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November 12, 2007
Conference set to map religion and health

By CAROL CLARK

Emory is hosting a groundbreaking conference, "Maps and Mazes: Critical Inquiry at the Intersection of Religion and Health," on Nov. 26–27 at the Emory Conference Center. The event is sponsored by Emory's Religion and Health Collaborative in partnership with the African Religious Health Assets Program of the universities of Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal and Witwatersrand.

"This is a think-tank conference, to share ideas and experiences about how religion affects health, and how health affects religion," said Susan

Landskroener, project coordinator for the RHC. "We want to get people throughout Emory and around the world talking about the importance of this inquiry."

Featured speakers at the event include Kenneth Pargament, a professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University, and James Cochrane, a professor of religious studies at the University of Cape Town. For a full agenda and more information, visit http://www.emory.edu/rhc or call 404-727-4110.

The RHC formed last year as part of Emory's Religions and the Human Spirit initiative. It brings together students and faculty from nursing, public health, theology and religion committed to an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the intersections of religion and health.

ARHAP is a leader in the effort to connect churches, synagogues and temples with health clinics and facilities in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"We're exploring how to create a more synchronized community of understanding between religious assets and health assets. This is a largely unexplored field and so new that people hardly know how to talk about it," Landskroener said.

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