The Initiative on Islam and Medicine (II&M) is a leading research center at the intersection of Islam and Biomedicine. We produce groundbreaking scholarship that impacts the lives of Muslim patients, healthcare providers and religious leaders, using an innovative approach that draws insights from a diverse set of disciplinary experts from across the theological, social, and biomedical sciences. As a platform for impactful research, tailored education, and creative dialogue,

Improving the health of American Muslims:

We assess how Muslim patients' health behaviors and healthcare experiences are shaped by their faith, and mobilizing that knowledge towards the development of evidence-based and culturally-tailored health interventions and policies.

Developing an academic, multidisciplinary field of Islamic Bioethics:

We describe the discursive and methodological gaps in the growing body of Islamic bioethics literature and work with scholars to fill these lacunae by establishing theologically-rooted normative goals and setting the disciplinary parameters of the field. By doing so, we assist Muslim patients, clinicians, chaplains, and Imams to engage with modern medicine faithfully.

What Do We Do?

The Initiative conducts scholarship, provides educational opportunities, and hosts events that bring together medical and social scientists, Islamic studies experts and traditional Islamic scholars for interdisciplinary dialogue and research. Together, these overlapping activities cultivate a community of experts who have a deep understanding of the Islamic tradition, modern bioethics, and contemporary biomedicine.