Education

The educational mission of Integrative Medicine at Yale is to provide education for students and clinicians about complementary and alternative therapies that are safe, effective, most used by patients, and could be most beneficial towards enhancing patient care.  Additionally, Integrative Medicine at Yale aims to create new opportunities and advertise existing endeavors that support health care practitioners and students in maintaining health, wellness, and balance in their lives.

Primary Educational Activities

  • Involvement in CAM-oriented coursework for Yale medical students
  • Elective clinical rotation for senior medical students
  • Educational lectures at our monthly meetings given by members of Integrative Medicine at Yale.
  • Supporting the medical school’s Committee on the Well-being of Students (CWBS) in establishing a web-based “virtual wellness center,” offering links to online resources and educational modules supporting medical student wellness and well-being
  • Working with the CWBS to develop a Wellness Curriculum for medical students that will include workshops and trainings in various modalities and perspectives, designed to instill in students the value of self-care and the capacity to maintain wellness and health through whatever means works best for them.  Opportunities that have been provided for medical students in the past include:
    • Medical Massage – September 2003 and May 2007
    • Reiki Level 1 Training – January 2007
    • Medical Student Wellness Retreat – October 2004

Existing Faculty-Led Initiatives for Medical Students

  • Retreat on Spirituality and Medicine: Organized by Dr. Auguste Fortin through a Templeton Foundation grant on curricula in spirituality, culture, and end-of-life care; students, housestaff, and faculty gather at a nearby Abbey for a retreat with Benedictine nuns - includes working outdoors for several hours, followed by dinner and discussion of how to keep professional lives meaningful.
  • The Healer's Art: Four-session elective course for first-years (though open to all years) in relationship-centered care. Each session employs both experiential and didactic methodologies and consists of seed talks or imagery reflections with subsequent small group discussions facilitated by faculty.
  • Ephemeris Project: Created by Dr. Michael Berman, Ob/Gyn, an online journaling and mentorship program to promote and provide a venue of introspection and self-expression among medical students, physicians-in-training, and other healthcare professionals.

Future Endeavors

  • Mentorships linking interested students with clinicians
  • Curriculum Reform at the undergraduate and graduate level, accomplished in part through faculty development and shared resources from other institutional models