Dr. Dana Martin recognizes that the work of clergy members is honorable and time-demanding, often impacting one’s personal health and wellness. While she cannot tell clergy how to deliver sermons, she can support them as they serve the communities they love. And Martin does just that through Pfeiffer’s Clergy Health Institute (CHI).

Under Martin’s leadership, Pfeiffer’s Nursing faculty lead CHI to enhance clergy health, with collaborative support from other health-related departments such as the University’s Health and Exercise Program. CHI is a learning experience that educates and equips male and female clergy with strategies and information to improve their health, nutrition, and well-being. The university has offered resources through the Clergy Health Institute for well over a decade, and Martin has supported CHI since its inception. In more recent years, participants largely hail from North Carolina and Virginia.

As a Registered Nurse and Certified Nurse Educator, Martin holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and is currently a PhD candidate in the process of conducting her dissertation research. She has been teaching for over 12 years – all at Pfeiffer – and currently serves as Interim Chair of Pfeiffer’s Department of Nursing. Her extensive educational and professional experience make her the ideal leader of high-impact programs like the Clergy Health Institute.

The CHI is ideal for clergy who desire a healthier lifestyle. Many participants over the years have expressed the value of working on their physical and spiritual wellness alongside like-minded individuals who understand the unique demands of the lives of clergy.

Historically, the CHI was a summer, in-person experience only. Today, CHI programming now offers two format options, with new components: an in-person option and a virtual option.

Martin is excited to offer the in-person experience as a year-long program that begins with a summer retreat for one week. This option will take place in late July on Pfeiffer’s main campus in Misenheimer. The summer retreat will include health education and a myriad of engaging activities. Faculty from Pfeiffer’s Health and Exercise Science (HES) program will provide support with fitness testing to provide participants with baseline data regarding their health and wellness. CHI participants will benefit from using cutting-edge fitness equipment funded by the James R. and Bronnie L. Braswell Trust, such as the Cosmed BodPod system which determines body composition in adults quickly, accurately, and safely. HES faculty will use baseline data to help participants design individualized exercise plans. By partnering with the HES team, CHI can offer more advanced fitness testing and planning for program participants than in previous years.

Martin co-leads the virtual coaching experience with Rev. Kori Robins, a United Methodist clergy and Certified Health Coach based in Durham, N.C. This CHI option is already in its third session, with two more sessions planned for this calendar year. Each virtual health coaching session convenes one hour weekly, for ten weeks. Participants can set up individual health coaching consultations with Robins for additional support to meet their health and wellness goals.

Martin and Robins are exploring adding a second component to the virtual health coaching experience. Participants in the previous 10-week cohorts have requested a second 10-week experience with additional topics. Notably, both the in-person experience and the virtual health coaching experience draw a wide diversity of clergy in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and age.

And the Clergy Health Institute produces real results for participants. In fact, the Virginia Methodist Conference regularly sends participants to the Institute, as its leadership has recognized the positive health benefits in clergy who have participated in the CHI. After participating in the CHI and under the supervision of their primary healthcare providers, some participants have been able to decrease their medications for diabetes and high blood pressure and are better at managing other health conditions related to obesity and stress. As a result, the Conference has subsidized each individual’s participation in the Health Institute for several years.

The Conference’s Human Resources manager reported receiving a heartfelt hug from one participant who shared that HR’s backing of the program saved her life, including weight loss and improved coping skills. And participants from other organizations and locations have shared similar experiences on how the Institute has changed their lives for the better in sustainable ways.

For its stellar results over the years, the CHI won a Best Practice in Caring for Others award at the North Carolina Nurses Association Conference in 2019, and Martin was there to receive it on behalf of Pfeiffer.

“Working as Director of the Clergy Health Institute has truly been a blessing for me through the years,” said Martin. “Clergy members are expected to take care of others, and, as a result, they are left with limited time to care for themselves. The Clergy Health Institute provides clergy the time to reflect on their wellness from a holistic perspective, and the focus is to determine positive lifestyle changes they can make to promote better health. I am grateful to be a part of their health journeys.”