Religion, Spirituality, and Health Scientific Interest Group

Attention! We created an alternative RSH-SIG listserv for those external to the NIH! If you do not have an NIH e-mail account, you can still subscribe to our listserv at https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A0=RELIGION-SPIRITUALITY-HEALTH-EXT.

Background

The Religion, Spirituality, and Health Scientific Interest Group (RSH-SIG) was established in October 2020. It was founded by Joan Romaine, MPH, MS, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, who serves as Chair of the Steering Committee. The Intramural Advisors of the RSH-SIG are Ann Berger, MD, MSN, NIH Special Volunteer and Former Director of the Pain and Palliative Care Department of the NIH Clinical Center, and Lorenzo Leggio, MD, PhD, Clinical Director, NIDA IRP, Deputy Scientific Director, NIDA IRP Chief, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, Chief, Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Director, Translational Analytical.Core. The Extramural Advisor is Joan Romaine, MPH, MS, Health Specialist, Division of Treatment and Recovery, NIAAA.

Purpose

The purpose of the NIH Religion, Spirituality, and Health Scientific Interest Group (RSH-SIG) is to foster communication, promote collaboration, and facilitate the exchange of information, understanding, and resources within the NIH to the larger research community on the intersection of religion, spirituality (R/S) and health. The RSH-SIG will promote the understanding of research on the intersection of R/S and health to promote Cura Personalis or “care for the entire person,” including in the areas of prevention, treatment, and recovery from health conditions that may impact any sphere of functioning, including behavioral, cognitive, and physical diseases/health conditions while providing a more comprehensive understanding of the person from a biopsychosocial-spiritual model of care. The RSH-SIG envisions that its work will contribute to the NIH mission “to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability."

Aims

The aims of the RSH-SIG include:

Fostering research on the intersection of R/S and health
Highlighting opportunities and gaps for research in the field and making recommendations to NIH Leadership
Categorizing and coordinating information about relevant R/S measurement tools, research, and training resources (i.e., website or dashboard)
Communicating opportunities for training
Identifying opportunities for collaboration and possible partnerships
Encouraging the development of Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcements (formerly known as Funding Opportunity Announcements), standard language, and review criteria
Enhancing communication between stakeholders in the field (e.g., researchers, funding institutions)
Creating an RSH-SIG website (public access), email, listserv, and Teams site (listserv and Teams site are internal use only) to share information about lectures, studies, and related items of interest to enhance communication.
Hosting an RSH-SIG Seminar Series
Developing RSH-SIG Networking Events

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee of the Religion, Spirituality, and Health Scientific Interest Group will act as the overarching leadership group of the RSH-SIG. Steering Committee members are:

Ann Berger, M.D., MSN, CC — Intramural Co-Advisor
Christina Brackna, NCCIH
Ranjan Gupta, Ph.D., FIC
Madelon Halula, Ph.D., NIAID
Lorenzo Leggio, M.D., Ph.D., NIDA – Intramural Co-Advisor
Raye Litten, Ph.D., NIAAA
Gabriela Riscuta, M.D., C.N.S., NCI
Joan Romaine, M.S., M.P.H., NIAAA — Founder, Chair, and Extramural Advisor
F. Javier Rubio, Ph.D., NIDA
Dan Xi, Ph.D., NCI

Journal Club

The RSH-SIG Journal Club is open to NIH staff and meets by NIH Zoom. The upcoming journal club dates are the following:

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 from 2:00 pm ET – 3:00 pm EST
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 from 2:00 pm ET – 3:00 pm EST

Mr. Jason Wilson, MA, NIH OD (Office of IRB Operations) is serving as the Coordinator of the Journal Club. Please contact him at jason.wilson3@nih.gov if you have questions about the journal club or if you would like to present an article.

Membership

All NIH-staff with an nih.gov email account can join the RSH-SIG listserv (RELIGION-SPIRITUALITY-HEALTH@LIST.NIH.GOV) to be added to our meeting invitations and Teams site. Our RSH-SIG Full Group meetings meet on the second Tuesday of the month from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The participation of individuals, agencies, and organizations outside of the NIH who share an interest are welcome to participate in our public events. Please email us at RSH-SIG@mail.nih.gov if you have any questions.

The RSH-SIG Newsletter was first published in September 2024. The newsletter is co-edited by: Alicia Brockington (NIAID), Ranjan Gupta, PhD (FIC), Joan Romaine, MPH, MS, (NIAAA) and Gabriela Riscuta, MD, MS, CNS (NCI). It is anticipated that the newsletter will be published four times a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). If you have an idea for an article of interest for the newsletter, please email the editors at RSH-SIGnewsletter@mail.nih.gov.

Resources for Researchers

NIH RePORT and RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov
The Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools provides access to reports, data, and analyses of NIH research activities, including information on NIH expenditures and the results of NIH supported research.

NIH PhenX Toolkit: https://www.phenxtoolkit.org
The PhenX Toolkit (consensus measures for Phenotypes and eXposures) provides recommended standard data collection protocols for conducting biomedical research. The protocols are selected by Working Groups of domain experts using a consensus process, which includes the scientific community. The Toolkit provides detailed protocols for collecting data and tools to help investigators incorporate these protocols into their studies. Using protocols from the PhenX Toolkit facilitates cross-study analysis, potentially increasing the scientific impact of individual studies.

Related Research

Spirituality, religion linked to heart health among Black Americans
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/spirituality-relig…

Related Resources from NIH

NCCIH: Including Spirituality Into a Fuller Picture of Research on Whole Person Health – August 18, 2023
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/about/offices/od/director/past-messages/including-spirituality-into-a-fuller-picture-of-research-on-whole-person-health

NCI: Spirituality in Cancer Care (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/day-to-day/faith-and-spirituality/spirituality-hp-pdq

NCI: Spirituality in Cancer Care (PDQ®)–Patient Version
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/day-to-day/faith-and-spirituality/spirituality-pdq?cid=eb_govdel_cancerinfo

Select Past Presentations

Joseph Currier, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
University of South Alabama
“Training Medical Health Professionals in Spiritual and Religious Competencies: Current Status and Future Horizons”
October 15, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDPP3hl02VU

Rania Awaad, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Stanford University School of Medicine
Director, Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab
“Enhancing Competencies in Providing Whole-Person Care for Muslim Individuals”
April 16, 2024

Ellen L. Idler, Ph.D.
Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Sociology
Director, Religion and Public Health Collaborative
Affiliate Faculty: Center for Ethics, Graduate Division of Religion, Rollins School of Public Health, Goizueta School of Business
Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
“Complexities and Contradictions in Thinking about Religion as a Social Determinant of Health”
March 19, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/embed/jIdxL94AdMo

Rev. Dr. Que English
Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (The Partnership Center)
“Faith in Action: Diverse Faith Communities Serving their Community and How Researchers Can Engage”
January 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMYfpwknJCs

Francis G. Lu, M.D., DLFLPA
Luke & Grace Kim Professor in Cultural Psychiatry, Emeritus
University of California, Davis
“Where Do Religion and Spirituality Appear in the American Psychiatric Association DSM-5-TR (2022)?”
December 19, 2023

Kenneth Pargament, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus Department of Psychology
Bowling Green State University
“Shaken to the Core: Spiritual Struggles as a Vital Topic for Clinical Research and Practice”
October 17, 2023
https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=52535

Jesse Fox, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Chair, Stetson University
“Developing Research to Train Mental Health Providers in Spiritual and Religious Competencies”
July 18, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt3z9eSo73g

Tyler J. VanderWeele, Ph.D.
John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
“Religion and Mental Health”
June 6, 2023
https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=49645

David H. Rosmarin, Ph.D., APBB
Director of the Spirituality and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
“Spiritual Psychotherapy For Inpatient, Residential & Intensive Treatment (SPIRIT)”
May 16, 2023

Harold G. Koenig, M.D.
Director, Duke University’s Center for Theology, Spirituality, and Health
“Religion, Spirituality and Health: Review, Update, and Future Directions”
December 14, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MJ67-284HQ

Ralph L. Piedmont, PhD (RSH-SIG only)
Managing Director, Center for Professional Studies, LLC
“Psychology of Religion/Spirituality 101: Avoiding the Pitfalls”
August 10, 2021

Rezvan Ameli, PhD (RSH-SIG only)
Pain and Palliative Care Department, NIH Clinical Center
“The Effects of a Short Mindfulness-Based Self Care (MBSC) Program on Employee Stress”
July 13, 2021

Ann Berger, M.D., M.S.N.
“Development of an Instrument to Assess Psychosocial Spiritual Healing: The NIH HEALS”
May 18, 2021
https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=41800

Eve Namisango, PhD (RSH-SIG only)
NIH-HEALS PhD Fellow
African Palliative Care Association and Fellow at Cicely Saunders Institute
“Spirituality, Culture, Traditions, and Cancer Care: African Perspectives”
April 20, 2021

NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
“Harmonizing the Spiritual and Scientific Worldviews”
February 9, 2021
https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=41402