Religion as a Social Determinant of Public Health (On-demand webinar)

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on June 10, 2019.

Training Overview

This webinar presents evidence that religion should be considered among the social determinants of health, based on epidemiological research.  Plausible mechanisms at the individual level are the lower smoking rates and greater social ties of those with religious participation.  At the community level, faith-based organizations engage in partnerships with public health agencies as a source of social capital to promote health and prevent disease, particularly in hard-to-reach populations.

The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard.

This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu.

About the Trainers

Dr. Idler holds additional appointments at Emory at the Rollins School of Public Health, the Center for Ethics, the Graduate Division of Religion of the Laney Graduate School, and the School of Medicine.  She received her Ph.D. from Yale University and attended Union Theological Seminary on a Rockefeller Brothers Fellowship. She studies the influence of attitudes, beliefs, and social connections on health, including the effect of self-ratings of health on mortality and disability, and the impact of religious participation on health and the timing of death among the elderly.

Ms. Kiser joined the Interfaith Health Program in 1993 during its first seven years at The Carter Center and continues that work now at the school of public health.  She teaches interdisciplinary courses at Emory in faith and health, religion and development, and social justice.  Ms. Kiser has led the Academic Programs Working Group for Emory’s Religion and Public Health Collaborative.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.