Religion, Health and Development
Catalyzing collaborations with Religious Organizations to advance global health and development
The 2024 GHC summit at Johns Hopkins brought together key leaders from religious, health, and development organizations to share knowledge, and develop collaborations and strategies to work together including with policy makers, industry and other stake holders to advance global health and development. The 2025 summit will take this to the next level
Register for the GHC Summit
Join us to present, learn, network, or collaborate as we celebrate 10 years of the GHC summits and highlight the amazing work that the Religion and Global Health Forum is doing in the USA and globally to advance whole person health and development
Thu, Jun 05CambridgeJun 05, 2025, 8:00 AM EDT – Jun 08, 2025, 4:00 PM EDTCambridge, 48 Massachusetts Ave w16, Cambridge, MA 02139, USAEarly Bird registration ends February 28, 2025 No refunds for registration will be given for cancellations received after May 30, 2025.
Organizing Chairs
The organizing team for Religion, Health and Development is led by the outstanding leaders
Submit an Abstract
Become a Speaker: Present your global health work, or ideas for collaboration at the Harvard/MIT summit. Submission is open till February 15, 2025.
In Celebration of 10 year's of the GHC summits, those interested in highlighting the impact of their work or collaborations that have emerged from previous GHC summits are encouraged to also submit an abstract below. Anyone interested in speaking at the GHC summit is also encouraged to submit an abstract about your work, ideas or collaborations. All submissions will be considered for awards to be presented during the Harvard/MIT summit June 5-8.
Acton TV
Conversation with the chairs
Religion, Health and Development
organized in collaboration with Mission 21
and the Religion and Global Health Forum
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Health and Religion
Whether reading a top medical journal (e.g., the Lancet), talking with a primary health care doctor about medical procedures, sitting with a mentor or counselor after a medical diagnosis, discussing the construction of health clinics in rural communities, or watching news coverage on global pandemics, the topic of religion and faith emerges – and not as a side note. Historical and contemporary analyses of the development of health systems and practices show that local and global Faith-based Organizations (FBOs) have played a major role in health education, building healthcare systems, organizing community health clinics, and working with non-religious partners to forge sustainable health initiatives. Sometimes, in low-resource settings, FBOs have been the only providers of healthcare to citizens. Indeed, religious organizations and FBOs continue to be vital stakeholders in grassroots development initiatives in private and public spheres of personal and national life in the majority world in general, and in the provision of health care in particular
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Anticipated Outcomes
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Collaborative partnerships leveraging technology for health care, research, education and development
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Ethical Guidelines and Best Practices
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Funding and resource mobilization
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... and Development
In 2015, the World Bank sponsored an initiative, including a panel discussion, on: “The Power of Faith to Help End Extreme Poverty” (see here). Part of the World Bank’s goal and vision was to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. Currently, many countries are not on track to meet the health and economic targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In September of 2023, USAID released its first-ever religious engagement policy, affirming the important role of religious communities and faith-based organizations as strategic development partners. Furthermore, faith guides the lives of individuals and communities worldwide, with 84% of the world's population identifying with a religious group. Furthermore, religion influences how people perceive and respond to health issues, or take up new health interventions, especially in times of crisis, as we learned during COVID-19. As global travel communication, and migrations continue to diversify local communities worldwide, religion and spirituality play a significant role in shaping the values, beliefs, ecosystems, and behaviors of billions of people around the world. Studies in the field of integrative medicine recognize how religion and spirituality interface with socio-historical, biological, psychological, economic, and ecological domains that are often the subject of health-related research and policy development (see here).
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Participants
Leaders from
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MISSION 21
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World Health Organization
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Government
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Global Health organizations
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Industry Leaders
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USA National Institutes of Health
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USAID
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United Nations
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Religious Organizations
Upcoming Events
- Thu, Jun 05CambridgeJun 05, 2025, 8:00 AM EDT – Jun 08, 2025, 4:00 PM EDTCambridge, 48 Massachusetts Ave w16, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Thu, Dec 12DhakaDec 12, 2024, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PMDhaka, Airport Rd, Dhaka 1206, Bangladesh
Tue, Nov 12Location is Hybrid.Nov 12, 2024, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM GMTLocation is Hybrid.
Tue, Jul 02AccraJul 02, 2024, 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM EDTAccra, JRJ7+WJP, Accra, GhanaJul 02, 2024, 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM EDTAccra, JRJ7+WJP, Accra, GhanaThe GHC Africa summit returns to Ghana following the successful launch of the Lancet Oncology Commission for sub-Saharan Africa in Ghana in May 2022. Photo Shows GHC Director Stephen Avery (University of Pennsylvania) meeting with the Ashanti King His Royal Highness Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II
Fri, Jun 07Washington (Johns Hopkins)Jun 07, 2024, 8:00 AM EDT – Jun 09, 2024, 4:00 PM EDTWashington (Johns Hopkins), 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Thu, Feb 08WebinarFeb 08, 2024, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM ESTWebinar
Tue, Feb 06Dar es SalaamFeb 06, 2024, 6:00 AM – 1:00 PM ESTDar es Salaam, 24 Kivukoni Rd, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Sat, Sep 16Radisson Blu Water GardenSep 16, 2023, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM GMT+6Radisson Blu Water Garden, Dhaka 1206, Bangladesh
Thu, May 04Irvine AuditoriumMay 04, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT – May 06, 2023, 5:00 PM EDTIrvine Auditorium, 3401 Spruce Street Philadelphia, 19104, USA
Mon, Dec 12WashingtonDec 12, 2022, 10:00 AMWashington, 1232 22nd St NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA
Mon, Nov 21ZoomNov 21, 2022, 9:00 AM ESTZoom
Wed, Sep 28AbujaSep 28, 2022, 9:00 AMAbuja, 1 Aguiyi Ironsi St, Maitama 900001, Abuja, Nigeria
Mon, Sep 26Dar es SalaamSep 26, 2022, 8:00 AMDar es Salaam, 24 Kivukoni Rd, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Fri, Sep 16StockholmSep 16, 2022, 2:00 PM GMT+2Stockholm, Stockholm Sweden
Thu, Jul 07Hybrid (Johns Hopkins and Online)Jul 07, 2022, 8:00 AM – Jul 09, 2022, 5:00 PMHybrid (Johns Hopkins and Online)
