The Institute of Religion was founded at the Texas Medical Center in 1955 with the goal of supporting the religious and spiritual aspects of health and healing within the Medical Center's institutions. The Institute's first role was to provide chaplaincy training and Clinical Pastoral Education in co-operation with TMC hospitals. This program was a pioneering effort that attracted national recognition. In the 1980s, hospitals decided to establish their own CPE programs, so the Institute redefined its mission and played a crucial role in establishing a theological dimension in hospital-based bioethics programs. 

Ground was broken for an Institute of Religion building in 1960, and the building was completed and occupied in 1961.  The four-story, 16,000 foot structure housed offices for a growing faculty, classrooms for instruction, and administrative space for Institute leaders.  The building was sited in the heart of the Medical Center between Methodist Hospital and Texas Women's University.  The Institute continued to do significant work in Clinical Pastoral Education and hospital chaplaincy for over a decade.  In the 1970's, Medical Center hospitals decided to manage their programs independently.  The program was dispersed, and a new mission was developed for the Institute.

As medical technology expanded and heart bypass surgery, organ transplants, and other therapies were developed, hospitals across the country sensed a need for specific research on the field of medical ethics.  In the early 1980's, the Institute joined with Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University to set -up an ethics center that would be located on the fourth floor of its facilities. This was another pioneering venture, and it eventually became the Center for Ethics and Public Policy.  The Center continues as a strong presence in medical ethics today.  The Institute provides a faculty member for the Center for a decade, and made regular contributions to research funding and published literature in the field.

The Institute also did serious reflection on emerging questions in the field of genetics during the 1980's.  Mammal cloning, along with the ability to alter basic genetic codes, raised significant theological issues on the nature of human existence and the role science should play in its development.  Along with these developments, the Institute of Religion endeavored to establish a service component in its programs.  A Senior Adult Ministry Training program was set up to train church leaders and lay volunteers how to work with elders.  The program drew men and women from all religious traditions and was a unique, one-of-a-kind offering.

In the mid-1990's the Institute further enhanced its services to the community by establishing a Congregational Health Ministry program that trains pastors, nurses, medical professionals, and others to help make churches and synagogues, temples and mosques healing places.  Nurses are taught to facilitate medical services in religious settings.  These range from health screenings to immunizations to care for the frail elderly to enrolling youngsters in the C.H.I.P. (Children's Health Insurance Program.)  The Institute has built alliances with medical center nursing schools, Houston Baptist College, and Episcopal health Charities to target its health ministry programs to disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout Houston.

As the Institute moved into the 21st century a Futuring Report was completed.  This Report was adopted as its long-range plan.  In Fall of 2002, the Institute's name changed to the Institute for Religion and Health.  Before that time, it was known as the Institute of Religion.  A new mission has been articulated that calls for the integration of religion and spirituality in the healing process.  Within the year, research projects will be undertaken to study the role of faith in the work of healing.  All through the year, the Institute offers a series of programs designed to highlight the role of spirituality in medical practice.

In 2004, and looking forward to its role in the next 50 years, the Institute was renamed the Institute for Religion and Health in recognition of its current and future role in:

... supporting healthcare provider wellness
... promoting compassionate health care
... providing a nurturing environment
for collaborative education and research relevant to
health, healing and spirituality.