The Pitt News The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | april 17, 2018 | Volume 108 | Issue 150
Panelists question separation of medicine and faith PITT ANNOUNCES COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS Salina Pressimone Assistant News Editor
From left to right, Tyler Vanderweele of Harvard University, Tamara Dubowitz of the RAND Corporation and Jeffrey Bishop of Saint Louis University, discuss the relationship between medicine and faith during the Can Science Measure the “Culture of Health”? event in the William Pitt Union Monday night. Anas Dighriri | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Cassidy Power Staff Writer Although in Western tradition medicine and faith are considered separate entities, a Monday afternoon panel sponsored by the School of Nursing called Can Science Measure the Culture of Health? questioned why the two aren’t integrated. Speakers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Saint Louis University’s Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics, the RAND Corporation and Pitt’s School of Nursing debated what the role of spirituality should be in health care Monday afternoon. More than 100 people attended the panel in the Wyndham hotel ball-
room, which consisted of Tamara Dubowitz, senior policy researcher at RAND Corporation, Jeffrey Bishop, professor at Saint Louis University, and Tyler VanderWeele, professor of epidemiology at Harvard. “It’s remarkable how much we understand about the determinants of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer and how little we understand about what we do to find meaning in life,” VanderWeele said. VanderWeele cited his research in public health claiming spirituality and health are intrinsically linked. He said not only can faith indicate better health, but it actually plays a key role in a person’s physical well-being.
VanderWeele countered his own point by reminding the audience that correlation is not always causation. He conceded that his crosssectional studies — which only consider data at a single point in time — are a poor way of establishing causal relationships because they can produce data marred by confounding variables. Yet he stood by his claims and said by implementing longitudinal studies, he was able to provide evidence for a causal relationship. He gave the example of smoking and going to religious services. In his research he found that those who attend services are less likely to smoke. See Panel on page 5
Pitt graduates receiving their University diplomas this month will hear from two Pitt alumni who have led prominent careers in public service since their own commencement ceremonies. Pitt will host Pittsburgh Mayor and ex officio member of Pitt’s Board of Trustees, William Peduto, at the undergraduate commencement ceremony and appellate attorney and partner at Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick law firm, David C. Frederick, at the master’s, professional doctoral and doctoral degrees graduation. Peduto graduated from Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs in 2011 after receiving his bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State. He worked on Pittsburgh’s City Council for 19 years, where he wrote comprehensive government reform legislation and created Pittsburgh’s first campaign finance limit. Since he was first elected Mayor in 2013, Peduto has prioritized increasing transparency, developing a long-term investment plan for the City’s assets and promoting the City’s role in housing, small businesses and education. He’s also visited the University before to attend student-organized political, sustainability and sexual assault awareness events. See Speakers on page 5