Spiritual Care Management & Leadership Certificate​
September 2026 - May 2027

The Transforming Chaplaincy Certificate Program in Spiritual Care Management and Leadership (SCML), a distinctive educational offering at Rush University College of Health Sciences, is an exceptional resource for those aspiring to lead spiritual care programs in healthcare.

Led by experts, it integrates classroom learning, real-world case studies, and experiential activities to equip participants with the skills needed for effective leadership amidst the complexities of healthcare spiritual care. Emphasizing a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from emotional intelligence to strategic thinking and innovation, this program is designed for current and aspiring spiritual care leaders seeking to enhance their capabilities and impact.

Participants will join a supportive community, engage in reflective practices, and apply what they learn to real-world challenges, preparing them to lead with agility and compassion in the evolving healthcare landscape.

Spiritual Care Management & Leadership Certificate - Open House
​Thursday, June 25, 12-1 PM (CDT)

Join us on Thursday, June 25, 12-1 PM (CDT) for an online Open House to discuss the Spiritual Care Management & Leadership Certificate. Meet the faculty, learn about the program and related expectations as well as ask your questions.

Contributing to the 6th Global Summit on Spirituality, Religion, & Mental Health
​Boston, MA

Many Transforming Chaplaincy (TC) contributors played vital roles with the recent Global Summit on Spirituality, Religion, & Mental Health hosted in Boston, Massachussetts, May 14-15. These participants included Angelika Zollfrank, convener of the Chaplaincy and Mental Health Care research network; Lauri Swann, recent presenter for a TC webinar, Spiritual Care in Public Mental Health Hospitals; Alex Schapiro, co-convener of Population Health and Digital Spiritual Care research network; and Amanda Borchik, staff researcher.

The Association of Professional Chaplains' Annual Conference
​New Orleans, LA

It was exciting to see so many of you at the Association of Professional Chaplains' annual conference, June 11-13. Thank you for visiting our exhibitor table and engaging in meaningful conversations about research and spiritual care. We appreciated participating in workshops and professional development sessions, and we’re grateful to the chaplains who shared their elevator speeches during the workshop facilitated by Dr. George Fitchett and Antonina Olszewski’s, supported by expert respondents Jason Nieuwsma, Csaba Szilagyi, Ruth Jandeska, and Tanya Willis-Robinson. See you next year!

Upcoming Course

Research Literacy 101
​Save the Dates | September 2-30

Research Literacy (RL) 101 will be offered again this fall, September 2-30. Since 2019, RL 101 has been offered to equip chaplains to locate, evaluate, and summarize the evidence related to their practice. 25 continuing education hours are available through course completion. Stay tuned for registration information.

Our Next Webinar

From Chaplain to Leader: How Spiritual Care Leaders Are Tackling Real-World Challenges
​Thursday, June 18, 12-1 PM (CDT)

What does the transition from chaplain to leader actually look like in practice? Join us for a conversation with participants (Aviva, Matthew, and Tim) from Transforming Chaplaincy's Spiritual Care Management & Leadership (SCML) program as they share their applied projects developed in response to real organizational, leadership, and healthcare challenges—and reflect on what they are learning as emerging spiritual care leaders.

Host: LaVera Crawley, MD, MPH, OFS

ISPEC Training Course
​September 24-25

The ISPEC™ (Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum) training course provides a unique opportunity for clinicians and chaplain pairs from the same health setting to learn how to integrate spiritual care into patient care throughout their organization. Consider joining the next course, September 24 and 25. Application deadline is September 10.

Transforming Chaplaincy is proud to be affiliated with the George Washington Institute for Spirituality & Health (GWish) and its Founder, Dr. Christina Puchalski.

INPCS Annual Meeting
Chaplain Scholarships
​Indianapolis, IN
September 29 - October 1

The goals of the International Neuropalliative Care Society (INPCS) include improving “clinical care for persons living with neurological disorders by championing palliative models of care and offering resources to facilitate these models in practice.” The 6^th annual meeting of INPCS will be held September 29-October 1, 2026 in Indianapolis, IN (www.inpcs.org). INPCS values spiritual care as an important part of neuropalliative care and welcomes chaplains to participate in its Annual Meeting.

For the 2026 INPCS Annual Meeting three scholarships are available to encourage chaplains to participate in the Meeting and INPCS. For chaplains who receive the scholarships registration for the Annual Meeting will be free.

Applicants for the scholarships must meet the following qualifications: 1) have completed chaplaincy education (e.g. CPE residency), 2) be employed full-time as healthcare chaplains, and 3) work at least 50% time in palliative care. Preference will be given to those who provide care for neuropalliative care patients/families or care for patients with advanced neurological illness and their families. Early application is encouraged. Scholarships will be awarded as applications are received.

To apply for a scholarship, send a current CV and 1 page statement about your interest in attending the INPCS Annual Meeting to info@inpcs.org. Please submit these documents formatted in one pdf file. Address questions to George Fitchett, Professor, Department of Religion, Health & Human Values, Rush University Medical Center and member of INPCS Board of Directors, george_fitchett@rush.edu.

AI and Faith – Chaplaincy, Care & AI Symposium
​Tuesday, July 21, 11 am-2 pm (CDT)

Is AI an assist, an adjunct, or an adversary in Healthcare Chaplaincy?

Join us for a half day of discussion on the intersection of artificial intelligence, chaplaincy, and healthcare. As technology reshapes clinical environments, chaplaincy and spiritual care leaders have a unique opportunity to help guide the integration of innovation with compassion, ethics, and human dignity. Experts will offer their critical insights into what is known about AI, chaplaincy, and healthcare, as well as what needs continued exploration.

During this session, we will have a presentation on the current landscape of these themes, presented by David Fleenor, a certified chaplain, clinical pastoral educator, priest, and author of “Transforming Healthcare Chaplaincy Education.” Additionally, Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will moderate the discussion between Tracy Trothen, Professor of Ethics at Queen’s University and author of Understanding Religion and Artificial Intelligence: Meaning-Making in the Digital Age, and C. Estelle Smith, Professor of Computer Science at the Colorado School of Mines and designer of computational spiritual support frameworks. They will assess the challenges and opportunities artificial intelligence offers in this field, exploring if artificial intelligence is good for chaplaincy and how it will affect people. We will also provide the audience with the opportunity to explore these questions themselves through structured discussions, followed by a final reflection.

ACPE National Conference
Poster Presentation Submissions
​Phoenix, AZ | October 11-14

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 at ACPE's national conference. The deadline for submission is August 15.

Research Participation Opportunities

The OSU Wexner Medical Center and Transforming Chaplaincy are partnering to map spiritual care service and practice in outpatient oncology clinics, infusion centers, and cancer centers. Every chaplain or chaplain leader whose scope of service includes an outpatient oncology population is invited to participate.
​Questions: Contact Jason Matlack, Senior Chaplain, MDiv, BCC jason.matlack@osumc.edu

Research Invitation for Black or African American Healthcare Chaplains

Kalif Crutcher, a PhD student at Gonzaga University, is conducting a research study examining the professional experiences of Black or African American healthcare chaplains. Eligible individuals are invited to complete a brief anonymous online survey (approximately 5–10 minutes). Participation is voluntary, and no information identifying you as the participant will be collected. If you are interested in participating, please use the link below.
​Questions: Contact Kalif Crutcher, M.Div, MA, BCC, KCrutcher@zagmail.gonzaga.edu

Become a Supporting Partner

If you are interested in becoming a Supporting Partner with Transforming Chaplaincy, please contact Cate Beaulieu-Desjardins, TC's Assistant Director of Research Development, at caitlin_m_desjardins@rush.edu.

To Support Transforming Chaplaincy

Please consider supporting our mission so that every patient has access to high-quality, evidence-based spiritual care.

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 (1.94K) 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 120+ of our videos. Thank you for whenever you engage TC's content to advance spiritual care through research. Transforming Chaplaincy’s YouTube channel.

​Transforming Chaplaincy: Advancing Spiritual Care Through Research​
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​Vision: We envision a future when chaplaincy is formed, informed, and transformed by evidence-based practice
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​Mission: The mission of Transforming Chaplaincy is to promote evidence-based spiritual care and integrate research into professional practice and education by fostering a culture of inquiry

Our mailing address is:​
Transforming Chaplaincy
Rush University Medical Center
Department of Religion, Health, and Human Values
1653 West Congress Parkway
Chicago, IL 60612