A Model Interprofessional Curriculum in Integrative Medicine

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Integration of biomedicine and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is occurring in many settings. An increasing number of academic health institutions are committed to integrative medicine health-care principles such as partnership between patient and practitioner; collaborative, interprofessional health care; and promotion of health and the prevention of illness. A 2005 IOM Report recommends that health professions schools incorporate CAM into their standard curricula; however, there is neither agreement on the ideal core competencies for medical, nursing, pharmacy, and dental students nor the ways in which integrative medicine should be included in the training (including interprofessional training) of these future health-care providers. The objective of this five-year curriculum project is to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a multidisciplinary, interprofessional curriculum in integrative medicine. The four specific aims are to: (1) develop guidelines, based on a national survey of integrative medicine experts, for an interprofessional curriculum of core integrative medicine content; (2) design and implement components of a multidisciplinary and sustainable integrative medicine curriculum for learners across the four UCSF Schools; (3) evaluate the implemented integrative medicine curriculum components and their impact on learners; and (4) disseminate the results of this curriculum work, both locally and nationally. As a medical educator, I have been involved in direct teaching, curriculum development, advising and mentoring, educational administration, and educational research. As a medical anthropology researcher, my interests are reflected in ongoing study of integrative medicine and underserved women's health beliefs and behaviors. I am committed not only to continuing, but to enhancing my roles as a medical educator and researcher, focusing on the improvement and expansion of integrative medicine education of health professional students, trainees, and practitioners both at UCSF and nationally. The proposed development of an innovative, inter-professional integrative medicine curriculum will ultimately increase both the academic capacity and research support for integrative medicine at UCSF and increase the visibility of the field of integrative medicine at leading health professional schools. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The conventional model of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists working in isolation is outdated. Contemporary health care requires a partnership not only between patient and health-care provider, but among health-care professionals-including CAM practitioners-as well. There is no firm agreement about how integrative medicine should be included in health professional schools. The objective of this five-year curriculum project is to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a multidisciplinary, interprofessional curriculum in integrative medicine.