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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
MD Education Program

Religion and Spirituality in Medicine Scholarly Concentration

In the Religion and Spirituality Scholarly Concentration, medical students will be introduced to major spiritual traditions, spiritual concepts in health, and the ways they interact. These include religious traditions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and non-religious spiritual traditions such as atheism. Spiritual concepts include personhood, belief, hope, meaning-making, compassion, cure/healing, and suffering. Course sessions will be led by a spiritually diverse faculty, with discussion of spiritual traditions preferentially led by leaders within those traditions.

Locations

All coursework is offered virtually (please note this does not mean the classes will be asynchronous). Scholarly project locations vary by project.

Curriculum and Timeline

Students completing the Religion and Spirituality concentration fulfill the same core curriculum as students in other concentrations. The didactic components provide a strong academic and experiential foundation in religion and spirituality that will be vital for completion of the core curriculum project and product.

Topic-Specific Courses

Survey of Spiritual Traditions and Concepts in Health

Survey of Spiritual Care Practice and the Research of Spirituality in Health

Religion and Spirituality in Medicine Journal Club

Core Curriculum

Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship

Scholarly Concentration Project

Scholarly Concentration Product

Recommended Pathway

Phase 1 Year 1

  • No courses

Summer 1

  • Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship — Offered in the summer; online asynchronous
  • Survey of Spiritual Traditions and Concepts in Health — Offered in the summer and winter; online synchronous (p.m.)
  • Survey of Spiritual Care Practice and the Research of Spirituality in Health — Offered in the summer and winter; online synchronous (p.m.)
  • Scholarly Concentration Project — Begins in the summer and continues longitudinally until complete. Location by agreement with concentration leaders and mentor.
  • Scholarly Concentration Product — Begins in the summer and continues longitudinally until complete. Location by agreement with concentration leaders and mentor.

Phase 1 Year 2

  • Religion and Spirituality in Medicine Journal Club — Offered in the fall, winter and spring; online synchronous (p.m.)
  • Scholarly Concentration Project continues
  • Scholarly Concentration Product continues

Phase 2

  • Scholarly Concentration Project continues
  • Scholarly Concentration Product continues

Phase 3

  • Scholarly Concentration Project completed
  • Scholarly Concentration Product completed

This table shows that the first three topic specific courses should be completed during the summer between first and second year of med school. The fourth topic specific course should be taken during phase one in year two. The two remaining courses, project and product, are longitudinal. The project and product should begin as soon as the summer between first and second year of med school and conclude on or before the end of fourth year.

Students determine if a concentration pathway will fit in their schedule by contacting concentration co-directors. 

Scholarly Project Topic Examples

Students work with faculty to complete a project in a relevant topic based on student interests. Students are welcome to come up with their own project idea. Projects carried out by current students include, but are not limited to:

  • Evaluation of team based spirituality in a large healthcare system
  • HPV vaccination and religiosity in rural Indiana
  • Interprofessional spiritual care in pediatric hematology/oncology
  • The role of acceptance and commitment therapy and spiritual coping in breast cancer survivors
  • Validation of the team based spirituality index
  • Religious orientation and anorexia nervosa

Awards and Other Significant Scholarly Outcomes

  • The IU School of Medicine Trustee's Teaching Awards
  • The PLUS grant from IU School of Medicine
  • The 2024 (national) Conference on Medicine and Religion was hosted in Indianapolis, with program planning led by the Religion and Spirituality in Medicine Scholarly Concentration Co-Directors
  • A 2025 IU Health Values Grant was awarded to the directors and faculty of the Religion and Spirituality in Medicine Scholarly Concentration to deepen collaboration pertaining to spirituality education between the IU School of Medicine and IU Health system

Co-Directors

Students should reach out to Dr. Lion with any questions about this concentration at alion@iu.edu.

23413-Lion, Alex

Alex Lion, DO, MPH

Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics

Bio and Contact Information

43542-Raed, Mona

Mona A. Raed, MD

Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Bio and Contact Information

Outline of Indiana with text on the illustration reading Religion and Spirituality in Medicine
MD Student News

Exploring the Religion and Spirituality in Medicine scholarly concentration

Learn about the Religion and Spirituality in Medicine scholarly concentration, which offers students a unique opportunity to explore how spiritual beliefs and practices intersect with clinical care.