ASPPH Chief Academic Officer Dr. Linda Alexander joined national leaders this week at the John Templeton Foundation Research and Advisory Fellows Convening in Charlotte, North Carolina. The two-day meeting, hosted in partnership with Interfaith America, focused on strengthening alignment and identifying actionable next steps for the Faith in Health Professions initiative. The convening highlighted the importance of bridging the faith-health divide through interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement.
Launched in August 2024 with support from a $3.2 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation, the Faith in Health Professions project aims to better integrate faith as a critical social determinant of health. To date, 29 campuses across the country have received up to $60,000 each to support two-year projects. Research and Advisory Fellows contribute their expertise by supporting grantees and advancing understanding at the intersection of religion and public health.
The convening brought together experts from public health, education, ethics, psychology, theology, and public policy to align on shared goals and translate ideas into practice. Fellows emphasized the importance of hope as a guiding principle in this work. “We are driven and led by our faith and our hope,” said Dr. Alexander.
Discussions also focused on the role of human connection in improving health outcomes. “We know that healing at the individual and community and society levels requires the kind of human interaction that our religious and spiritual traditions can foster,” said Dr. Suzanne Henderson of Interfaith America.
Participants explored practical strategies to sustain engagement, including offering office hours for students, developing shared resource libraries, and leveraging new communication channels. “We have to listen and lean into humanity,” noted Ben O’Dell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
ASPPH member schools and programs who received a Campus-Community Partnership grant and were present at last week’s meeting include Dr. David Tillman, Campbell University Department of Public Health, Dr. Karl Johnson, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Dr. Shaunesse Jacobs-Plaisimond, Department of Religious Studies, University of South Florida.
The convening concluded with a renewed commitment to advancing this work in visible and impactful ways. As Dr. Alexander emphasized, “We need people to see the work…to be where the people are.”
Interfaith America plans to share many of the Fellows’ ideas at the organization’s upcoming Summit in August 2026.