CENTER FOR GLOBAL HEALTH
ISPU’s Center for Global Health (CGH) provides in-depth analysis of global health policy and its impact on Muslims around the world. CGH brings together talented scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines to synthesize social science and public health research related to Muslim communities, with the goal of advising policy makers both in the U.S. as well as Muslim majority countries. CGH is committed to research on topics that are relevant to policy makers, journalists, and the general public, with the aim of providing accessible information to diverse stakeholders.
CGH conducts original research on topics such as family and mental health, substance abuse, and assessing the delivery of health services to immigrants, the poor and other underserved communities. We commission experts to share their original research on Muslims through policy briefs and reports, opinion editorials and interviews in the mainstream media. In addition to CGH’s research initiatives and regular collaborations with other research institutes and universities, we sponsor conferences and workshops, and provide pilot funding for original research that explores the intersection of culture, religion, and public health.
CGH’s research areas of focus include the following:
- Analysis of the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS programs in Muslim populations in Africa
- Identifying and reducing barriers to accessing healthcare services among Muslim Americans
- Addressing ways that culture and religion shape and inform how Muslims understand and consume health care
- Studies of the role of Islamic Chaplains in providing spiritual care to inform and improve the delivery of inpatient services to Muslim Americans
- Impact of U.S. policies on American Muslim communities and health professionals
- Partnerships and strategies to address the psychological and social needs of American Muslim youth
FEATURED BOOK
Counseling Muslims: Handbook of Mental Health Issues and Interventions
The issues and interventions discussed in this book, by authoritative contributors, are diverse and multifaceted. Topics that have been ignored in previous literature are introduced, such as sex therapy, substance abuse counseling, university counseling, and community-based prevention. Chapters integrate tables, lists, and suggested phrasing for practitioners, along with case studies that are used by the authors to help illustrate concepts and potential interventions.
Counseling Muslims is also unique in its broad scope, which reflects interventions ranging from the individual to community levels, and includes chapters that discuss persons born in the West, converts to Islam, and those from smaller ethnic minorities. It is the only guide practitioners need for information on effective service delivery for Muslims, who already bypass significant cultural stigma and shame to access mental health services.