Scholarship for International Faculty/Students to Attend Spirituality & Health Research Workshop

This proposal involves training university faculty/students from developing, economically-disadvantaged countries to conduct research on religion/spirituality and health (RSH). Many faculty/students from these areas cannot afford travel expenses and tuition to attend a course that provides the background, knowledge, and tools to conduct research in this area. Scholarships will enable these individuals to obtain that training by attending Duke University’s 5-day RSH Research Workshop. During the past 15 years, the Workshop has trained individuals to (a) conduct research on RSH, (b) disseminate it, and (c) build academic careers in this area. Nearly 800 faculty/students have attended, including some of the top RSH research leaders in the world today. The Workshop focuses on how to design, manage, fund, and publish research, which will help to address the following “big questions”: (1) What is the RSH relationship in diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic contexts? (2) What impact does the RSH relationship have on public health in economically-deprived regions of the world? and (3) How might integrating religion/spirituality into patient care impact the quality of healthcare provided in these areas? We seek support for scholarships that will allow faculty/students from low income countries to attend the workshop. The Workshop is the only formal training program that exists anywhere in the world designed specifically for health professionals and taught by faculty with over 35 years of research experience. By project end, we will have: (1) awarded 27 scholarships (each up to a maximum of $3,000) to cover tuition, airfare, lodging, and other travel expenses; (2) written a paper (early on) about the scholarship program and submitted it to a peer-reviewed journal; (3) completed a course evaluation and pre- and post-workshop assessments on all awardees; and (4) completed a 1-year follow-up. 80% of the direct costs of this program will be expended on scholarships.