John Harvard's Journal they and colleagues in the Harvard medical 33 percent less likely to die, and lived an av- VanderWeele teaches a Wintersession community—many of them now part of the erage five months longer, during a 16-year course on religion and public health—one of initiative—showed that most patients with follow-up period (1996-2012) than women the handful of curricular offerings on spiri- advanced cancer had never received any form who never went. Frequent attendance, the tuality and medicine across the University; of spiritual care from their oncology nurses investigators note, appears to increase social others include a few at HDS, an HMS elec- or physicians (87 percent and 94 percent, support, decrease depression, discourage tive on “Spirituality and Healing in Medi- respectively). The investigators concluded smoking, and boost optimism. cine,” and a required course in the Harvard that lack of training is the main barrier. The data also revealed an association be- Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training These findings could have financial con- tween attending religious services and sig- Program. Associate professor of psychiatry sequences, given the high cost of intensive nificantly lower rates of suicide. Among the John R. Peteet, who co-teaches the medi- end-of-life treatments. One analysis con- 90,000 women in the study, those who regu- cal school and residency courses, says it’s ducted by initiative members and others at larly attended religious services were nearly important for clinicians to understand the Dana-Farber, HMS, and HSPH, reported in six times less likely to commit suicide during religious, spiritual, and cultural dimension the journal Cancer in 2011, suggested that if the study follow-up years (1996 to 2010) than of illness—and to recognize how their how medical teams routinely provided spiritual those who did not. (These findings appeared their own spiritual beliefs, whether religious care to dying cancer patients, the annual in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s or secular, “can be an important resource cost savings in the United States would total JAMA Internal Medicine and JAMA Psychiatry last for working well.” (Peteet has co-edited The $1.4 billion (based on 2009 data). May and June, respectively.) Soul of Medicine: Spiritual Perspectives and Clinical Another focus of inquiry involves the “The research suggests that there is some- Practice with associate professor of anesthe- health benefits of going to church or other thing very powerful about the communal sia Michael N. D’Ambra.) religious services. A team led by initiative religious experience,” VanderWeele says. Initiative leaders hope their work will co-leader Tyler J. VanderWeele, a professor “Religious participation appears to be an eventually expose more students and pro- of epidemiology at HSPH, mined data from important social determinant of health, viders to these topics and lead to better prac- Harvard’s long-term Nurses’ Health Study and yet one that we have neglected in our tice. They are pleased that the Joint Com- and found that women who attended reli- discussions on the distribution of health mission, a national healthcare accreditation gious services more than once a week were outcomes.” organization, has begun to recognize the role of spiritual care. But, the Balbonis say, its guidelines are “ambiguous” and not yet en- forceable because empirical research on spir- Crimson on Capitol Hill: 115th ituality and medicine is still new, and many knowledge gaps remain. They, along with Other Republican victories in No- Poliquin ’76 (Me.); Michael R. Pompeo, J.D. VanderWeele and other colleagues, plan to vember notwithstanding, the tally of Har- ’94 (Kans.); ’06 (N.Y.); *Scott continue tackling such unanswered research vard degree-program graduates or ma- Taylor, A.L.B. ’14 (Va.) questions as: What role should doctors play triculants in the 115th Congress continues House Democrats: Brendan Boyle, in delivering spiritual care? How does wit- to tilt Democratic. At press time, the GOP M.P.P. ’05 (Pa.); *Anthony G. Brown ’84 nessing their patients’ spiritual moments, contingent numbered six senators and (Md.); Joaquin Castro, J.D. ’00 (Tex.); Kath- like being at peace with God, affect clini- seven representatives (two of them alum- erine Clark, M.P.A. ’97 (Mass); Gerry Con- cians themselves? Is religious attendance nae); across the aisle were seven senators nolly, M.P.A. ’79 (Va.); James H. Cooper, “healthful” for people of faiths beyond the and 29 representatives (three of them J.D. ’80 (Tenn.); Elizabeth Esty ’80 (Conn.); mostly white Christian population surveyed alumnae). Below, asterisks mark newcom- , Ph.D. ’83 (Ill.); in the Nurses’ Health Study? ers since the election of 2014: ’02/’04 (Ariz.); , M.B.A. ’70 Academic medicine, initiative leaders say, Senate Republicans: Tom Cotton (Calif.); *, J.D. ’04 (N.J.); also seems to be more receptive now to ad- ’99, J.D. ’02 (Ark.); Michael D. Crapo, J.D. , M.P.A. ’96 (N.Y.); dressing issues around spirituality in patient ’77 (Id.); Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz, J.D. ’95 ’88 (Conn.); Joseph P. Kennedy III, J.D. ’09 care. “Thirty or 40 years ago,” says Michael (Tex.); Ben Sasse ’94 (Neb.); Daniel S. Sul- (Mass); ’85 (Wisc.); *Raja Krish- Balboni, “I don’t think people would even livan ’87 (Alas.); ’84 (Pa.) namoorthi, J.D. ’00 (Ill.); James R. Langevin, whisper about these things, certainly not Senate Democrats: Richard Blumen- M.P.A. ’94 (R.I.); Sander M. Levin, LL.B. ’57 publicly.” In 2015, the initiative hosted a na- thal ’67 (Conn.); Al Franken ’73 (Minn.); (Mich.); Stephen F. Lynch, M.P.A. ’99 (Mass.); tional conference on medicine and religion Timothy M. Kaine, J.D. ’83 (Va.); John F. ’01, M.B.A.-M.P.A. ’11 (Mass.); that drew 300-plus attendees, and it con- (Jack) Reed, M.P.P. ’73, J.D. ’82 (R.I.); Charles * ’83, J.D. ’87 (Md.); , vened a December 2016 symposium to high- E. Schumer ’71, J.D. ’74 (N.Y.); Christopher M.D.-M.P.P. ’01, M.P.H. ’07 (Calif); John P. light current research and implications for Van Hollen Jr., M.P.P. ’85 (Md.); Mark R. Sarbanes, J.D. ’88 (Md.); Adam B. Schiff, J.D. clinical practice. Adds Tracy Balboni, “It’s Warner, J.D. ’80 (Va.) ’85 (Calif.); Robert C. Scott ’69 (Va.); Terri encouraging to see the growing recognition, House Republicans: Ron DeSantis, J.D. Sewell, J.D. ’92 (Ala.); Bradley J. Sherman, at Harvard and other academic institutions, ’05 (Fla.); Martha McSally, M.P.P. ’90 (Ariz.); J.D. ’79 (Calif.); ’83 (Calif.); that these questions are important to a com- , M.P.A. ’89 (Mich.); Bruce Juan C. Vargas, J.D. ’91 (Calif.) prehensive understanding of what comprises health.” vdebra bradley ruder

30 January - February 2017

Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746