Nation's First Postgraduate Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine Under Way at The University of Arizona College of Medicine

The fellowship program is the centerpiece of The University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine, directed by Andrew Weil, M.D., an internationally recognized authority and pioneer on alternative healing methods. The new UA Program in Integrative Medicine is responding to a growing demand from physicians for a standardized curriculum of training in healing-oriented medicine from an accredited academic institution.

"For the first time at an American medical college, the best ideas and practices of alternative medicine will be investigated and combined with conventional medical practices into new, cost-effective treatments," Dr Weil says. "These treatments work from the premise that the body can heal itself if you give it a chance."

The two-year fellowship program is designed to train national leaders who will establish similar programs in this new discipline at other schools and bring integrative medicine into major health care systems.

Integrative medicine "'neither rejects conventional medicine nor embraces alternative medicine uncritically," says Dr. Weil, who earned his medical degree from Harvard. "Many patients have been encouraged by the results of alternative therapies, and this program will help meet the growing demand of the American public for a type of medical treatment sometimes overlooked at major medical centers."

Tracy W. Gaudet, M.D., medical director for the UA Program in Integrative Medicine, says, "We believe this program has the potential to influence the way medicine is taught and practiced in the future. A key tenet of integrative medicine is that prevention is the primary responsibility of medicine -- that many illnesses are preventable if people make timely and appropriate lifestyle changes. Another important principle is that good medicine must be consistent with good science."

Dr. Gaudet, also an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the UA Department of Medicine, adds, "The major components of the program are the fellowship, an integrative medicine clinic, offerings in continuing medical education, and an extensive research agenda evaluating integrative approaches and assessing clinical outcomes."

The fellowship will include the study of a variety of alternative healing methods, including acupuncture, botanical medicine, osteopathy, mind/body approaches (including guided imagery and visualization), homeopathy, Chinese medicine, Native American medicine and others. Fellows will study a core curriculum of 12 subject areas: healing-oriented medicine, philosophy of science, art of medicine, medicine and culture, research education, mind-body medicine, spirituality and medicine, nutritional medicine, phytomedicine (the use of medicinal plants and botanical remedies), energy medicine, lifestyle medicine and medicine and institutions.

Faculty from the UA College of Medicine and UA undergraduate programs, as well as visiting faculty who are leaders in their respective fields, provide instruction.

The initial four physicians (selected from about 200 initial applicants) in the UA Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine are:

• Russell Greenfield, M.D., formerly vice chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, and medical director, Emergency Department, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews, Matthews, N.C.
• Karen Koffler, M.D., previously ward/intensive care unit attending, Internal Medicine Group, Kaiser Permanente/St. Joseph's Hospital, Denver, Colo.
• Wendy Kohatsu, M.D., who recently completed a family practice residency at the University of California, San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital.
• Roberta Lee, M.D., formerly attending physician, department chair, internal medicine, Thomas-Davis Medical Centers, Tucson.

The UA College of Medicine's Program in Integrative Medicine was established in 1995 with generous private support. Although the program is part of the UA College of Medicine, it receives its funding solely from private sources.