Chaplaincy Research Summer Camp 2026

Dates and Location to Be Announced by Early Spring

Chaplains are invited to apply for the Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute (CRSI) through Transforming Chaplaincy. First offered in 2017, the CRSI helps chaplains develop research literacy to understand and apply research critically and introduces them to skills to engage in research and quality improvement projects. The CRSI follows an intensive and interactive format that facilitates networking with faculty and chaplains involved in research. Several hands-on sessions include conducting literature searches, qualitative research activities, and mentored small-group discussions.

Participation in CRSI counts toward research-related CE hours of professional chaplaincy organizations.

Audience

The CRSI audience includes chaplains who wish to develop their ability to critically read and apply research findings to their spiritual care practice, collaborate on research projects with chaplain and non-chaplain investigators, and plan chaplaincy-related D.Min. projects. It also includes chaplains who provide leadership to chaplaincy quality improvement projects.

The CRSI also provides a useful background for CPE Educators to lead research literacy education in their centers.

Content

The content of the CRSI provides participants with an introduction to the research process, various methods relevant to chaplaincy research (e.g., case studies, qualitative and quantitative methods), important examples of existing chaplaincy-related research, and conducting targeted literature searches in PubMed.

Participants will also work in mentored small groups to discuss individual or group research questions. Participants already working on or planning chaplaincy-related projects are welcome to bring those projects to work on through the week. Time will be dedicated for several participants to present their research to the whole group at the end of the week for consultation.

While content and faculty varies most years, these are the core elements of CRSI – and both quantiative and qualitative methods, including case study writing, are always covered.

Element	Purpose	Typical Placement
Plenary lectures	Foundational content from core faculty & guest scholars	Each morning block – covering quantiative and qualitative methods
“Under the Hood” research spotlights	Transparent walk‑throughs of real chaplaincy studies by their authors—design decisions, pitfalls, lessons learned	Late‑morning or late‑afternoon
Skill‑builder breakfasts (optional)	Practical micro‑sessions (e.g., database searching, software tips) for early‑birds	7:45 – 8:45 a.m. certain mornings
Small consultation groups	6–8 participants with 1-2 faculty mentors workshop individual projects or QI ideas	Afternoons
Participant presentations	Slots for works‑in‑progress presentations by participants; constructive feedback from the full cohort	Friday morning
Networking dinners & social time	Community building, mentorship, and informal Q\&A	3 evenings during the week at local restaurants (included in tuition)
Evaluation & next‑steps session	Identify resources, set personal milestones, and connect to CRSI alumni network	Friday late morning

Faculty

The 2025 CRSI faculty includes George Fitchett, DMin, PhD, BCC, Senior Advisor, Transforming Chaplaincy, Csaba Szilagyi, MDiv, MLA, MS, ACPE, Director of Research, Department of Religion, Health and Human Values, Rush University Medical Center and Director of Transforming Chaplaincy, Kelsey White, PhD, BCC, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and Cate Beaulieu-Desjardins, MDiv, MPH, BCC, Assistant Director of Research Development, Transforming Chaplaincy.

Application

Participation is limited to 30 people. Participants must be working or otherwise engaged as chaplains or chaplain researchers, or providing consultation to chaplains, in a health-related setting (e.g., hospital, clinic, hospice, long-term care). Chaplains should minimally be BCC eligible and have completed their CPE residency before applying as we feel this program best serves experienced professional chaplains and chaplaincy leaders. An application process will assess readiness and enthusiasm for the CSRI. 

Please note that the CRSI program begins Monday morning and ends on Frirday at 12 noon.

Cost

• Full program rate: $1,100.
• Early Bird Registration: $950 for participants enrolling by Early Bird Deadline
• Participants are responsible for their travel, lodging, and remaining meals during the week.
• A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required for those who are accepted. The registration fee balance is due no later than one week before the start of the CRSI.
• Transforming Chaplaincy is pleased to offer a limited number of partial tuition scholarships for participants from underrepresented communities, safety-net hospitals, under-resourced departments, or with serious financial hardships.
• Applicants should also check with their departments, institutions, and chaplaincy organizations about potential funding.