John Blevins
Associate Research Professor
Hubert Department of Global Health

Dr. Blevins brings an interdisciplinary background that bridges scholarship and applied practice in his work with the Religion and Public Health Collaborative. As part of the faculty in the Hubert Department of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health, Dr. Blevins works in the Interfaith Health Program (IHP). He worked as a chaplain to persons with HIV/AIDS in Atlanta and Chicago and coordinated patient education services for patients living with HIV/AIDS in Atlanta's public health system. Dr. Blevins serves as a consultant for the Emory School of Medicine in the fields of mental health, substance abuse, and HIV; in that capacity he provides clinical education to practitioners in various HIV public health programs around the southeastern United States. He has worked with various community-based organizations throughout the United States on HIV, mental health, and substance abuse and as a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, Dr. Blevins is working with IHP on an initiative in collaboration with the World Health Organization that will map the religious health assets of various countries in Africa and Asia. With an increasing emphasis on public health initiatives in global contexts, Dr. Blevins has worked with the Council of Churches of Zambia to provide education for an initiative in HIV prevention and support called Circles of Hope. He has co-coordinated applied research initiatives in religion and sexuality with cross-site studies in South Africa and the United States. His work also focuses on community-level HIV prevention initiatives in eastern and southern Africa that recognize the formative role of religious practice and religious institutions in shaping community norms that have a direct impact on HIV risk; through such work, he and his colleagues at IHP are working to mobilize religion as a positive force in public health initiatives.

Dr. Blevins' scholarly interests include practical theology, religion and sexuality, community-based participatory research (CBPR), and religion's role as a social determinant of health. He is a regular contributor on these issues to the online magazine Religion Dispatches and serves on the Steering Committee of the African Religious Health Assets Programme, a consortium of scholars and practitioners in religion, the social sciences, and public health that is exploring the ways in which religion influences communities' understanding of health and wellness in Africa.

Contact

Dr. John Blevins
Rollins School of Public Health
Emory University
1518 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30322
United States
Phone: 404.727.6338
Email: john.blevins@emory.edu