IHP works to understand the complex relationships between religion and public health. In that work, we recognize that religion and public health may sometimes be in alignment and sometimes in tension. This dynamic between alignment and tension can clearly be seen in regard to human sexuality, sexual health, and reproductive health. IHP offers unique perspectives for exploring this dynamic in contexts both in the United States and abroad, particularly in the area of HIV prevention.

With start-up funding provided to the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa by Emory’s Religion and Public Health Collaborative, IHP has worked with colleagues at the  to implement a method of community engagement with adolescents. This project, Participant Inquiry into Adolescent Sexual Health (PIRASH), provides data on the complex interactions between religious belief and expression, cultural norms, popular culture, media sources, and individuals’ decision-making. IHP has been involved in PIRASH initiatives in the US and abroad, including work in South Africa, Atlanta, and North Carolina. This work has brought together faith-based, academic, and community based partners, including:

• Emory University School of Medicine
• Emory Office of University and Community Partnerships
• Community Foundation of Atlanta
• AIDS Alliance for Faith and Health
• Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam
• North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
• North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

ARTICLES ON RELIGION AND SEXUALITY BY IHP FACULTY:

• When Sodomy Leads to Martyrdom:  Sex, Religion, and Politics in Historical and Contemporary Contexts in Uganda and East Africa
• Broadening the Family of God:  Debating Same-sex Marriage and Queer Families in America
• Uncovering the Eros of God
• Different Subjects:  Postmodern Selves in Psychology and Religion
• Queer Religion
• When Religion and Health Align:  Mobilising Religious Health Assets
• Religion, AIDS, and Africa After Obama
• Christianity and Condoms