The brain and the biology of belief: An interview with Andrew Newberg, MD. Interview by Nancy Nachman-Hunt.

Andrew Newberg, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, with secondary appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Religious Studies. He is actively involved in neuroimaging research projects, including the study of the neurophysiological correlates of meditation and other types of complementary therapies. Dr Newberg's research now largely focuses on how brain function is associated with various mental states, in particular, the relationship between brain function and mystical or religious experiences. He has authored several books, including Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (Ballantine/Random House, 2001) and coauthor with Eugene G. d'Aquili, MD, of The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Religious Experience (Fortress Press, 1999). His most recent book is How God Changes Your Brain, with coauthor Mark Waldman (Ballantine Books, 2009).