HOUSTON, Texas (October 28, 2024) — The Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center announces the appointment of Marianne P. Florian, Ph.D., as its inaugural Postdoctoral Fellow in Medical Humanities. The new position is a collaboration between the institute and the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School. The role marks an important advancement for the institute’s Rabbi Samuel E. Karf Center for Health Professions.
In this joint role, Dr. Florian will contribute to the development of innovative programs and curricula that address critical gaps in medical education related to the intersection of medicine, spirituality, and compassion. This position is made possible through the generous support of philanthropic donors.
At the Institute, Dr. Florian will lead a major initiative aimed at deepening the integration of spirituality in medicine. She will primarily develop curricula focused on spirituality and health for medical students, helping to fill important gaps in medical education. As part of this research, Dr. Florian supported students in Rice University’s Medical Humanities Program who are researching whether and how spirituality is currently incorporated into American medical school education. Masu. We will also plan and promote conferences and symposiums, including ISH’s annual Psychotherapy and Faith and Nursing Conference, which brings together medical professionals to explore the role of spirituality in health.
At McGovern Medical School, Dr. Florian will play a central role in developing and teaching courses in medical humanities and biomedical ethics. She will also supervise medical students as part of the medical humanities academic concentration.
“We are thrilled to work with the UT Health McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics to welcome Dr. Marianne Florian to the Institute as our inaugural postdoctoral fellow,” said Stuart Nelson, president and CEO of the Institute for Spirituality and Research. I’m happy,” he said. health. “Dr. Florian brings unique skills and an innovative perspective that will help us build the Rabbi Samuel E. Calf Center’s curriculum with the ultimate goal of closing the gap in medical education regarding religion and spirituality in healthcare. It will be very valuable to you. Welcome, Dr. Florian!”
Medical professionals continue to shoulder significant burdens beyond the challenges inherent to their professional mission. A global pandemic, increasingly frequent natural disasters, and increasing social isolation are taking a toll on practitioners, jeopardizing their health and negatively impacting their ability to care for patients. Although there is no single solution to these complex issues, the Calf Center and Institute recognizes that training in spirituality and health is a resource for the regeneration of the entire interdisciplinary nursing profession .
The curriculum Dr. Florian is developing is aimed at students in the health professions and promotes professional health and enhances patient care. Topics covered in this curriculum include: (a) promoting spiritual health and prosperity, (b) examining the link between spirituality and health, and (c) responding to cultural and technological change. Advance the field of spirituality and health by doing so.
The Calf Center plans to partner with medical schools that want to offer spirituality and health curriculum to their students. The program also allows enterprising students to form a grassroots extracurricular learning community and utilize the program to train in spirituality and health. The institute will expand the curriculum’s reach to include not only students in nursing and other health fields, but also practicing health professionals who want to train or become leaders in the field. I’m thinking of something.
Reflecting on his new role, Dr. Florian said: My goal is to foster the continued renewal of human and spiritual values in healthcare, with an emphasis on fostering compassion, generosity, and deeper connections between healthcare professionals and patients. . By leveraging medical humanities, spirituality, and health resources, we can strengthen medical education and foster a more compassionate medical environment. ”
Dr. Florian received his Ph.D. She received a graduate certificate in Mind, Brain, and Culture from Emory University in American Religion and Culture. She also holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Candler School of Theology and a Master of Arts degree in French and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Florian has received numerous prestigious awards and honors throughout his academic career. These include the Dr. Mellon Intervention Project Dissertation Completion Fellowship and the George W. Woodruff Fellowship at Emory University’s Rainey Graduate School. She also received the McNair Scholarship and the National Merit Scholarship during her undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina.
In addition to his academic accomplishments, Dr. Florian is an active member of the American Academy of Religion and is affiliated with Emory’s Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture and the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics. Dr. Florian has numerous publications and speaking engagements, and her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and presented at national conferences.
Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Florian taught undergraduate courses in Religion and Health in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of South Florida.
Dr. Florian speaks French and Spanish and enjoys a variety of creative hobbies and interests, including collage art, sewing, crafts, music, and perfumery. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling. She is known for her sense of humor.
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About Rabbi Samuel E. Karf Center for Health Professionals
The Rabbi Samuel E. Karf Center for Health Professionals at the Institute for Spirituality and Health provides educational tools and research to promote spiritual attunement in clinical settings and self-care among health care professionals. The vision is to enable all healthcare professionals to incorporate spirituality into their approach to health and healing.
Under the guidance of the Calf Center, the institute partners with Rice University to provide undergraduate and graduate students with a venue and network for independent research, independent reading, and collaborative projects. The program frequently accepts students from Rice University, the University of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and Saybrook University. In addition, the Institute sponsors conferences on health care and spirituality tailored to the fields of medicine, nursing, palliative care, and psychotherapy.
About the Institute of Spirituality and Health at Texas Medical Center
The Institute is an independent interfaith organization founded in 1955. A founding member of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center, the Institute has brought about meaningful change by fostering heart and humanity in medicine. The Institute is preparing for its 70th anniversary, and will reach a major milestone in May 2025. Over the past 70 years, the Institute has emerged as a pioneering institution at the intersection of faith, medicine, and mental health. Based on the belief that medical care must nurture the body, mind, and spirit, our institute has long been engaged in mission-focused community education.
The mission of the Spirituality and Health Research Institute is to enhance well-being by exploring the relationship between spirituality and health. The Institute is guided by four centers of excellence: the Rabbi Samuel E. Calf Center for Health Professionals, the Body Spirit Mind Center, and the End Center, and is engaged in education, research, and direct service programs. We are promoting this mission. Center for Life and Aging, Faith and Public Health. For more information about The Institute, please visit https://www.spiritualityandhealth.org/.
