July 2014 John Weeks Integrator Round-Up: Academic Health and Medicine

by John Weeks, Publisher/Editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports

  

Duke opens applications for Leadership Program in Integrative Healthcare - scholarship advertised

The Leadership Program in Integrative Healthcare at Duke University, one of the two legacy projects of the Bravewell Collaborative , has announced that it is open to applicants for it first class of would-be leaders in "integrative healthcare." Described in marketing materials from the Duke University integrative medicine program as a "robust, online" program,  Duke’s team seeks students who are attracted to becoming "a new type of leader for the future of medicine - leaders who can transform practice and improve the health of the nation by fostering a personalized approach to comprehensive medical care that optimizes health."

by John Weeks, Publisher/Editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports

Duke opens applications for Leadership Program in Integrative Healthcare - scholarship advertised

The Leadership Program in Integrative Healthcare at Duke University, one of the two legacy projects of the Bravewell Collaborative, has announced that it is open to applicants for it first class of would-be leaders in "integrative healthcare." Described in marketing materials from the Duke University integrative medicine program as a "robust, online" program,  Duke’s team seeks students who are attracted to becoming "a new type of leader for the future of medicine - leaders who can transform practice and improve the health of the nation by fostering a personalized approach to comprehensive medical care that optimizes health."

The program is led by Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, who also serves as Duke's associate vice president for health and wellness. Price tag is $25,000, with some financial assistance available. The Duke team anticipates an initial group of 35 for the February 2015 program initiation. Advisers to the program include Bravewell's medical director Ben Kligler, MD, MPH, executive director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine Victoria Maizes, MD, Elizabeth Goldblatt, PhD, MPA/HA, an academic integrative medicine consultant and chair of the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care, and Anne Nedrow, MD, MBA, who was originally partnered with Perlman on the project. Click here for more information about the program. Click here for the application.

Comment: I'd call this program a crap shoot. This statement has nothing to do with how good the program turns out to be. The questions are: will there be sufficient health systems interest to either fund participation of leaders or to hire fellows who decide to spend the $25,000 out of their own pockets? And will it attract many from outside of MD/DO medicine, to whom it is open? No question, we need the kinds of leaders this program is intended to develop. When Don Berwick, MD spoke at length last December about the need to refocus our system on "health creation," he urged a shift "more radical than we have imagined." Berwick notes that we don't know how to do it yet. Perhaps this program will hit the sweet spot of the emerging interest of medical complexes in highlighting other values. I hope this program is one day known as a factory for leaders who have helped us cross the chasm from medical industry to a system focused on health creation.

Side-note for non-MDs/DOs: the program is open to applicants from diverse fields. An additional question is whether job openings will be available for a chiropractor, nurse, naturopathic doctor or acupuncturist who lays down the time and the $25,000.

International Association of Yoga Therapists announces its first accredited yoga therapy programs

The InternationalAssociation of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) has announced the first accreditation of yoga therapy training programs that meet its educational standards. The IAYT media release notes that member schools of the IAYT that achieved accreditation are in three countries: United States, Canada, and New Zealand. They include Ajna Yoga Centre, Ananda School of Yoga and Meditation, American Viniyoga Institute, Essential Yoga Therapy, Inner Peace Yoga Therapy, Wellpark College of Natural Therapies, YATNA (Yoga as Therapy North America), YogaLife Institute, Yoga North International Soma Yoga Institute, Yoga Qigong Academy, Yoga Therapy RX LMU, and Yoga Therapy International. IAYT CEO John Kepner celebrates accreditation as a culmination of 5 years of work and "an historic milestone in the evolution of yoga as an adjunctive therapy in complementary and integrative medicine." The accreditation threshold is presented by Kepner as "the first of what will be a two-pillar self-regulation effort spearheaded by the IAYT" with the second "certification of individual yoga therapists." In a follow-up note, Kepner indicated that additional programs are in the process of application for accreditation and many other member schools are considering it. The IAYT's cut-line on its website is "Bridging Yoga and Healthcare."

Comment:  As an observer, participant and reporter involved in the maturation of this field in the United States, this is indeed a moment to celebrate. Bring a few dozen gurus from distinct yoga lineages into one room to collaborate for cause may trump all other talk about the challenges of "herding cats" in these fields. Here's to good luck with the credentialing pillar.

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