Inter-professional Education in Integrative Medicine

ICAM has launched a monthly inter-professional, integrative medicine seminar series. The seminars bring together small groups of faculty, residents, and students from UMDNJ for an evidence-based exploration of alternative therapies. Each seminar in this series explores the theoretical foundations, professional practice, clinical approaches, and potential applications of a specific area of integrative medicine in relation to a critical health issue.  The first three seminars are discussing massage, music therapy, and acupuncture in relation to hypertension.

The small group format and variety of components in the seminar encourage a lively discussion. Each seminar includes an invited presentation from a CAM practitioner, a discussion of a case study, and a review of an outcomes research article. The goals of the seminars are for clinicians and CAM providers to learn about each other and for the clinicians to develop an understanding of how the presented therapy could be potentially beneficial for their patients. Although three hours might seem like a long time, the format offers attendees a substantial “take-away” in new knowledge and potential clinical applications.

The shortened version of ICAM providing IPE on IM look sort of like a text message. Hopefully we won’t be buried under our own acronyms. But since the delivery of integrative medicine relies on relationships between healthcare professionals, it just made sense to create opportunities for a learning dialogue. Information about upcoming seminars will be posted on the Education part of ICAM’s website and circulated on UMDNJ school ListServs.

Integrated integrative medicine

Lately it seems people have been asking ICAM variations of a question: where in UMDNJ is integrative medicine? The answer is simple and yet complex: it is in lots of places because it is integrated. For example:

• ICAM is housed within the School for Health Related Professions (SHRP) and teaches an integrative health and wellness track in the MSHS program (offered through the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies.)  
• ICAM is collaborating with the New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health for a new Preventive Medicine/Integrative Medicine Residency (grant awarded by HRSA.)
• The Humanism Center at NJMS sponsors an elective course for medical students that covers some aspects of integrative medicine.
• Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Medical School has an integrative medicine fellowship in family medicine.
• Researchers at SHRP, NJMS, and NJMS-UH Cancer Center, and probably a few other schools are working on CAM-related research and programs.

There are more programs and initiatives, but you get the idea. It is complex–because the person asking “where” expects to be pointed towards a particular floor or building. It is simple–because integrative medicine is truly integrated at UMDNJ.

Acupuncture panel video

At long last, ICAM is proud to present a video of our International Integrative Medicine Day acupuncture panel. Follow this link to our Lectures & Events page: http://shrp.umdnj.edu/dept/primary_care/ICAM/education/continuing.html

We hope you find the presentation educational and interesting!

International Integrative Medicine Day

In celebration of International Integrative Medicine Day, ICAM hosted a panel discussion at NJMS/UH Cancer Center in on the UMDNJ Newark campus. The topic was “acupuncture for health and healing.” Our distinguished panel included local acupuncturists:  

David Kim, PhD adjunct faculty at UMDNJ and in private practice in Englewood Cliffs
Ray Hoffman, LAc. from Montclair
Peter Kadar, LAc, from Morristown

ICAM Director of Research Susan Gould-Fogerite did a wonderful job moderating the panel. We videotaped and will post it to the ICAM website as soon as it is available.

Thanks to all for a stimulating discussion on a blustery, sunny January day.

UMDNJ students present at ICECIM in Washington, DC

ICAM faculty and UMDNJ students attended the International Congress for Educators in Complementary and Integrative Medicine Conference in Washington, DC in October. This outstanding conference explored a plethora of education ideas and best practices from conventional healthcare education, CAM education and training programs. The poster session had a fine showing from UMDNJ students.

Entries from the Integrative Health and Wellness program at SHRP included MSHS student Sami Abate’s: “The impact of CAM-related continuing nursing education on nursing practice and patient health outcomes” and Spring 2012 MSHS graduate Diane Barravecchio’s “Inclusion of specialized training in nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle counseling in undergraduate medical school curriculum in the United States.”

NJMS medical students Shital Shah, Brian Radvansky, and Ravi Shah (pictured here) presented “Healthy Hour: An Integrative Meditation and Yoga Afterschool Program.”

NJMS/UH Cancer Center Women for Women Day

Lots of things going on at ICAM.  So many that we’re falling a bit behind in our posting!

ICAM participated at an open house at NJMS/UH Cancer Center last month. This wonderful event was open to the community. It  included talks by the physicians, a marvelous lunch, and lots of information on cancer treatment, prevention, and services for patients undergoing treatment. The ICAM table provided information on CAM therapies and hosted two massage therapists who provided free chair massages to attendees.  Thank you massage therapists! The event highlighted the amazing capabilities of the NJMS/UH Cancer Center here in downtown Newark. Thanks to all who attended and to NJMS/UH for inviting ICAM to participate.

UBHC Health Fair

ICAM joined with other UMDNJ programs to participate in the University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC) health fair on September 20th. UBHC patients, family members, friends, and staff received information on healthy living choices. The ICAM table provided healthy living handouts on complementary and alternative therapies, physical activity, and exercise. We also fielded lots of questions about stress reduction, meditation, aromatherapy, and tai chi. It was fun, festive, and a great way to meet and greet the UMDNJ community.

This Saturday October 6th ICAM will attend the Women for Women: Breast Health Awareness Conference at NJMS/University Hospital Cancer Center on the Newark Campus. This event will feature presentations by physicians and staff on the latest in prevention and treatment for breast cancer. ICAM will provide healthy living handouts and some of our wonderful local massage therapists who participated in our summer research study will provide free massages.

Massage Research @ NJMS-UH Cancer Center

This summer, ICAM worked with NJMS-UH Cancer Center on a massage research project for outpatient cancer treatment.

This pilot study was a marvelous success. Volunteer massage therapists provided the massage treatments and NJMS medical student Rachel Nathan worked with cancer center staff and ICAM on the project. This small project took a lot of coordination and contributions from many people. The project was funded in part by a National Cancer Institute  Cancer Education Program Grant (R25CA019536-26, principal investigators: Harvey L. Ozer, M.D. and Gwendolyn Mahon, Ph.D.) The  summer cancer research program has been at NJMS-UH Cancer Center since 1969–long before the students (and some of the investigators) were born.

Along with other medical students participating in the summer education program Rachel presented at the end of the program.

SHRP Research Day

The School of Health Related Professions Research Day was a tremendous success. It was an informative interdisciplinary array of student research posters and presentations. For the first time distance learning students were able to virtually present their research.

Two spring 2012 MSHS-Integrative Health and Wellness graduates presented their graduate projects. Diane Barravecchio was a virtual presenter.  She had a poster at the conference and made her presentation to the judges by phone. Her project was “Inclusion of Specialized Training in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counseling in Undergraduate Medical School Curriculum in the United States.” Marcia Hamilton attended the conference to present her poster “The Influence of the Environment on Play Participation in Children with Moderate to Severe Disabilities.” ICAM is pleased to announce that Marcia won the graduate research prize–the top award at the conference.

More alternative medicine in the news

The July issue of the Scientist online (http://the-scientist.com/2012/07/01/alternative-medicines/) featured a very short article on alternative medicine. The tag line claims that the article will “look at the science behind some of the most popular” forms of alternative medicine. Yet, there is little information on the science behind the therapies included and some of the most popular forms of alternative therapy are left off the list. The article is essentially old news: people in the U.S. use alternative medicine, research is inconclusive, and some therapies are potentially dangerous. This is not exactly good press, nor is it exactly bad press.