Centering Health Equity for Muslim Americans:
Despite increasing evidence that Muslim Americans face health disparities, national health
equity strategies often overlook them. This is due in part to the lack of religious data in public health systems.
M-HEaRT addresses this invisibility by:
- Tackling religion-related barriers to health equity
- Hosting workshops in mosques—where identity, community, and trust converge
- Teaching the 3R Model (Reprioritize, Reframe, Reform) for designing religiously informed, ethical health messages
Overview
M-HEaRT (Mosque-Based Health Education and Research Tools) is a community-focused
initiative developed by the Initiative on Islam and Medicine (II&M), in partnership with Worry Free Community, Bayan Islamic Graduate School, and UMMA Health, with additional collaboration from
Association of Muslim Chaplains (AMC) and the Health Equity Collective.
The program empowers imams, chaplains, and Muslim community leaders with the knowledge, tools, and support to implement evidence-based health education within mosque spaces.
Participants will engage in a 2.5-day immersive training, where they’ll participate in interactive workshops, expert-led didactics, case studies, and group exercises. They will gain valuable skills in religiously-tailored health communication and community-engaged research methods grounded in patient-centered outcomes research and mosque-based health education approaches.
Program Significance:
By training Muslim chaplains, community health workers, and mosque leaders, the M-HEaRT initiative equips trusted messengers with the tools to deliver research-informed health education. Through immersive experience, ongoing professional learning, and mosque-based workshops,
participants are prepared to lead interventions that address real-world disparities in culturally grounded, community-centered ways.
Key features of the initiative include:
- Hosting a 2.5-day in-person Learning Institute
- Providing toolkits and replication guides for mosque-based health workshops
- Facilitating an Online Professional Learning Community involving skill-building meetings
and webinars (6 sessions, 1 hour each)
These workshops are hosted in sacred, trusted spaces—mosques—where religious identity, social trust, and community engagement converge, amplifying the impact of health messaging.
Join us at the M-HEaRT Learning Institute in Chicago
M-HEaRT Learning Institute
Dates: August 8–10, 2025
Location: Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Chicago, IL, USA
Hosted by: Initiative on Islam and Medicine (II&M) in collaboration with Bayan Chicago
Goals and Core Activities:
The M-HEaRT learning institute includes:
Hosting a 2.5-day in-person Learning Institute
Providing toolkits and replication guides for mosque-based health workshops
Facilitating an Online Professional Learning Community involving skill-building meetings and webinars (6 optional sessions, 1 hour each)
Related Projects:
This project builds upon:
- The Engaging Muslim Americans for Research on Community Health Project
- Successful interventions on:
- Mammography uptake among Muslim women
- Living organ donation education
- End-of-life care literacy
Webinars
- Islam, Community Organizations & Muslim Health Equity, M-HEaRT Learning Institute, 8/25
Tool Kits and Replication Guides
Additional Resources
Partner Organization
Meet The Project Team
Dr. Aasim I. Padela
MD MSc
Founder, Initiative on Islam and Medicine.
Professor of Emergency Medicine, Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Medical College of Wisconsin.
Fatema Mirza
MPA
Founder, Worry Free Community.
Public Health Educator.
Community Engagement Specialist.
Imam Ayman Soliman
MDiv.
Muslim Chaplain, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Scholar of Islamic Studies and Spiritual Care.
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