Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #120402

Karen Kaufman, PhD, Program in Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona, 1249 N. Mountain Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, 520-626-6429, kkaufman@email.arizona.edu

The unprecedented growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been well-documented, with research accumulating indicating that vast numbers of CAM users combine these therapies with allopathic care. The inclusion of CAM curricula in medical training is also on the rise, with courses providing fundamental information regarding diverse therapeutic modalities. Beyond this, many physicians have sought to employ an integrative approach to health care delivery that incorporates both CAM and allopathic modalities of assessment and treatment. The objective of this presentation is to describe the development and current status of the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine (PIM). Founded by Dr. Andrew Weil in 1994, the current program comprises both research and training regarding both the use of and overarching models guiding the delivery of integrative care. Examination of a pioneering program incorporating CAM theory and modalities into healthcare training may provide useful insights for the integration of CAM curricula into public health training programs.

Learning Objectives:

• 3. Define the term, "Integrative Medicine" (IM) according to the PIM model.
  7. Describe state-of-the-art medical training in IM.
  11. Provide three examples of CAM/IM research areas PIM faculty and fellows currently are investigating.

Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, Education

Related Web page: www.integrativemedicine.arizona.edu

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.