Cyrus P. Olsen III

Cyrus P. Olsen III serves as Associate Professor of Theology/Religious Studies at The University of Scranton and holds Affiliate Faculty status in Health Humanities. His academic appointments include Research Fellow for AI&Faith and Affiliate Research Fellow through a Templeton World Charity Foundation Grant at the Human Network Initiative (Harvard Medical School's Dhand Lab). Previously, he held the Lo Schiavo Chair in Catholic Social Thought at the University of San Francisco during Academic Year 2022-2023.

Dr. Olsen's research spans three primary domains: the intersection of artificial intelligence and theological ethics, health humanities with focus on African contexts, and public health theology. His work examines AI alignment through virtue ethics frameworks, analyzes Ugandan community health systems through religious lenses, and develops theological anthropologies for ecological sustainability. Current projects include Templeton-funded brain health research in Uganda and collaborative NEH-supported Health Humanities curriculum development.

His scholarship demonstrates consistent interdisciplinary integration across theology, medical ethics, and technology studies. Recent publications reveal growing emphasis on AI ethics (40% of recent output), African health systems (35%), and critical care philosophy (25%), with increasing collaboration between neurology researchers and theologians.

• Lo Schiavo Chair in Catholic Social Thought (University of San Francisco, 2022-2023)
• Templeton World Charity Foundation Grant #20714 (2022-2025) for Ugandan brain health research
• National Endowment for the Humanities Grant for Health Humanities Concentration development
• Multiple invited presentations at UN Science Summit, African Studies Association, and Harvard-affiliated forums

Dr. Olsen directs collaborative health humanities initiatives involving Makerere University, Bwindi Community Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. His Templeton-funded work with the Human Network Initiative examines neurological impacts of environmental stressors in Ugandan communities, while his Health Humanities Concentration development (with Holy Cross and Geisinger Commonwealth) creates new interdisciplinary pathways. Current advising focuses on graduate students researching AI ethics and global health theology, with emerging projects on Batwa indigenous medical knowledge preservation.

His laboratory affiliations include the Dhand Lab at Harvard Medical School (neurology focus) and the Bannakroli Health Clinics research network in Uganda. The Human Network Initiative team integrates neurologists, theologians, and Ugandan community health workers to study brain health determinants in resource-limited settings, while his US-based work connects with the Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought for policy applications.