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Our faculty provide education to enrich and cultivate integrative medicine skills for medical students and promote the value of treating the whole person. Using evidence-based perspectives, graduates will be able to address and counsel patients in the use of integrative modalities, improving patient care and satisfaction.
The MSSP in Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine is designed to broaden students' knowledge and experience in the fields of Integrative medicine and Lifestyle medicine to expand the students' expertise as a future physician and to promote self-care and wellness.
Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine Information SheetIntegrative and Lifestyle Medicine Informational PPT with Voiceover
Thanks to a generous investment from alumnus Stephen T. Turner, MD, COM75', the Osher Center was able to expand our Medical Student Scholars Program (MSSP) in Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine with three additional students this year.
Click here to learn more about the Medical Student Scholars Program and to enroll.
Click here to email Kelly Lyle, Education Program Director for the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC with any questions!
Nithya Trichy
"I want to improve the health of the community by educating and making healthy food options more affordable for under-resourced populations and, ultimately, alleviate food insecurities."
Education & Experience
What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP Program?
I hope to learn about the cultural and historical backgrounds behind integrative therapies and the systemic challenges associated with implementing them. Utilizing this knowledge, I will read, learn, and share existing journals focused on current innovations in Lifestyle Medicine and Integrative Health with my colleagues during journal clubs and interest group meetings. After consolidating this information, I aspire to contribute to research oriented around identifying the health disparities that exist within the community and developing effective avenues to address them.
Megan Knauer
“We must shift medicine to emphasizing prevention and meeting people where they’re at in their journeys. This begins with figuring out what patients can control, and what lifestyle factors are mutable.”
I hope to participate in the integrative medicine MSSP because I want to understand how to incorporate stress management, dietary changes, and every other aspect of holistic care into my practice. Further, I want to make this model of care possible for every patient. Further, I want to make this model of care possible for every patient. I hope that participating in this MSSP program will expose me to the different tools that integrative medicine incorporates, will allow me to make connections with leaders in the field so I can discover where I can be useful in expanding this model, and will teach me to connect with patients in a way that sees each as their story, not as their diagnoses.
Adam Beucler
"I believe that integrative and lifestyle medicine are the future of preventing disease and lessening pain."
I believe that integrative and lifestyle medicine are critical in developing a well-rounded and resourceful physician. In an age where chronic disease, polypharmacy, and reactionary procedures lead to high medical expenditures and adverse outcomes for patients, integrative and lifestyle medicine are extremely relevant.
Katie MacVittie
"I believe healthcare in America needs to shift more to preventative and lifestyle medicine, and I am so excited to be learning more about this approach so early in my medical education"
I am excited to see how UC brings lifestyle medicine and modalities such as nutrition or acupuncture to patients with chronic disease and those undergoing cancer treatment. I am passionate about becoming a physician trained in Integrative Medicine and utilizing this holistic approach to improve the lives of my future patients.
Christen Lescallett
“My goal is to learn how to guide patients towards healthy lifestyle improvements that are implementable and change the course of their healthspan”
Education & Experience:
What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP program?
I hope to learn more about the field of Integrative Medicine so that I’m more prepared to provide patients with evidence-based options for complementary therapies and lifestyle changes, so that I can provide holistic and preventative care that’s impactful.
Ria Jindal
“I believe the human body was built to thrive. Integrative medicine is the future of disease prevention.”
Education and Experience
What do you hope to gain from participating in the Integrative Medicine MSSP Program?I look forward to learning about all the unique tools that Integrative Medicine has to offer. I want to use these insights as a physician to create comprehensive care plans that empower my patients to proactively manage their health. Ultimately, my vision is to build a healthcare model that emphasizes prevention and whole-person care.
Imani Agard
"I believe that integrative medicine is the key to transforming patient care and optimizing well-being."
I believe the future of medicine lies in a multidisciplinary, integrative approach that recognizes the profound interplay between biological, psychological, and environmental factors in health and disease. Through the Integrative Medicine MSSP program, I aim to deepen my understanding of traditional medicine while exploring the role of lifestyle interventions in preventing, managing, and healing chronic disease. This program offers a unique opportunity for me to expand my clinical perspective beyond conventional treatments, equipping me with the knowledge to integrate evidence-based therapeutic modalities that optimize patient outcomes. My goal is to emerge with a refined skill set that empowers me to drive the transformation toward a more holistic model of patient care.
The Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC, in partnership with the UC College of Medicine and with support from the Dean’s office, has received grant funding from the Weil Foundation to integrate a new longitudinal wellness thread into the medical school curriculum focused on integrative and lifestyle medicine. This thread will be integrated into existing required coursework for all 1st and 2nd year medical students, transforming the way our medical school is positioned as a leader in advancing integrative and lifestyle medicine education and prevention for the next generation.
This ongoing curriculum revitalization project is being led by an interdisciplinary team including: Kelly Lyle, MHA, MS, education program director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC; Mladen Golubic, PhD, MD, medical director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC and UC Health Integrative Medicine; Aaron Marshall, PhD, associate professor and medical education faculty for the UC College of Medicine; Pamela Baker, PhD, associate dean of medical education of the UC College of Medicine; Bruce Giffin, PhD associate dean for medical education; and Sian Cotton, PhD, founding director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC and the Turner Farm Foundation Endowed Chair.
“The lifestyle and integrative medicine curricular thread will give all medical students a fundamental understanding of the impact that lifestyle choices and complementary practices (acupuncture, meditation etc.) can have on the prevention, treatment and reversal of chronic conditions, while also providing additional, optional offerings for students with a passionate interest in lifestyle and integrative medicine. Ultimately, all levels of interest from our learners will be met,” Dr. Marshall explains.
The integration of integrative and lifestyle medicine evidence-base into the curriculum will expand UC medical students’ breadth of core competencies and evidence-based treatment options to empower them to be at the forefront of an emerging value-based care and prevention model in the approach to chronic disease.
Mladen Golubic, MD, PhD, medical director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC and UC Health Integrative Medicine
These groups provide a forum for undergraduate and medical students to learn, challenge, explore, share, and experience Integrative Medicine through the sponsorship of speakers, practical workshops, and discussions.
While providing education is our ultimate goal, student wellness is equally as important. Click here to learn more about wellness offerings for students through the Osher Center and College of Medicine.
The Mind-Body Medicine Elective provides students with self-care and reflection skills combined with group support to adaptively deal with stressors, leading to overall improved well-being and empathy, and ultimately healthier, balanced professionals. This course will focus on the evidence base and indication for use of mind‐body techniques in both a personal and professional/clinical setting.
Learning Objectives:
1.Describe the evidence base for a variety of mind-body medicine modalities including meditation, guided imagery, autogenic training, journal writing and movement and reflect on the ways these skills can be helpful both personally and professionally.
2.Articulate the importance of and create a plan for self-awareness and self-care for personal health and well-being and the importance of maintaining a balance between the intellectual, emotional, physical, social and spiritual aspects of their lives as developing physicians.
3.Experience and practice a variety of mind-body techniques.
4.Understand the potential use of mind-body techniques for stress management, wellness promotion, lifestyle management and optimal learning performance both as students and as future physicians.
5.Conduct a scientific literature review and presentation in the area of mind-body medicine as it relates to a specific area of student interest.
Course Co-Directors: Barbara Walker, PhD (walkebr@ucmail.uc.edu) and Sian Cotton, PhD (cottons@ucmail.uc.edu)
Administrative Director: Kelly Lyle, MS, MHA (woosleka@ucmail.uc.edu)
Credit weeks: 2 (80 hrs)
Full time – 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
The Planetary Health and Medicine course will be a 4-week part-time elective. The first 3 weeks will be completed online, and students will be tasked with a reading list, prerecorded lectures, and other online curricula. At the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of the impacts of climate crisis on the individual health of their patients, the populations they care for, and the community in which they live.
The last week will be devoted to the development and submission of a proposal on climate crisis/sustainability, focused on improvement of practices within our hospital system, medical school, and the surrounding community. Students will address a topic from among the following categories: medical waste, food sustainability, clean air, clean water, or energy utilization. They will have the opportunity to engage community leaders, advocates, educators, and policymakers on how to implement solutions outlined in their submission. This climate and health proposal will contribute towards future policies and one that can be acted upon to improve the health and wellbeing of the patients at UC Health or the larger Cincinnati community.
The course will be offered in October and November, and then again in March and April with a maximum of 6 students in each block.
Course Director: Chad Coe, MD
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Medical Sciences Building Suite 4358231 Albert Sabin WayPO Box 670582 Cincinnati, OH 45267-0582
Mail Location: 0582Phone: 513-558-2310Email: osher.integrative@uc.edu