Religion is an understudied and significant factor that shapes attitudes toward genomic medicine. Our project, BRIDGE: Building Religious Inclusion for Diverse Genomic Engagement, addresses critical gaps in understanding concerns about genomic medicine among Christian adults in the US. Through a subaward from NIH-funded BRIDGE Program at Biola University, we will develop a multi-disciplinary research program aimed at identifying facilitators and obstacles to engagement with genomics from reproduction through early childhood (GREC) among Christians. The research will focus on understanding what aspects of religious faith shape attitudes toward prenatal genetic testing, IVF and genetic screening, gene editing, and stem cell research and therapies. Research and scholarly projects will include:

1. A review of theological considerations from different Christian theological streams (including Black Church, Catholic, Evangelical, and Mainline Protestant) regarding prenatal genetic testing, IVF and genetic screening, gene editing, and stem cell research.

2. A narrative review of secular and non-Christian reflection on genomics from reproduction through early childhood (GREC) mapped onto Christian theological reflections. This will identify areas of overlap and uniqueness as Christian thought is brought into dialogue with others.

3. A survey of 2700 adults from different Christan groups in the US to explore how attitudes toward science, demographics, religion, and role of moral foundations impact the way people make decisions about genomic healthcare issues from reproduction through early childhood.

4. We will conduct 120 in-depth interviews with people who are or seek to become parents to understand more about their attitudes and experiences with genetic testing, gene editing, and stem cell therapies.

5. We will conduct participatory design workshops with three groups including, 1) healthcare professionals who identify as Christian, 2) health care professionals who do not identify as Christian, and 3) faith leaders and faith community members to develop and evaluate online educational materials to assist parents and healthcare professionals as they navigate healthcare decisions about genomics from reproduction through early childhood.

DuBois will co-lead this research project with Biola University faculty, Drs. Eu Gene Chin and Liz Hall. This collaborative project was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute’s “Building Partnerships and Broadening Perspectives to Advance Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Research (BBAER) Program.” The purpose of this program is to increase the involvement of research organizations like Biola University that are underrepresented in NHGRI’s ELSI Research Program The BRIDGE program will offer Biola University the opportunity to develop its research compliance and administration infrastructure and grow its research workforce, including faculty and graduate students.

Funding: The NIH National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) UM1; #1UM1HG014591; 4/9/2026 – 2/28/2031

Project team:

• James M. DuBois, DSc, PhD, Principal Investigator
• Liz Hall, PhD, Biola University, Principal Investigator
• Eu Gene Chin, PhD, Biola University, Principal Investigator
• Lauren L. Baker, PhD, Co-Investigator
• Bryan Sisk, MD, MSCI, Co-Investigator
• Dorothy Calley, PhD
• Kari Baldwin, MSW, Project Manager
• Erin Solomon, PhD, Senior Staff Scientist
• Ebelechukwu C. Obi, MPA, Biola University, Research Assistant

We know that people who are highly religious have more concerns with genetics in medicine than other people. Genetics in medicine includes activities such as prenatal genetic testing, gene editing, and the development of mRNA vaccines such as the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccines. In this project, we seek to better understand why higher levels of religious practice are related to greater concerns with genetic medicine. Gaining insight into this might help healthcare to better serve the many people in the US who are religious: Ninety percent of the US public believes in some kind of higher power, 55% pray daily, and most health disparity populations are more highly religious than the general US public. This 3-year study is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH NHGRI).

First, we will conduct a national survey with 5,000 adults in the US. The Healthcare, Values, and Spiritual Life Survey asks about personal religious and spiritual beliefs and attitudes toward key healthcare activities that involve genetics—particularly prenatal genetic testing and the use of mRNA vaccines. Building on what we learn from the HVS Survey with the US public, we will then conduct 180 in-depth interviews with faith leaders from six major religious groups (Catholic, Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, Black Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim). Faith leader perspectives will help us interpret our survey findings and identify ways genetic medicine can respectfully and constructively engage with people of faith about healthcare.

 

Funding: NIH Ethical, Legal and Social Implications R01; 1R01HG012830-01; 9/22/2022 – 6/30/2025

 

Project team:

• James M. DuBois, DSc, PhD, Principal Investigator
• Lauren L. Baker, PhD, Co-Investigator
• Eu Gene Chin, PhD, Biostatistician
• Erin Solomon, PhD, Senior Staff Scientist
• Kari A. Baldwin, MSW, Senior Project Manager
• Scott Thumma, PhD, Recruitment Consultant
• Gabrielle Kennedy, MDiv, MBA, Recruitment Consultant

 

Publications:

We have currently completed our survey and are writing up our findings. An initial report can be found in this open access article:

DuBois JM, Chin EG, Solomon E, et al. (2025). Religious Factors Predict Support for Genomic Medicine More Strongly than Politics, Education, or Trust: A Survey of 4,939 Adults in the United States. Frontiers in Genetics. 16:1587774:1-11.

People regularly make difficult ethical decisions about their healthcare. Not surprisingly, people who are highly religious primarily rely on religious teachings when deciding what is right and wrong. All major religions have teachings on controversial moral issues such as abortion, prenatal genetic testing, physician-assisted suicide, and organ donation. However, some religious teachings related to healthcare are complex, not widely known, or challenging to apply in concrete situations.

No one has yet studied how often highly religious people make difficult healthcare ethics decisions, whether they have access to healthcare ethics consultation (HEC) services, whether HEC providers feel qualified to serve the needs of people from diverse faith groups, and how highly religious people, including their faith leaders, would prefer to meet HEC needs. With funding from the BF Foundation, we will study these important issues.

First, we will survey 3,000 highly religious people to identify the healthcare ethics decisions they grapple with, the assistance they seek, and the gap between what they seek and what is available. We will conduct follow up interviews with 30 participants to gain greater insight into these issues. Second, we will conduct 180 surveys and 30 interviews with HEC providers. Third, we will interview 30 faith leaders. With both HEC providers and faith leaders we wish to understand how well prepared they feel to address complex healthcare issues from a religious perspective, and what resources they would welcome.

Building of the results from these surveys and interviews, we will explore several real-world options for better meeting the needs of highly religious patients, such as: (a) establishing a national network of faith-based HEC providers who can be accessed via phone or videoconferencing, (b) creating bioethics training programs for faith leaders, or (c) developing a faith-based healthcare ethics website that addresses issues highly religious people most struggle with from diverse faith perspectives.

 

Funding: BF Foundation Gift

 

Project team:

• James M. DuBois, DSc, PhD, Principal Investigator
• Annie Friedrich, PhD, HEC-C, Co-Investigator
• Erin Solomon, PhD, Senior Staff Scientist
• Kari A. Baldwin, MSW, Senior Project Manager
• Heidi Walsh, MPH, CHES, Senior Project Manager
• Felicia Cohn, PhD, Consulting Content Expert

 

Publications:

We have completed our survey of 3,000 adults in the US and our survey of clinical ethics consultants working in the US. We are currently analyzing data for publication.

Health researchers and professionals sometimes seek to partner with faith communities to improve public health. Past engagements with faith communities have focused on diabetes, hypertension, cancer screening, HIV/AIDS, infectious disease prevention, and maternal and child health. To improve community health, professionals may try to change certain behaviors such as diet, exercise, and participation in health screenings and vaccinations.

We are conducting a systematic review of articles that describe collaborations between health professionals and faith communities on vaccines, genetic testing programs, and colorectal cancer screening. We want to answer the following questions:

• How have health professionals collaborated with faith communities?

• What are the goals of these collaborations?

• How often do health professionals seek to offer information and listen to the needs and concerns of faith communities?

• How are these collaborations received by faith communities? What appears to work well, and what are opportunities for improvement?

We search through thousands of articles and are currently analyzing 122 articles that report on collaborations between health professionals and faith leaders. Findings will be used to help identify and develop models of effectively and respectfully engaging faith communities to improve public health.

 

Funding: NIH Ethical, Legal and Social Implications R01; 1R01HG012830-01; 9/22/2022 – 6/30/2025, and BF Foundation Gift

 

Project team:

• Ana S. Iltis, PhD
• Lauren L. Baker, PhD
• Kari Baldwin, MSW
• Lucas Cruz
• Lauren H. Yaeger, MA, MLIS
• James M. DuBois, DSc, PhD

 

Publications:

Findings from this project are reported in this open access article:

Iltis AS, Baker LL, Baldwin K, Cruz L, Yaeger LH, DuBois JM. (2025). Approaches to engaging faith communities in public health efforts regarding vaccination, genetics, and colorectal cancer: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 25(1):703. Epub 20250220

We know that people often engage with issues such as abortion, transgender care, and vaccines in combative ways. Christianity is the largest and most influential religion in the U.S., comprising 93% of those who identify with a religion. Christians—both liberal and conservative—have often been at the heart of culture wars in the U.S. Many engage with these issues in a manner that is angry, threatening, and alienating. Culture wars cause harm to individuals and the fabric of society. Struggles over health laws, policies, and practices are unavoidable when people feel deeply that so much is at stake—matters of safety, mental health, liberty, how we raise children, self-identities, and the risk of complicity. However, even if struggles are unavoidable, how we disagree and how we push for social change is immensely important.

This project will investigate: What theological resources does Christianity have to support peaceful engagement with socially divisive issues in healthcare such as abortion, transgender care, and vaccines? For clergy and healthcare workers—who frequently engage with these divisive issues—what factors facilitate or hinder peaceful engagement? Which psychological and social factors characterize people with disengaged, peacemaking, or culture warrior styles of engagement with divisive issues?

The project will generate outputs that significantly advance scholarship in this area and offer researchers new tools for further study, while providing clergy and healthcare workers with a framework and models for peaceful engagement.

 

Funding: A funding application is currently under review

 

Project team:

James M. DuBois, DSc, PhD, Principal Investigator