GWish plays a leading role in the field of spirituality and health by conducting research, educating practitioners, and impacting healthcare policy worldwide.
07/27/2026
Have you thought about the two-day ISPEC training , but still want to know more? Join Dr. Christina Puchalski and Chaplain Richard Bauer for a one hour information, question and answer webinar. Learn how you can better integrate spiritual care into your clinical practice adopting the generalist (clinician) — specialist (chaplain) model of spiritual care. Register here https://tinyurl.com/4789yasz or for more information: https://tinyurl.com/3d2mfzxj
05/30/2026
Understory is an inspiring movement of clergy and religious leaders who reflected in their role in impacting the future. Reflections on what it means to serve their congregants across all faiths to help them envision a world that is compassionate and caring. The GWish vision aligns with this growing movement.
The Understory Festival The Understory Festival is a civic and spiritual gathering to rehumanize our common life in a time of cultural fragility.
05/29/2026
Dr. Christina Puchalski was honored to serve as a featured presenter at the 7th International Congress in Spirituality and Health (CONUPES 2026) in Juiz de Fora, Brazil.
As part of the congress, she delivered two keynote presentations and led additional workshops for faculty and students, contributing to an inspiring international dialogue on spirituality and health.
Founded by Professor Alexander Moreira-Almeida, CONUPES brings together clinicians, psychologists, researchers, educators, and students dedicated to advancing the integration of spiritual health into clinical care, education, and research. Throughout the conference, Dr. Puchalski was deeply moved by the extraordinary enthusiasm of participants and their authentic commitment to serving patients with compassionate whole-person care.
"The passion was remarkable," she says. "These colleagues are not simply interested in spirituality and health as an academic topic. They are actively seeking ways to integrate spiritual care into their own settings and to better serve and love the people entrusted to their care."
The congress highlighted the growing global momentum behind spirituality and health and the increasing recognition that caring for the human spirit is an essential component of healthcare.
05/29/2026
Dr. Christina Puchalski was honored to serve as a featured presenter at the 7th International Congress in Spirituality and Health (CONUPES 2026) in Juiz de Fora, Brazil.
As part of the congress, she delivered two keynote presentations and led additional workshops for faculty and students, contributing to an inspiring international dialogue on spirituality and health.
Founded by Professor Alexander Moreira-Almeida, CONUPES brings together clinicians, psychologists, researchers, educators, and students dedicated to advancing the integration of spiritual health into clinical care, education, and research.
Throughout the conference, Dr. Puchalski was deeply moved by the extraordinary enthusiasm of participants and their authentic commitment to serving patients with compassionate whole-person care.
"The passion was remarkable," she says. "These colleagues are not simply interested in spirituality and health as an academic topic. They are called to this work. They are actively seeking ways to integrate spiritual care into their own settings and to better serve and love the people entrusted to their care."
The congress highlighted the growing global momentum behind spirituality and health and the increasing recognition that caring for the human spirit is an essential component of healthcare.
05/27/2026
Dr. Christina Puchalski was honored to serve as a featured presenter at the 7th International Congress in Spirituality and Health (CONUPES 2026) in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. As part of the congress, she delivered two keynote presentations and led additional workshops for faculty and students, contributing to an inspiring international dialogue on spirituality and health.
Founded by Professor Alexander Moreira-Almeida, CONUPES brings together clinicians, psychologists, researchers, educators, and students dedicated to advancing the integration of spiritual health into clinical care, education, and research.
Throughout the conference, Dr. Puchalski was deeply moved by the extraordinary enthusiasm of participants and their authentic commitment to serving patients with compassionate whole-person care.
"The passion was remarkable," she says. "These colleagues are not simply interested in spirituality and health as an academic topic. They are called to this work. They are actively seeking ways to integrate spiritual care into their own settings and to better serve and love the people entrusted to their care."
The congress highlighted the growing global momentum behind spirituality and health and the increasing recognition that caring for the human spirit is an essential component of healthcare.
05/11/2026
A new international study published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology journal JCO Oncology Practice includes contributions from Christina M. Puchalski and reinforces a message she has championed for decades: spiritual care is an essential part of whole-person cancer care.
The survey included 670 oncology and palliative care clinicians across 55 countries. While 90% agreed spiritual care is important — and 92% said spiritual distress impacts patient outcomes — very few clinicians reported consistently screening for spiritual needs.
The study also found that most clinicians want more training in this area, reinforcing the growing recognition that caring for patients means caring for the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.
Attitudes, Practices, and Barriers to Spiritual Care for Patients With Cancer: An International Survey | JCO Oncology Practice PURPOSESpiritual care is recognized by the WHO and consensus frameworks as integral to whole-person oncology care, yet its integration into practice remains limited. Global data on clinician beliefs, practices, and barriers are limited. The aim was to ...
04/27/2026
Among neuro-oncology patients, ICU recovery settings, high-risk community clinics, and many more innovative applications, GWish Scholars are advancing the integration of spiritual care into routine clinical practice.
Through the GWish Project, interprofessional clinician–chaplain teams develop and evaluate demonstration projects grounded in the Generalist–Specialist model of spiritual care. In this framework, clinicians incorporate spiritual screening and history into standard care, while board-certified chaplains provide comprehensive spiritual assessment and specialized support.
These initiatives contribute to a growing evidence base for spiritual care, examining implementation, outcomes, and scalability across diverse healthcare environments. Findings are shared through an ongoing Learning Collaborative, supporting dissemination of best practices and model refinement.
Collectively, this work advances the field toward recognizing spiritual health as an essential dimension of whole-person care.
GWish Scholars As part of the GWish Project, we are inviting clinician/chaplain pairs to develop and conduct demonstration projects consisting of interprofessional spiritual care clinical models that can be tested in multiple health settings. Findings will then create pathways for future research, grants, and a la...
04/13/2026
Announcing...Applications are Open. We're now accepting applications for the fall ISPEC™ spiritual care training course for clinicians and chaplains. If you feel that addressing spiritual health is an important part of treating the patients you serve, join us livestream on September 24 &25 at ISPEC™.
One clinician, one chaplain at a time, we can impact organizations and healthcare systems to offer this deeply beneficial care to the patients who need it most.
The course will fill up. Please act quickly if you feel called to prioritize spiritual care in your practice and in your institution.
Click through to learn more about the course.
ISPEC™ Training Course Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum [ISPEC™]
03/30/2026
What’s the next chapter in advancing spiritual care?
Join us tomorrow at 2:00 PM as Transforming Chaplaincy celebrates 10 years of impact—and looks ahead to the future of the field. This conversation brings together voices from across the community to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Our warmest congratulations and appreciation to Transforming Chaplaincy for 10 years of meaningful, transformative work. Register now to be part of what’s next.
03/16/2026
Grateful for the incredible turnout at the GWish Breakfast during the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly!
Dr. Christina Puchalski and Chaplain Rick Bauer led a powerful conversation on ISPEC and how our growing community is impacting change in multiple healthcare systems. The focus and compassion in the room were felt by all!
Thank you to everyone who joined the discussion and shares our passion for making spiritual care available for all who need it.