The MIU College of Integrative Medicine has just launched a new graduate fellowship program for physicians and advanced practice providers that has been developed in collaboration with the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and has been provisionally approved by the American Board of Integrative Medicine.
“With this program, MIU plants a flag on the Mount Everest of medical education,” said Scott Herriot, vice president of academic affairs. “This program represents an official endorsement by mainstream medical education of Ayurveda and integrative medicine.”
The program offers a new paradigm for medical practice, a whole person, prevention-oriented healthcare approach without harmful side effects.
The program offers a new paradigm for medical practice, a whole person, prevention-oriented healthcare approach without harmful side effects. It also aids doctors in caring for themselves, vital in a field pervaded by physical burnout and exhaustion.
The fellowship is a two-year, flexible online program requiring 10-12 hours a week and includes a week each year of residential clinical training and experience on the MIU campus.
The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine has contributed its Foundational Fellowship Curriculum (FFC) to MIU’s MS program, providing state-of-the-art knowledge in all the major domains of integrative medicine recommended by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM). The Andrew Weil Center features this collaboration on its website.
Students
Fifteen students have enrolled in the program this fall — eleven medical doctors, three nurse practitioners, and one physician assistant. These participants represent a range of specialties, including internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, and obstetrics/gynecology.
“I am interested in this course to learn tools for permanent healing of chronic illness, and tools for prevention of disease that traditional medicine is not strong at,” says Radhika Jaladi, MD, a specialist in internal medicine in Bridgeton, Missouri.
“I am interested in this course to learn tools for permanent healing of chronic illness, and tools for prevention of disease that traditional medicine is not strong at.”
— Radhika Jaladi, MD
“A healthy lifestyle is the key to health,” says Jahaira Lopez Pastrana, MD, a psychiatry specialist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, affiliated with the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. “I want to learn Ayurvedic/Integrative approaches to provide care focused on mind and body approaches and continue working on my own wellness. Conventional medicine has its role in the management of diseases, but adding an integrative approach will provide a holistic opportunity not just for treating diseases but achieving well-being.”
Another student, Sonal Bhatia, MD, a physician in North Charleston, South Carolina, associated with the Medical University of South Carolina, says, “My interest in Ayurveda comes from my desire to understand eastern medicine, go back to the roots of why diseases exist, and find solutions for patients that go beyond the ‘pill.’ While medicines are important, creating a balanced and holistic approach to their healing can and will help the entire healthcare ecosystem as we move towards a future of healthy living.“
Director and faculty
The program director is Arti Prasad, MD, FACP, ABOIM. She is also a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota and the Chief Strategic Development Officer of Hennepin Healthcare, serving the Minneapolis area.
“As a founding member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine and as a practitioner, teacher, and leader in the field of integrative health, I believe this is the first time in the nation that the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda as a whole system of medicine will be highlighted and integrated with modern medicine through this combined fellowship program,” Dr. Prasad said.
The executive director is Charles Elder, MD, MPH, FACP. Dr. Elder has served for 30 years as a primary care internist and the lead physician for the complementary and integrative medicine program at Kaiser Permanente of the Northwest, where he established a referral-based integrative Ayurvedic clinic for Kaiser patients.
“Unlike other degree programs in Ayurveda, this program focuses on training doctors, who are the leaders in our health care system,” Dr. Elder said. “So the fellowship helps to pave the way for Ayurveda to become firmly established within the medical system, and for all of MIU’s degree programs in Ayurveda to ultimately reach the highest levels of success. By achieving recognition through the American Board of Integrative Medicine, and through the collaboration with the University of Arizona, the program raises MIU’s profile and establishes MIU as a premier destination for integrative medicine and Ayurveda training.”
Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, and Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine was instrumental in conceiving, developing, and launching the program.
“For more than 35 years, I have researched, taught, and practiced Integrative Medicine based at MIU, which has been a global leader in bringing the holistic knowledge of Ayurveda to modern healthcare,” Dr. Schneider said. “It’s fulfilling to now offer this opportunity to physicians and health professionals in the US and worldwide. This will be the future of healthcare.”
The assistant director is Sankari Wegman, PhD, an assistant professor in the MIU College of Integrative Medicine.
“Over the last 20 years in my professional practice, I have seen firsthand how Maharishi AyurVeda has transformed the health and well-being of patients,” professor Wegman said. “I am excited to be a part of this program that will equip healthcare practitioners with tools to provide their patients with whole person care from the different modalities of Integrative Medicine, while also placing an emphasis on practitioner self-care.”
MIU’s Regenerative Organic Agriculture program will host a fall festival on its 15-acre farm on Highway 1 just north of campus on Saturday, September 30, from 3 to 10 pm, with tours, games, a bonfire, live music, and food from five Fairfield food vendors.
Activities will include a bonfire, an art wall, and festival games. A scavenger hunt will help you explore the farm, and guided tours by ROA students and staff will help you learn more about it.
Mira’s Café will cater the festival with vegan food made from farm produce. Taco Dreams, Breadtopia, Everybody’s Whole Foods will also serve food. Everybody’s will offer Radiance Dairy ice cream.
Live music will include folk music, indie, and funk rock, continuing into the evening. Artists include Tim Britton, Noah Mizelle, Dave Tamkin, Amine Kouider, the Apocalypso Tantric Noise Choir, drumming by Foliba (“big rhythm”), finally transitioning into the psyche trance music of awesome DJ Nisan Alva.
Lead organizers are Abby Cyr and Muna Askar. Abby is one of the core team members of the farm, working full time and completing her master’s degree in regenerative organic agriculture. Muna is a student in the BA program in regenerative organic agriculture.
“We wanted to celebrate a record abundant harvest and the MIU ROAP farm’s profound accomplishments,” Abby said. “We are inviting the community to learn more about the farm, enjoy the beautiful land, and understand why regenerative agriculture is farming for the future.”
“Originally we wanted to have a party just for the farm team, to just enjoy the harvest and celebrate the year of hard work,” Cyr said. “We expanded to include friends and family and then the students wanted to be part of it. We thought, wait, we should invite the whole community! And then it just kind of became a festival. So it was really spontaneous and organic.”
The ROAP farm, one of the few certified biodynamic university farms in the country, includes two acres of dedicated land for growing crops, a compost system, chickens, and an apiary, all organic.
Tickets are free and can be reserved through Eventbrite or obtained onsite. Free-will donations are accepted at the event.
