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Newsletter Migration

Thanks to your feedback, we’ve learned that the links in the newsletter we just sent out no longer work. This is probably due to the switch of newsletter platforms. So, we’re resending an abridged text version of our March newsletter with working links.

We have transitioned from Mailchimp to a new email newsletter platform called Kit. Please be on the lookout for our newsletters coming from this new address: transforming_chaplaincy@rush.edu. We recommend adding this email to your contacts and safe sender lists to ensure you receive our updates. Additionally, check your spam or similar folders, such as the 'Promotions' folder in Outlook, to make sure our emails aren’t missed.

We appreciate your understanding regarding the automatically embedded ads or recommendations from the newsletter platform, which helps us use this service for free. Thank you for your continued support!

Healthcare Chaplaincy - State of the Science

Thursday, June 12, 8 AM - 5 PM (CDT)

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington - Minneapolis South

In conjunction with the annual Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) Conference (June 12-15) being hosted in the Minneapolis area, Transforming Chaplaincy is excited to announce the first ever, Healthcare Chaplaincy - State of the Science. It will be a one day event on Thursday, June 12, 8 AM - 5 PM (CDT).

The morning session, Using Emerging Evidence to Strengthen the Value Proposition for Spiritual Care, will feature the following themes: 1) Staff Care, 2) Chaplaincy Education and Development, and 3) Mapping Studies.

The afternoon session, Innovations Transforming Spiritual Care, will be focused on 4) Spiritual Screening and 5) Assessment culminating with a final end-of-the-day panel.

​Registration for the APC Conference is now open. To support navigating your way through this registration process, check out this short video. We look forward to seeing you for this inaugural in-person event featuring over thirty chaplain researchers and leaders in the field.

Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute

July 14-18 - Rush University, Chicago, IL

Chaplains are invited to apply for the Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute (CRSI). First offered in 2017, the CRSI helps chaplains develop research literacy to understand and apply research critically and introduces them to skills to engage in research and quality improvement projects. The CRSI follows an intensive and interactive format that facilitates networking with faculty and chaplains involved in research. Several hands-on sessions include conducting literature searches, qualitative research activities, and mentored small-group discussions. Participation in CRSI counts toward research-related CE hours of professional chaplaincy organizations. Link for Info & To Apply: https://redcap.rush.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=34J4LFH773FHFDDR​

Upcoming Short Course

The PC-7 and ONC-5 Demystified: Hands-On Training in Quantifiable Spiritual Assessment for Chaplains

April 24, 12-4 PM (Central Time)

Over the past 5 years we have developed two new models for spiritual assessment; the PC-7 for use in adult palliative care and the ONC-5 for use in adult cancer care. Both models yield a quantified assessment of the intensity of patient’s spiritual concerns. In the short course we will describe the background and research associated with the PC-7 and the ONC-5. We will then guide participants through the assessment of a case for each model. Short course participants will be ready to begin to use the models in their clinical practice. To Register for this Course: https://redcap.rush.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=RM99EMEDN3RPP74N​

Save the Date - Short Course

Masterclass for Chaplain Clinical Note Writing: An Evidence-Based Curriculum

May 6, 12-4 PM (Central Time)

One of the most important responsibilities and tasks for each healthcare chaplain is to communicate through the clinical note. This four-hour short course integrates the available evidence base toward what is taught and practiced for this course. We will discuss how best to approach this work, what are the ideal ways to design for engagement, what content best communicates chaplaincy scope, and what language best describes the circumstances of the clinical encounter. Follow Transforming Chaplaincy on LinkedIn for Registration Information.​

Congratulations, Dr. David Fleenor, PhD, STM, BCC for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences

Transforming Healthcare Chaplaincy Education

If you didn't catch Dr. Fleenor's doctoral defense live, you will have some additional opportunities to learn of David's work through the State of the Science event noted above as well as the April 1 webinar described below.

Publication Update

Article (Open Access): A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health Intervention to Improve Hospital Inpatient Outcomes. Kim Palmer, a former Transforming Chaplaincy research fellow, was an integral part of an Emory University team conducting this study.

This randomized controlled trial involved CCSH™ (Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health), an intervention applying insights from Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT), to improve patient outcomes. The data suggest that for inpatients who received CCSH, patient depression decreased, in part due to CCSH-trained chaplains' use of more inclusive, confident, and other-oriented language.

Getting the Word Out About Research

Congrats, Bronwen Jones and Team!

Bronwen Jones represented her research team including former Transforming Chaplaincy (TC) research fellows, Dr. Kelsey White and PhD Candidate, Petra Sprik, as well as TC Senior Advisor, Dr. George Fitchett with their project, Mapping the Scope of Spiritual Care in Cancer Care: An Initial Investigation. Bronwen presented these data at the 22nd Annual American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Conference, March 5-7, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Upcoming Transforming Chaplaincy Webinars

We look forward to you joining us for these events as we bring together the evidence and what it means for our work.

Caring for Hospitalized Patients: Introducing the Sacred Moments Initiative

Tuesday, March 25, 1-2 PM (Central Time)

Recent research has elucidated how master clinicians connect with hospitalized patients, and the role that teamwork and effective communication (including experiencing sacred moments) can have in improving patient care. Studies in various settings reveal that many healthcare professionals have experienced sacred moments, which include feelings of deep personal connection and awe. These experiences may be associated with a renewed sense of vocation and resilience. In this webinar Dr. Sanjay Saint will describe his research on improving the care hospitalized patients receive, the role sacred moments may have in the hospital setting, and the development of the Sacred Moments Initiative. He will be joined by Dr. Kenneth Pargament who will discuss the importance of sacred moments. To Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XvGggIAaT1yZMd8C_TCvvA​

Presenters​
-Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH, MACP, Chief of Medicine, VA Ann Arbor. George Dock Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan
-Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Psychology, Bowling Green State University
​Moderator: George Fitchett, DMin, PhD, Senior Advisor, Transforming Chaplaincy

Essential Competencies for Healthcare Chaplains: Insights from Hiring Managers and Implications for Chaplaincy Education

Tuesday, April 1, 12-1 PM (Central Time)

Researcher and ACPE educator, David Fleenor, will present on the findings from his recent publication. To give a response to his research, he'll be joined by chaplain department directors, Tanya Willis-Robinson and Joel Berning. This event will be moderated by Ben Schaefer. To Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_I2JxeikvSaiW-oQEmPSbnA​

Integrating Spiritual Care in Healthcare

Tuesday, April 22, 1-2 PM (Central Time)

Transforming Chaplaincy is looking forward to partnering with the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab for this event focusing on a discussion of the project, Mainstreaming Spiritual Care in Healthcare Organizations, including a new working paper! The project and this paper discuss how healthcare executives can maximize their utilization of spiritual care providers to enhance workforce wellbeing, patient experience, and access to care. To Register: https://chaplaincyinnovation.org/webinars​

The ONC-5: A New Model for Spiritual Assessment in Cancer Care

Tuesday, April 29, 1-2 PM (Central Time)

Spiritual assessment is one of the chaplain's most important spiritual care activities. The ONC-5 is a new model for spiritual assessment developed for spiritual care of adult cancer patients. The model yields a quantified assessment of the intensity of the patient’s spiritual concerns. This webinar will describe the development of the ONC-5 and its use in 3 research projects. The webinar also marks the launch of Transforming Chaplaincy’s new Cancer Care Spiritual Care Research Network. To Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eT3atjlOTJOGrTrSh_7sPQ​

Presenters: Dr. George Fitchett, Dirk Labuschagne, Dr. Beth Muehlhausen, Beba Tata-Mbeng, and Bronwen Jones

Missed a Webinar?

If you were not available to tune into a Transforming Chaplaincy (TC) live broadcast or perhaps you want to see a specific webinar again, check out TC's YouTube channel. Many of you (1.37K) are already TC YouTube channel subscribers and know how this works. When you subscribe, you receive a notification that a new recording is ready for your viewing along with 105+ of our videos. Thank you for whenever you engage TC's content to advance spiritual care through research. Transforming Chaplaincy’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@transformingchaplaincy1542​

Position Opening

Indiana University Health, TC's supporting partner, is looking for a Director to lead the Congregational Care Network in Indianapolis. Read more about the job here. To learn more about the work of IU Health's Congregational Care Network, read this NPR article.

Supporting Partnership Opportunities

If you are interested in discussing supporting partnership opportunities with Transforming Chaplaincy, please contact Cate Beaulieu-Desjardins, TC's Assistant Director of Research Development, at caitlin_m_desjardins@rush.edu.

Research Participation Opportunity

Chaplain-Assessed Chaplaincy Competencies in North America

Center for Chaplaincy Studies | Dr. Zachary Moon | Survey open through March 31, 2025

Please consider participating in a research survey titled "Chaplain-Assessed Chaplaincy Competencies in North America." This study is being conducted by Dr. Zachary Moon on behalf of the Center for Chaplaincy Studies and his colleague Dr. Callid Keefe-Perry of Boston College. Click here for More Information and To Take the Survey.

2025 ACPE Annual Conference Call for Posters

May 19-22 - Minneapolis, MN

Consider submitting the results from your department's quality improvement project or maybe the preliminary findings from your latest study with a poster presentation proposal. The deadline for submission has been extended to March 1. ACPE Website: https://acpe.edu/education/events-professional-development/2025-acpe-annual-conference/call-for-poster-presentations​

Conference: Out of the Depths’. Contours of Spiritual Care in a Wounded World

October 5-9, 2025 | ICPCC–ECPCC Conference Call | Nijmegen, Netherlands

Out of the Depths famously refers to the biography of Anton Boisen, instigator of the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Movement some one hundred years ago, a movement that has now spread out at centers all over the world. At these locations, professionals in pastoral and spiritual care are being trained and coached to explore their inner world at the service of their spiritual work with patients and clients at various care and church settings. At this centennial, it is good to take stock of the nature of their work. This regards the themes and issues of the patients they address; their counselling methods and techniques; and their training, formation, and supervision practices in pastoral care and education. For More Information: https://www.raadkpv.nl/berichten_volledig&item=13​