Religion/Spirituality in the Public Health Curriculum: A Model for Global Health Education

Research into the influence of religion as a social force in relation to public health is an emerging field of inquiry.  This influence is especially important in relation to global health programs and policies because of religion's pervasiveness in many cultures around the globe.  Religion's influence on health is complex. Sometimes it aligns with and supports health beliefs and behaviors that contribute to both individual and community health; however, at times it is also in tension with public health practices and models, particularly in relation to sexual and reproductive health.  This presentation will describe examples of both this alignment and tension in order to examine more fully religion's influence on global health programs.

There are few models for teaching about religion's influence in global health programs.  This presentation will present one model that involves classroom study and place-based learning for graduate level (masters and doctoral degree) students in various academic programs from both a US university and a partner university in Kenya. Students and teaching faculty are drawn from both universities, allowing for inter-cultural perspectives and insights. This model involves two weeks of intensive seminars that bookend eight weeks of field placements in faith-based organizations carrying out public health programs in various geographic settings in Kenya (both rural and urban).  Such a curriculum provides students with a foundation into the current state of research into religion's influence on global health and then allows them to assess the adequacy of this research through their own place-based learning.