The University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine has welcomed the first four physicians chosen for the nation’s first Fellowship in Integrative Medicine.
Russell Greenfield, M.D., Roberta Lee, M.D., Karen Koffler, M.D., and Wendy Kohatsu, M.D., are the first to undertake the new two-year study program blending ancient and modern medicine.
Under the leadership of Andrew Weil, M.D., director of the Program in Integrative Medicine, and Tracy Gaudet, M.D., the program’s medical director, the fellows will study a curriculum of healing-oriented medicine, the philosophy of science, the art of medicine, culture and medicine, research education, mind/body medicine, spirituality medicine, nutrition, phyto-medicine, energy medicine, diabetes and lifestyle medicine. The physicians also will train in guided imagery, homeopathy, acupuncture and osteopathic manipulation.
The intent of the fellowship is to produce leaders in the growing field of integrative medicine.
Integrative medicine seeks to combine the best ideas and practices of conventional and alternative medicine into cost-effective treatments that will be in the best interests of patients and that aim to stimu-late the human body’s natural healing potentials. It neither rejects conventional medicine nor embraces alternative practices uncritically.
At the forefront of international interest in integrative medicine therapies, Dr. Weil sees people turning away from conventional medications and treatments for many reasons; chief among them, frustration and dissatisfaction with the health care system.
“Imagine a future world in which medicine is oriented toward healing rather than disease, where doctors believe in the natural healing capacity of human beings and emphasize prevention above treatment,” Dr. Weil says.
As a part of The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, the Program in Integrative Medicine is subject to the same guidelines, rules, responsibilities and standards as other training programs in the College of Medicine.
In addition to the fellowship, the Program in Integrative Medicine offers professional development and continuing medical education activities for physicians, medical students, nurses, pharmacists and other health care providers who want to broaden their knowledge, offer a greater range of services to their clients and provide leadership in their communities.
The program enjoys the full support of James E. Dalen, M.D., M.P.H., vice president for health sciences and dean of the College of Medicine, and Joseph S. Alpert, M.D., head of the Department of Medicine. The combination of this kind of support within a major medical institution is unique and allows for an unparalleled opportunity in health education, research and service.