Divine Mercy University/McLean Hospital – Harvard Collaboration for Spirituality and Mental Health Research
Divine Mercy University has partnered with two preeminent leaders in psychological research — McLean Hospital and Harvard University — to study the bridge between spirituality and mental health. This timely union comes as research increasingly demonstrates a tangible link between faith, religion and coping with mental illness, trauma and overall health.
Divine Mercy University is dedicated to the growth of this important research examining the intersection of the entire person — the spiritual, the physical, the psychological and the social aspects of each individual as a whole. The donation of a generous benefactor allows DMU to support graduate student research, post-graduate student training, and empirical studies that will move this vital research forward.
Research Labs
Spirituality and Mental Health
Divine Mercy University, under the leadership of Dr. Marmarosh, and McLean Hospital, under the leadership of Dr. David Rosmarin, collaborated on studies exploring the effectiveness of Dr. Rosmarin’s SPIRIT intervention at McLean, a hospital-wide intervention addressing the spiritual needs of patients with diverse mental health concerns. A paper and a poster on these data were presented at APA’s Division 39 Conference and at the Society for Psychotherapy Research in Spring and Summer 2022, addressing spirituality and mental health care for patients seeking treatment with Borderline Personality Disorder. Two publications have also been published in peer reviewed journals.
Coping With Cancer:
When There is No Cure (CAN)
Dr. Marmarosh and Dr. Hollman collaborated with Harvard Medical School oncologists to develop an APP for patients diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. The APP addresses symptoms, treatment side effects, and positive psychological interventions (e.g., hope, gratitude, faith, and meaning). Together, the researchers developed the APP and completed a Randomized Control Trial to determine its effectiveness. A presentation of the findings is planned for the 2026 American Society for Hematology conference.
Spirituality and the Brain
Dr. Marmarosh and Dr. Hollman have been collaborating with Dr. Diego Pizzagalli in the fMRI lab at Mclean Hospital. Currently, DMU faculty are analyzing data from a Randomized Control Trial to examine the relationship between attachment, spirituality, and brain changes in women with histories of childhood trauma.