The Covenant Health Research Centre (CHRC) calls for Letters of Intent for research and projects that examine the interaction of faith, spirituality, health and healing.
Background
Over the past 20 years in healthcare research and public discourse, there has been a surge of interest in topics related to spirituality and health with an understanding that whole person care involves the body, mind and spirit. Areas of inquiry have included topics such as: the effect of spiritual and religious practices on health outcomes, the spiritual needs of those receiving healthcare, the efficacy of spiritual interventions as part of health promotion and clinical treatment, and the spirituality of healthcare providers.
Covenant Health, Canada's largest Catholic health care provider, in collaboration with St. Joseph's College at the University of Alberta, seeks to further this conversation through dedicated research and education in the intersecting fields of faith, spirituality, health and healing. Hence, the two institutions forged a Collaboration of Faith, Spirituality and Health to:
- advance research and create educational opportunities that engage current issues in the intersecting domains of faith, spirituality, health, and healing
- foster interdisciplinary dialogue
- facilitate knowledge translation between academic and healthcare environments
- develop expertise and create experiences that bring benefit to each institution, their staff/students, and the communities they serve
- deepen Catholic social teaching on matters of faith, spirituality, health, healing, and ethics.
Objectives
The Faith, Spirituality and Health Research Grants support research and education initiatives that:
- document effects of religious or spiritual practices on health (where "health" is broadly defined as more than physical health, but as human flourishing; and health includes the promotion and maintenance of health, along with the prevention and treatment of disease)
- investigate the mechanisms by which religion and spirituality may impact health
- explore how spiritual/religious values and beliefs impact health-related decision making
- investigate the ways medical professions integrate spirituality into their practice, along with educational methods that include spirituality in training for healthcare providers
- interpret what the findings mean for individuals, congregations, academic communities and healthcare providers through transdisciplinary collaboration