Role of Religion and Religious Beliefs in the Provision of Care and Medical Education

Dear Colleagues,

Religions is inviting papers for a Special Issue on medicine and religion.  In the last two decades, interest and scholarship on the relationship between religion and health has grown significantly.  Despite this fact, much less work has focused on the place of religion and religious beliefs in the physical and mental health treatment context, even with some evidence that there is a non-negligible desire for inclusion by patients. This is especially notable given the emphasis on, support for, and near universal affirmation of patient-centered care. While the virtue of patient-centered-care is extolled, the real life manifestation of it is more complicated, given time pressures, professional burnout and depression rates, and other barriers to person-focused care. This Special Issue aims to highlight research focused on religious content within medical interactions, but also encourages submissions focused on the socialization and professionalization process of health practitioners that shapes their perceptions of how care is provided, how they make sense of their profession, and the role that religion or religious beliefs may play in this process.

We welcome papers that use a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches.  

Dr. Aaron B. Franzen
Guest Editor