Digital Spiritual Care
​Funded by
The John Templeton Foundation

We're thrilled to announce our new international research project: "Digital Spiritual Care: Towards a Vision for Compassionate Care in Digital Health," with generous funding from the John Templeton Foundation and in partnership with the University of Zurich, Heidelberg University, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Healthcare has gone digital, with telehealth, electronic health records, remote monitoring, and AI. But spiritual care hasn't kept pace. Spiritual care providers are increasingly navigating digital and hybrid clinical environments without a clear framework for how to practice, document their work, or integrate with interprofessional teams. This project is here to address that.

Over the next three years, our team will develop a competency model for digital spiritual care, train-the-trainer curricula, and a strategic research agenda, all shaped with input from an international Leadership and Technical Advisory Groups.

This work is led by Csaba Szilagyi, PhD (Transforming Chaplaincy / Rush University), Fabian Winiger, PhD (URPP Digital Religion(s) / University of Zurich), Kelsey White, PhD, BCC (Virginia Commonwealth University), Simon Peng-Keller, PhD (University of Zurich), and Annette Haussmann, PhD (Heidelberg University), collaborating with a research team including Amanda Borchik, MDiv, BCC, Dr. Simone Brandstädter, and Erika Jarva, PhD.

Chaplaincy Research
Summer Institute
​Bryn Mawr College,
Bryn Mawr - Pennsylvania
July 27-31

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.

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.

Association of Professional Chaplains Annual Conference
​New Orleans, LA - June 11-13

We look forward to seeing you at the Association of Professional Chaplains annual conference in New Orleans, June 11-13. Please stop by our exhibitor table. We'd love to connect in person!

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.

Publications

Developing the H-5, A Quantifiable Spiritual Assessment for Hospice Care Assessment

This open access article documents the methods used to develop the H-5 spiritual assessment model, which identifies spiritual concerns in patients and families receiving hospice care. Chaplains trained to use the H-5 reported increase in the quality and consistency of the care they provided, as well as perceived improvement in interdisciplinary rapport and communication.

Society of Critical Care Medicine 2026 Guidelines on the Care and Management of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Patients at the End of Life

Amanda Borchik, a staff researcher with Transforming Chaplaincy, was an interdisciplinary expert panelist with this new publication in the latest issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: SCCM's 2026 Guidelines on the Care and Management of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Patients at the End of Life.
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These guidelines point the direction toward a future focused on research that helps more fully understand the impact of spiritual care for pediatric patients and their families as they navigate end-of-life and bereavement.

Upcoming Webinars

This Is What a Chaplain-Research Looks Like
​Wednesday, June 3, 12-1 PM (CDT)

Advancing spiritual care research requires chaplains with PhD-level training. In the U.S. the numbers of chaplains with that training is growing. In this webinar you will meet three new PhD chaplain-researchers: Petra Sprik, Dana Fachner, and Martin Shaw. They will share why they pursued their degrees, what it took to complete their degrees, including the research they conducted, and the next steps in their careers.

Panelists: Drs. Petra Sprik, Martin Shaw, and Dana Fachner
​Moderator: George Fitchett, DMin, PhD, Senior Advisor, Transforming Chaplaincy

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 from Transforming Chaplaincy's Spiritual Care Management & Leadership (SCML) program as they share 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

Congratulations, Dr. Fachner

Dana Fachner successfully defended her dissertation on April 17, titled “The Cost of Compassion: Mixed Methods Insights into Healthcare Chaplains’ Experiences of Workplace Violence.” Her research involved primary data collection through surveys and interviews, examining healthcare chaplains’ experiences of workplace violence utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods. Dana has successfully completed her Ph.D. in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Publications stemming from this research are forthcoming and the full dissertation is available upon request.

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.

The Chaplain & The Doctor

Filled with warmth and humor, this buddy film follows two unlikely allies working to bring curiosity, connection, and compassion to a broken healthcare system - one patient at a time. For screening locations.

The Next Meeting of the Telechaplaincy Community of Practice
​May 29, 12-1 PM, EST (6-7 PM, CEST)

A Telechaplaincy Music Program for Outpatient Oncology Patients at Cedars-Sinai

What began as a national not-for-profit virtual music program in hospitals during the COVID-19-pandemic has grown into a weekly spiritual care intervention in outpatient oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. In its current form, a chaplain accompanies the patient while a musician performs live over a virtual platform. This presentation explores how the program has resonated with patients and considers the broader potential for music-based care as a resource for telechaplains working with patients when in-person support is unavailable.

Bronwen Jones, MTh, BCC, is an outpatient oncology chaplain in the Patient and Family Support Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute.

​Join the Telechaplaincy Community of Practice.

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 (1.91K) 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 115+ 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