Dr. Sloan''s research at Columbia focuses on the mechanisms by which psychological risk factors such as hostility, depression, and anxiety contribute to the risk of heart disease. His research team, which includes cardiologists and psychiatrists, is exploring a psychophysiological model of coronary disease that identifies the autonomic nervous system as the link between psychological factors and atherosclerosis.

The “Health Effects” of Religious Activity:

Claims about religion, spirituality, and health appear with increasing frequency today, both in the popular media and in professional journals. Corresponding to the rise in these beliefs are increasing calls to incorporate religious and spiritual activities into clinical practice. Over half of U.S. medical schools now include courses on religion and spirituality for medical students.

What began as a casual inquiry into the validity of these claims by Drs. Richard Sloan and Emilia Bagiella has evolved into an ongoing program of research in this area. In publications in the Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Annals of Behavioral Medicine as well as several book chapters, they identify significant methodological failures of papers that purport to demonstrate health benefits of religious activity. They also identify significant ethical problems raised by attempts to bring religious activity into clinical medicine.

Dr. Sloan is the author of the forthcoming book "Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine" (St. Martin''s Press, November 2006).

To speak with Dr. Sloan, please contact Alex Lyda at 212-305-3900.