The changing landscape of trust in health—shaped by misinformation, historical injustices, and institutional challenges, among other factors—reflects a broader shift in confidence in traditional institutions and expertise. To address these challenges, it is essential to forge a new model for partnership between faith and health actors, recognizing the vital role that faith communities can play in building trust and promoting well-being, and sense-making in a changing world.
The Georgetown-Lancet Commission on Faith, Trust, and Global Health, housed within Georgetown University Global Health Institute (GUGHI), brings together a leading group of faith actors, government leaders, public health practitioners and health workers, social scientific and medical researchers, and influential social media voices. The Commission will create a shared space for research, dialogue, and collaboration to build trust and advance global health and well-being. The Commission’s composition and research will be global, multidisciplinary, and inclusive—incorporating diverse faith traditions, political perspectives, and geographic contexts to ensure an approach to strengthening trust in health that is both multifaceted and contextually grounded.
The Commission’s work centers on three primary outcomes:
1) Agenda-setting on faith, trust, and health: Reframe and prioritize the intersection of faith, trust, and health by analyzing the evidence base, generating thought leadership through multidisciplinary dialogue, and leveraging high-profile Commissioners to champion this work.
2)Shaping policy and practice: Develop and recommend strategies and tools that strengthen public trust in health through improved policies and practices within health and faith practitioners and communities.
3) Collaboration and network-building: Strengthen relationships and networks between diverse groups in faith and health by fostering mutual respect and collaboration at local, national, and global levels.
