WASHINGTON (April 28, 2014) — The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences is pleased to announce the establishment of a new, online Integrative Medicine Program, in partnership with the Metabolic Medical Institute. The University is now accepting applications to earn a graduate certificate in integrative medicine.
Integrative medicine has been defined by the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine as "the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing." The program of study will include content related to prevention, self-care, nutrition, exercise prescription, dietary supplements, and wellness-based therapies. Additionally, a review of advanced predictive diagnostics, biotechnology, and systems biology will be included, utilizing proteomics, genomics, and metabolomics. As a result, graduates will have the knowledge to make well-informed decisions, along with their patients, about treating disease, promoting vitality, and optimizing aging.
The curriculum is designed to provide clinicians with the requisite skills to oversee a practice in integrative medicine, as well as balance the business, regulatory, and legal aspects of clinical care. Students will also be introduced to the role of technology in managing wellness and lifestyle. Included in the curriculum is a focus on methods that healthcare providers can use to leverage technology for better patient care and decision making. Graduates of the program will learn to collect outcomes data in their practices and generate evidence-based research to inform the expansion of integrative medicine —a distinguishing feature of the program.
“Over the last decade, the field of integrative medicine has expanded rapidly. We know that almost half of the U.S. adult population has used some form of therapy related to integrative medicine over the last year and, for the first time ever, there is an American Board of Integrative Medicine,” said Andrew Heyman, M.D., director of the program. “GW has assembled a prestigious faculty of experts from around the world, including Nobel Prize winners and NASA scientists, who will be teaching the most relevant and important concepts related to integrative medicine. The new program reflects not only GW’s expertise, but our interest in establishing GW as a center for leadership in this field.”
