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Monthly Meeting of the
Spirituality, Religion, and Health Interest Group

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, November 5, 2008
from 10:00 to 11:30 in the Hirst Auditorium (Dulles 1)
at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Our speaker will be Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, Director of Hiddur: The Center for Aging and Judaism at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (Wyncote, PA). Rabbi Friedman is the editor of the ground-breaking book, Jewish Pastoral Care: A Practical Handbook from Traditional and Contemporary Sources.

Upcoming Special Program:

DECEMBER 3, 2008 -- Christina M. Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health (Washington DC), and Associate Professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, will present on a topic yet to be determined. Dr. Puchalski is a leading speaker, researcher, and author in the field of Spirituality & Health, and her most recent book is A Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying. [This program is presented in conjunction with the Geriatric Education Center of Penn’s Division of Geriatric Medicine.]

General Description of the Group:

  • Open to everyone from the community, the University, and the Health System
  • Presentation-discussion format [See: Recent Topics and Presenters, below]
  • Meetings are generally 10:00-11:30 AM on the first Wednesday of every month (but no meeting in August)


David J. Hufford addresses the Interest Group

For More Information:

Call 215-662-2591 or e-mail ralph.ciampa@uphs.upenn.edu

Recent Topics and Presenters:

HOW HINDUISM VIEWS PAIN AND SUFFERING
with Sarah M. Whitman, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Drexel University College of Medicine, and authors of: "Pain and Suffering as Viewed by the Hindu Religion," Journal of Pain 8(8):607-13. [Dr. Whitman's PowerPoint presentation is available as a PDF by clicking HERE.]

THE RITE STUFF: ROSARY AT THE INTERSECTION OF RELIGION AND HEALTH
with Matthew Anastasi, BA, Chief Technologist at Penn's CLinical Research Center for Sleep, and Research Assistant at the Center for Spirituality and the Mind; and Andrew Newberg, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology and Psychiatry at Penn, and Director of the Center for Spirituality and the Mind --co-authors of "A Preliminary Study of the Acute Effects of Religious Ritual on Anxiety" [Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14, no. 2 (February 2008): 163-165].

SPIRITUALITY AND MEDICATION ADHERENCE IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION: A PROCESS OF PARTNERING WITH GOD
with Lisa M. Lewis, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, Penn School of Nursing, Family and Community Health Division, and the Center for Health Disparities Research.
[Dr. Lewis' PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

DIFFERENTIATING VISIONARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES FROM PSYCHOTIC HALLUCINATIONS
with David J. Hufford, PhD, University Professor Emeritus at Penn State and the 2007-2008 Templeton Research Fellow with the University of Pennsylvania's Mind, Religion, and Ethics in Dialogue lecture series

SPIRITUAL HEALING: RELATING THE HEALING TRADITIONS OF RELIGION AND MEDICINE
with David J. Hufford, PhD, University Professor Emeritus at Penn State and the 2007-2008 Templeton Research Fellow with the University of Pennsylvania's Mind, Religion, and Ethics in Dialogue lecture series

PSYCHOSOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN LIVING WITH A LIFE-LIMITING ILLNESS
with Tammy I. Kang, MD, Medical Director of the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and co-author of "Psychosocial and Spiritual Needs of Children Living with a Life-Limiting Illness" [Pediatric Clinics of North America 54, no. 5 (Oct 2007): 609-29],
and Dexter Lanctot, Chaplain, PACT
[A PDF file of the PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

AN OPEN DISCUSSION OF THE SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
with Dina Greenberg

MINDFULNESS AND MOTIVATION IN DAILY LIFE: INSIGHTS AND PROVOCATIONS
with Jackson Kytle, PhD, Vice President for Academic Affairs at The HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York City, and author of To Want To Learn (available through Amazon and other retailers)
[Dr. Kytle's PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

THE "EXPLOSION" OF INTEREST IN SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH: HOW DID WE GET HERE AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
with David J. Hufford, PhD, University Professor Emeritus at Penn State and the 2007-2008 Templeton Research Fellow with the University of Pennsylvania's Mind, Religion, and Ethics in Dialogue lecture series.

THE IMPACT OF SPIRITUAL BELIEFS AND PRAYER
ON PHYSICAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
with Christopher Lance Coleman, PhD, MPH, APRN-BC, ACRN, Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, and faculty for the Center for Health Disparities Research and the Graduate Program in Public Health Studies.

THE SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESSES OF BAALEI TESHUVAH
with Roberta G. Sands, MSW, PhD, Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice
[Professor Sands' PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

PRAYER AFTER STROKE, AND ITS RELATION TO QUALITY OF LIFE
with Gale Robinson-Smith, RN, PhD, College of Nursing at Villanova University

TAKING A CHANCE ON GOD
with Rev. Bobbie McKay, PhD, and Lewis A. Musil, MFA, of the Spiritual Health Center, Wilmette, IL

DISCUSSION OF RAPHAEL CAMPO'S ESSAY, "LIKE A PRAYER"
with Elizabeth Mackenzie, PhD, Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania Department of Science, Technology and Society and a Penn Writing Fellow

COMMUNICATION SKILLS THAT HEAL: PUTTING YOUR EMOTIONS TO WORK
with Barry Bub, MD, author of Communication Skills that Heal: A Practical Approach to a New Professionalism in Medicine (2005). To read a sample chapter from Dr. Bub's book, and for more information about him, visit www.processmedicine.com.

ENTHEOGENS, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND EXPERIMENTAL HUMANITIES
with Thomas B. Roberts, PhD, Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University, where he has taught Foundations of Psychedelic Studies since 1982. Dr. Roberts is author of Psychoactive Sacramentals: Essays on Entheogens and Religion and the recently published Psychedelic Horizons and is co-author of the on-line resource, Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy (http://csp.org/chrestomathy).

REFLECTIONS ON SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A PHYSICAL THERAPY RESEARCHER
with Mary Lou Galantino, PT, PhD, MSCE, Professor of Physical Therapy, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. [For a select bibliography of articles (PDF) from Dr. Galantino's overall work, click here.]

WHY WE BELIEVE WHAT WE BELIEVE: BELIEFS AND THEIR EFFECT ON HEALTH
with Andrew Newberg, M.D., Associate Professor of Radiology and Psychiatry, and Director of the Center for Spirituality and the Mind, University of Pennsylvania. [This program is sponsored by Penn's Center for Spirituality and the Mind.]

D.T. SUZUKI: REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE OF AN IMPORTANT ZEN PIONEER
with Albert J. Stunkard, MD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, and author of "Suzuki Daisetz: An Appreciation," Eastern Buddhist (new series) 36, nos. 1-2 (2004): 192-228. [This program is sponsored by Penn's Center for Spirituality and the Mind.]

SHOULD THE ROLES OF PHYSICIAN AND CHAPLAIN BE FUSED? A PERSONAL REFLECTION.
with Robert M. Nelson, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. [Dr. Nelson's PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

REFLECTIONS ON PENN'S SPIRITUALITY & MEDICINE SUMMER ELECTIVE COURSE IN THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
with Michael Baime, MD, Co-Leader of the Spirituality & Medicine Course

WHEN THE FAMILY EXPECTS A MIRACLE
with Horace DeLisser, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, HUP, and Former Physician Co-Chair, HUP Ethics Committee

DEATH OF A DREAM: SPIRITUAL CARE FOR THE PEDIATRIC PATIENT AND FAMILY AT END OF LIFE
with Mirabai Galashan, Interfaith Chaplain, Pediatric Advanced Care Team, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and
Don Eisenhauer, Hospice Chaplain, Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown and Vicinity

HUMOR AND SPIRITUALITY NEAR THE END OF LIFE
with Marvin E. Herring, MD, Clinical Professor, Family Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Medicine
[Dr. Herring's PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE. Any use of his drawings or other material should be acknowledged to herrinmg@umdnj.edu.]

DISCUSSION OF "RELIGIOSITY IN A HEMODIALYSIS POPULATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SATISFACTION WITH MEDICAL CARE, SATISFACTION WITH LIFE, AND ADHERENCE" [ American Journal of Kidney Diseases 44, no. 3 (September 2004): 488-497]
with Elisheva Berman, MD, Psychiatry Resident, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York City) and
Joshua H. Lipschutz, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
[Dr. Berman's PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

HEALING THE SOUL IN THE AGE OF THE BRAIN: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CONSCIOUS
with Elio Frattaroli, MD, psychiatrist and physhoanalyst, and author of Healing the Soul in the Age of the Brain (www.eliofrattaroli.com)
and with a response by Andrew Newberg, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology and Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania. [This event co-sponsored with Mind, Religion, and Ethics in Dialogue --winner of the Templeton Research Lectureship Program on the Constructive Dialogue between Science and Religion]

WHEN THE FAMILY AND TREATMENT TEAM DISAGREE: CULTURAL, ETHICAL, SPIRITUAL CONSIDERATIONS
with Chaplain Ralph Ciampa, Director, Department of Pastoral Care
[Chaplain Ciampa's PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

REFLECTIONS ON HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY FROM AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
with Britt Dahlberg

IS SPIRITUALITY JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR POSITIVE EMOTIONS?
with George Vaillant, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and author of Aging Well and The Wisdom of the Ego. [This event co-sponsored with Mind, Religion, and Ethics in Dialogue --winner of the Templeton Research Lectureship Program on the Constructive Dialogue between Science and Religion]

CONNECTION AND NON-LOCALITY IN SPIRITUALITY, MEDICINE, AND HOLISTIC HEALING
with Wendy J. Canning, LISTD, LA, BB

SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE AND PATIENTS' RELIGIOUS COPING
with Chaplain John Ehman, UPHS Pastoral Care Department
[Chaplain Ehman's PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking HERE.]

HOW TO GROW FAITH, HOPE, AND COMPASSION WHEN WE HAVE DOUBTS!
with Barbara Wingate, MD, MSW

BUDDHISM AND WORKING WITH BUDDHIST PATIENTS
with Chaplain John Weber

CONDUCTING SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENTS IN HOSPITALS AND OTHER SETTINGS: AN OVERVIEW OF SIX QUALITATIVE SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT TOOLS
with David R. Hodge, Ph.D., Post-doctoral fellow, Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society at Penn and author of Spiritual Assessment: A Handbook for Helping Professionals

AN OPEN DISCUSSION ON BIOETHICS IN A PLURALISTIC SOCIETY, WITH RESPECT TO RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL CONVICTIONS --LED BY A DOCTOR WHO DOES HOUSE CALLS
with Michael Moore, MD, HUP Department of Medicine Immunodeficiency Program

HEALING THE BODY, HEALING THE SOUL: CHALLENGES AT THE INTERSECTION OF SPIRITUALITY AND MODERN HEALTH CARE
with Dina Greenberg, MLA

VALUES-BASED DECISION MAKING: A MODEL FOR CONVERSATIONS WITH PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES
with Rabbi David A. Teutsch, PhD, Professor of Contemporary Jewish Civilization at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and Director of the Levin-Lieber Program in Jewish Ethics and the Center for Jewish Ethics.

HOW OUR PATIENTS PERCEIVE US: ROLE EXPECTATIONS FOR CHAPLAINS/CLINICIANS
with discussion led by Roslyn Taylor, RN, MARS
and Linda O'Brien, RN, MA, Director of Eldercare Ethics Associates

SPIRITUALITY MEASURED: CAPTURING THE ELUSIVE EFFECT: REFLECTIONS ON THE RECENT CONFERENCE AT THE MAYO CLINIC
with Wilson Will, HUP Chaplain Resident

THE SPECTRUM OF DEPRESSION AND SPIRITUALITY AMONG OLDER ADULTS
with Sarah Forrest, Research Coordinator, Spectrum II Project, University of Pennsylvania Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine

REFLECTIONS ON THE SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH COURSE AT PENN'S CENTER FOR BIOETHICS
with David Sontag, JD, MBE

MEDICAL STUDENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH SUMMER ELECTIVE COURSE AT PENN
with Penn Medical Students Molly Carey, Laura Heller, Jennifer Holton, and Vishal Patel,
and Lynn Seng, MSEd, Director, Special Educational Projects, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

TEACHING THE ASSESSMENT OF SPIRITUALITY TO MEDICAL STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS
with Jennifer Kapo, MD, Division of Geriatrics, UPHS, and Member of the Palliative Care Consult Team

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND DIVERSITY ISSUES AFFECTING MEDICAL DECISION-MAKING
with Chaplain John Ehman, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center-Presbyterian.

PROMOTING A HEALTHY DEATH
with Jonathan R. Gavrin, MD, Director of Penn's Symptom Management and Palliative Care Program

PERFORMANCE OF MEDICAL STUDENTS TAKING A SPIRITUAL HISTORY
with David Musick, PhD, Director of Graduate Medical Education, UPHS; Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Education & Development, Penn Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; and Associate, Penn Center for Bioethics

FROM THE BANKS OF THE NILE TO THE STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA: MIDWIFERY AND THE TRADITION OF SPIRITUALITY IN HEALTH CARE
with William F. McCool, CNM, PhD, Director, Midwifery Graduate Program of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
and Mamie Guidera, CNM, MSN, Faculty, Institute of Midwifery at Philadelphia University

SPIRITUALITY IN THE PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP: I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR YOU
with Carla M. Messikomer, PhD, President of The Acadia Institute, Exton PA

SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT OF PATIENTS: AN ENTREE TO THE SOUL
with Carolyn M. Grande, MSN, CRNP, Advance Practice Nurse, Department of Hematology Oncology

HOMELESSNESS AND URBAN SOCIAL JUSTICE: THE CHALLENGE TO PEOPLE OF FAITH
with Dennis P. Culhane, PhD, Professor of Social Welfare Policy, University of Pennsylvania

BUILDING BETTER BRAINS: THE ETHICAL AND RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF NEUROTECHNOLOGY
with Paul Root Wolpe, PhD, Senior Faculty Associate, Penn's Center for Bioethics; Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; and Chief of Bioethics and Human Subject Protection, NASA

MEDITATION AND SPIRITUALITY FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
with Michael J Baime, MD, Director of the Penn Program for Stress Management

REFLECTIONS ON THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SUMMER ELECTIVE COURSE: "SPIRITUALITY AND MEDICINE"
with Penn Medical Students Jennifer Conroy, Steven Crooks, and Kara Durand

CURRENT AND RECENT RESEARCH INITIATIVES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PASTORAL CARE
with Chaplain Ralph Ciampa, STM, Director of Pastoral Care, UPHS

REFLECTIONS ON THE STATE OF THE SCIENCE AND CURRENT TRENDS IN SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH RESEARCH: A REPORT OF THE APRIL 1-3, 2003 CONFERENCE AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
with John Ehman, MDiv, Chaplain, UPMC-Presbyterian
and Roslyn Taylor, MA, RN

THE ROLES OF RELIGIOUS COPING IN THE STRESS-DISTRESS RELATIONSHIP
with Anthony N. Fabricatore, PhD, Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania

WHEN RELIGION AND ANXIETY COLLIDE: THE CASE OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
with Jonathan D. Huppert, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, University of Pennsylvania

THE PROFESSIONALISM OF SPIRITUAL CARE: THE EXAMPLE OF JEWISH CHAPLAINCY
with Rabbi Robert Tabak, PhD, HUP Department of Pastoral Care

A WEB-BASED RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES DATABASE
with Andrew Newberg, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiology,
and Avrum Goodblatt, Research Assistant in Nuclear Medicine, UPHS

FAITH-FRIENDLY BUT FACT-BASED: THE FIVE PROGRAM COMPONENTS OF CRRUCS
with Byron Johnson, PhD, Director, Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society (CRRUCS); Director, Office for the Study and Prevention of Domestic Violence; Distinguished Senior Fellow, Robert A. Fox Leadership Program, University of Pennsylvania; and Senior Fellow, International Center for the Integration of Health and Spirituality.

INTRODUCTION TO SPIRITUAL AND ENERGY HEALING PRACTICES: THE LAYING ON OF HANDS, THERAPEUTIC TOUCH, REIKI, AND HEALING TOUCH
with Audrey Whiteside Burt, MS, OTR/L, LMT, Healing Touch Practitioner, Reike Level II

ARTICLE DISCUSSION: "THE SPIRITUALITY OF ACADEMIC PHYSICIANS: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF A SCRIPTURE-BASED GROUP IN AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER," BY C. M. MESSIKOMER AND W. DE CRAEMER [Academic Medicine 77, no. 6 (June 2002): 562-573].
with David Musick, PhD, Director of Graduate Medical Education, UPHS; Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Education & Development, Penn Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; and Associate, Penn Center for Bioethics
and Carla Messikomer, PhD, Director, Acadia Institute

SUFFERING AND HEALING: RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PASTORAL CARE
with Eleni Litt, PhD, Asst. Dean of Undergraduate and Post-baccalaureate Programs, College of General Studies
and Kathleen L. Egan, PhD, Director of Geriatrics Education, Institute on Aging

THE RISKS OF PERSONAL SPIRITUAL SHARING IN PATIENT-PHYSICIAN COMMUNICATION
with Florence Gelo, DMin, Assistant Professor, Division of Medical Humanities, Drexel University College of Medicine

THE TERM SPIRITUALITY: DEFINITIONS AND USAGE IN THE HEALTH CARE LITERATURE
with Chaplains John Ehman and Ralph Ciampa, UPHS Department of Pastoral Care

SPIRITUALITY IN MEDICINE: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION
with David Musick, PhD, Director of Graduate Medical Education, UPHS; Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Education & Development, Penn Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; and Associate, Penn Center for Bioethics

INCORPORATING PATIENT AND FAMILY PREFERENCES REGARDING SPIRITUALITY INTO AN INTERVENTION FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS
with Fran Barg, PhD, Lecturer in Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania

SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT: ITS VALUE FOR CLINICIANS AND PATIENTS
with Laura Pieri, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Temple University

SPIRITUALITY AND END-OF-LIFE CARE
with JoAnne Reifsnyder, PhD, RN, Post Doctoral Fellow and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Penn School of Nursing

AN INTRODUCTION TO QIGONG
with Master FaXiang Hou, QiGong Research Society

SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH: THE PERSPECTIVE FROM THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF RELIGION
with Ann Matter, PhD, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Penn

CURRENT PUBLIC INTEREST IN SPIRITUALITY RESEARCH: A VIEW FROM THE BOOK TOUR —REFLECTIONS IN LIGHT OF A NATIONAL TOUR SPEAKING ABOUT WHY GOD WON'T GO AWAY
with Andrew Newberg, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiology, UPHS

RELIGIOSITY, SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SPIRITUAL CARE AMONG ISRAELI ONCOLOGY NURSES
with Catherine F. Musgrave, DNSc, Post Doctoral Fellow, UPHS

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES IN A WEST PHILADELPHIA NURSING HOME
with Barbara Ott, RN, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Nursing, Villanova University

READING MEANING INTO ILLNESS AND RECOVERY: PATIENTS' JOURNAL ENTRIES
with Judy Kleppel, MD, Rehabilitation Medicine, UPHS

THE CREATION OF A JEWISH HEALING CENTER
with Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, PhD, Director of the Jewish Identity Program, Jewish Family and Children's Services of Greater Philadelphia

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING
with Elizabeth Mackenzie, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, UPHS