Faculty member and alumna Dr. Sarah Byrne-Martelli has developed a penchant for firsts. In 2019, she became the first woman to graduate from St. Vladimir's Seminary's Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program in its current format. Now, she has also become the first chaplain to be accepted as a full-time Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Byrne-Martelli began her two-year fellowship in July in the Department of Supportive Oncology at the Institute, located in Boston, MA. She is conducting research on the role of spirituality in medical decision-making, on existential distress, and on the integration of chaplaincy within palliative care teams.
Research Fellowships such as hers are typically reserved for medical doctors and established Ph.D. researchers, but Byrne-Martelli is the first D.Min. to be awarded such an honor by Dana-Farber.
“I’m looking forward to continuing the research I have been conducting in these areas,” said Dr. Byrne-Martelli. “In fact, I began conducting qualitative research while studying at St. Vladimir’s. I enjoy creating bridges between the worlds of medicine and religious practice and belief.
The way I approach my research is: What keeps me up at night? This Fellowship is an opportunity to study the topics I have wrestled with over twenty-five years of clinical practice. I have worked at three major academic hospitals and three Hospice programs, and I have always been one of very few chaplains within huge medical systems. The availability of professional spiritual care and the integration of chaplaincy into interprofessional teams is highly uneven across the US. Perceptions of chaplaincy vary widely, and sometimes with good reason. So I will explore: What are the barriers that are negatively impacting the provision of spiritual care? How might our faith better help us navigate serious illness? How does religiosity affect the way we make medical decisions? And so forth. I am thankful for the opportunity to explore this new non-clinical role and to bring my experience caring for seriously ill patients into dialogue with my research.”
Dr. Sarah Byrne-Martelli is a board-certified chaplain and bereavement counselor, endorsed by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA). She serves as Board Secretary of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion (OCAMPR). Her book, Memory Eternal: Living with Grief as Orthodox Christians, was published by Ancient Faith Publishing in 2022 and includes an Orthodox Christian bereavement group curriculum. At St. Vladimir’s Seminary, she is Assistant Professor of Spiritual Care for the D.Min. program.
May God grant her many years and bless her ministry!
Dr. Byrne-Martelli on campus to teach the D.Min. students in July.
Top Photo: Dr. Sarah Byrne-Martelli at the Seminary’s Mid-Year Commencement Exercises, January 30, 2020.
