Georgetown’s Global Health Institute has unveiled a groundbreaking project aimed at improving global health outcomes through collaboration between faith and health leaders. This initiative, the Georgetown-Lancet Commission on Faith, Trust, and Health, is being developed in partnership with The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals.
The commission seeks to bring together international faith leaders from various traditions, health professionals, researchers, academics, and policymakers. Their goal is to foster stronger connections between these two worlds and enhance trust in health systems, especially in light of the challenges the world faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We believe that faith groups can be powerful allies in promoting health, particularly during crises or in underserved communities,” said Deus Bazira, director of the Global Health Institute and co-chair of the commission.
The commission’s first meeting took place in Istanbul, Turkey, in May 2025. During this gathering, co-chairs and members of the commission outlined their goals in an article published in The Lancet. The article emphasizes the growing issue of public mistrust in health systems, worsened by political interference, structural inequalities, and the spread of misinformation. These factors have contributed to a decline in confidence in health science, particularly during global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite these challenges, the article notes that faith leaders and institutions play a crucial role in influencing health decisions. They offer pastoral care, emotional support, and guidance, making them uniquely positioned to impact health outcomes. According to a Pew Research Center report cited in the article, over 80% of the global population identifies with a religious group.
Although faith groups often work alongside traditional health systems in underserved areas, their efforts are frequently uncoordinated. The commission hopes to unite these efforts, strengthening both the impact of health initiatives and public trust in health science.
“Building bridges between faith and health leaders is crucial for restoring trust in health science and fostering mutual learning,” the authors stated.
The commission will focus on exploring both the challenges and opportunities of faith-health collaborations around the world. It aims to develop new partnership models rooted in evidence, mutual respect, and community trust.
Bazira co-chairs the commission alongside Dr. Kezevino Aram, co-moderator of Religions for Peace, and David Beasley, former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme. Other members include Georgetown faculty like John T. Monahan, Katherine Marshall, and Jack Leslie, as well as former Georgetown board member Carol Keehan.
The project is funded by the Gates Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Templeton World Charities Foundation.
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