, and professionals in the Public Health workforce. These interviewees discuss their experiences collaborating with faith communities and Public Health Programs, and with their insights on linking these communities our project has great potential to reduce health care disparities. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop and share a knowledge base made up of effective public health and faith collaboration projects, in order to integrate Religious/Spiritual factors into the broader definition of Social Determinants of Health as it is taught and practiced in the public health field to broaden understanding of the social influences on health.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you so much for providing me the opportunity to continue my work on this project over the summer! Over the past year through conducting interviews as part of this study, I have gained many insights into how faith leaders view their work in relation to health, as well as how public health educators work with faith communities to improve the overall health of the community. I am incredibly grateful to be able to continue our work towards creating this collaborative knowledge base and positively impacting so many communities.