Dr. Cheryl A. Giles was the Francis Greenwood Peabody Senior Lecturer on Pastoral Care and Counseling Emerita at Harvard Divinity School, where she taught courses on spiritual care, trauma, and contemplative care of the dying before she retired in 2024. Cheryl was a core faculty member of the Buddhist Ministry Initiative, where she mentored the International Ho Foundation Fellows and students preparing for chaplaincy and public leadership.

Cheryl was a Visiting Research Scholar in the Department of Sociology at Brandeis University from 2020-2023, where her research was focused on chaplaincy innovation and training. She co-authored “Mapping Buddhist Chaplains in North America” with Dr. Monica Sanford which was published by the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab in 2022. Dr. Giles was co-editor with Willa Miller of The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work. Her most recent book, Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom was co-edited with Pamela Ayo Yetunde won the Gold Nautilus Award. Dr. Giles’ articles have appeared in Christian Century magazine, the Journal of Pastoral Theology, and Harvard Divinity Bulletin.