Public Health, Religion, and Ethics Series
The Religion and Public Health Collaborative and the Center for Ethics collaborated to bring discussion to the Emory community on topics relevant to the world of public health, religion, and ethics as they relate to society in partnership or in tension.
In February 2014, Allan Kellehear, BA, PhD, AcSS, Professor of Community Health, Middlesex University, London gave a lecture, “Public Health Approaches to End of Life Care: Implications for Spiritual Care.” Dr. Allan Kellehear is a medical and public health sociologist with a long-standing interest in human behavior and experiences at the end of life. The lecture began with the globally widespread clinical, acute-care culture of palliative care before introducing an outline of public health/health promotion approaches to palliative care. Public health interventions that embrace community development, health promotion, death education, and ecological strategies are key to helping people who are living with dying, bereavement, and long term care issues. The future of palliative care, and particularly the role of chaplains and pastoral care professionals, must embrace this approach if it is to successfully achieve greater access for all and provide a meaningful continuity of care at the end of life.
In Fall 2013, the PHRE series presented screenings of three episodes of the BBC period drama, “Call the Midwife.” Each of the episodes engages a discrete controversial topic which provided for a post-screening discussion.
- September 10, 2013 – Season 2, Episode 5 (topic: abortion)
- October 16, 2013 – Season 2, Episode 4 (topic: disability)
- November 12, 2013 – Season 1, Episode 5 (topic: suicide)
In 2012 – 2013, we were privileged to have President Jimmy Carter, Helene Gayle, MD, MPH and CEO of Care USA, and Laurie Zoloth, PhD speak. Click on the links below to view a video of each lecture (must have iTunes installed):
- President Carter: “Public Health, Religion, and Ethics: Reflections of a former President and the Founder of the Carter Center”
- Helene Gayle, MD, MPH, President and CEO of CARE USA: “The Significance of Faith in International Development Work”
- Laurie Zoloth, PhD, Professor of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, Northwestern University: “Beyond the Gates of the City: Public Health and Social Justice from Biblical Texts to the Affordable Health Care Act”