- There was a great variety of projects, all of which were aimed at increasing awareness of integrative medicine at their prospective institutions.
- As the year unfolded, there were some alterations made to original project proposals, some unexpected success stories and some unfortunate challenges that were confronted.
Compiled by Bethany Berman-Brady, LEAPS PROGRAM DIRECTOR 2011-2012
WHOLE: Wellness Hour On Living Education
Description:
The WHOLE program involved 4 lunch-time experiential education hours. This revolved around stress reduction and centering techniques including mindfulness meditation, stress-reducing herbal remedies, acupressure/puncture and restorative yoga poses.
Target audience:
Mindfulness Meditation by StressCare group: 9 medical students
Herbal Experience: Nervines: 12 medical students
Restorative Yoga: 5 medical students
Acupuncture: 10 medical students
Impact:
“Student wellness was put back on the agenda of faculty and staff of our small program after students in the cohort below Melinda and me expressed a rough transition at beginning of the school year. Melinda, myself and others were able to encourage the upcoming students to take advantage of the self-directed learning environment that our unorthodox program affords to find opportunities for self-care. One student was encouraged enough by our example that he decided to take a week-long meditation retreat this summer and will be focusing on meditation in schools for his Master's thesis.”
Project by:
Alex Schrobenhauser and Melinda Kong
School:
UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program
PINACLE Community Leader Peer Education Pilot
Description:
Leaders at a Newark community church are trained in nutrition, exercise and adult education approaches and design a longitudinal project to pass on the information to their congregation and community. Their introductory project included designing a breakfast menu for the congregation and presenting an interactive healthy lifestyles session.
Target audience:
Medical student experiential learning, community leader/organization learning.
Impact:
“The community leaders (peer educators) successfully completed the first phase of their longitudinal service project--designing a healthy breakfast menu for the congregation and presenting an interactive session on healthy lifestyles to their congregation. Their ultimate goal is to be able to disseminate much of the information they learn to the many Newark community members who line up hours before the opening of their food pantry once a month.”
Project by:
Shannon Barrow
School:
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
Collaborators:
PINACLE community leader service group medical students
Holistic Healing and IM Elective
Description:
The two-hour, hands-on, interactive class was held every Monday evening for 10 weeks in the spring semester of 2012. There were 24 MS1-MS4 participants. Each week, we brought a guest presenter to focus on one field in integrative medicine (nutrition, acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, movement therapies such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong, herbal medicine, mind-body medicine, hypnosis, and hands-on body work such as osteopathic manipulation and cranio-sacral therapy).
Target audience:
24 medical students, 1 MPH student.
Impact:
“This class greatly impacted the lives of the 24 student participants as well as our faculty advisor. In addition, it got the attention of the administration through positive feedback from participants as well as as a result of presenting a poster and abstract for Mt. Sinai's medical education research day. We have passed on leadership to first year students who will continue offering the class next year."
Project by:
Ellie Weiner
School:
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
BODY Community Green
Description:
“BODY (Bronx, Obesity, Diabetes and You) is a student group dedicated to combating the obesity and diabetes epidemic in the Bronx through action-based projects. The Community Garden project addresses this mission with a three-pronged approach: To provide a location for growing fresh food including vegetables and medicinal herbs. To provide an open space for therapeutic retreat from an urban environment and exercise. To be available to the surrounding community for meetings and events that address health and wellness.”
Progress:
“We have procured a space… gained administrative support from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore…planted several perennial flowers and bushes and painted a mural…. We are currently reaching out to a few community members who will help us with planting in the Spring. Montefiore and Einstein have agreed to build a tool shed and planter beds for us in the Spring, as well as donate soil.”
Project by:
Lindsey Fuller
Free OMT Clinic
Description:
Hosting a one day free OMT clinic at a local South Carolina community health center. This project changed into establishing an educational free OMT fellows clinic at the Mesa, AZ campus once I became a pre-doctoral OMM teaching fellow half way through the year.
Target audience:
The first-year medical students on campus in Mesa will benefit (~100). The faculty and support staff will also be receiving treatment (~50).
Impact:
“The project will create better unity among the faculty and staff when addressing osteopathic medical education. It will serve as a learning experience for students and providers while integrating the core concepts of osteopathy.”
Project by:
Erin Murphy
School:
A.T.Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Whole Foods Cooking Demonstration
Description:
We invited medical students, dental students, faculty and staff to attend an evening cooking demonstration. Approximately forty participants ate a plant-based meal that we had prepared previously that day, while they watched us make that same meal in front of them. The three dishes included a Quinoa Avocado Salad/Wrap, Spinch Poached Eggs and Kale with Almonds and Currants. Throughout the demonstration, we also explained how each of the food items promotes health--this portion was particularly well-received by the scientifically-minded medical and dental students.
Target audience:
UConn medical and dental students, ~5 faculty members including the Dean of Medical Education and the Dean of Students, ~3 staff members involved in student services.
Impact:
“The Cooking Demo received very good feedback from everyone who attended. Most students expressed (both verbally and in writing on the evaluation) that they learned how to cook three inexpensive, healthy and delicious dishes, that they would like to attend another such demo, and that they would like to take an elective that teaches nutrition through cooking. The administrators in attendance were able to observe the student interest in active learning about nutrition. Additionally, many of the first year students who attended the demo have agreed to organize another one like it next year.”
Project by:
Mariah McAlister
School:
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Creativists' Healing Collective
Description:
Unfortunately, this is a project that did not reach a consummate completion. It was intended to be a forum through which like-minded individuals could revel together in the healing properties of the creative process through physical and virtual "Meetups", i.e. cinema outings, creative circles, poetry contests, photography contests, museum visits, picnics, etc.
Target audience:
Anyone who was interested in participating
Impact:
“Very unfortunately, this project had no visible constructive impact on my school or the immediate community, although I think the few meetups that were coordinated did certainly do their part in helping to nurture a sense of camaraderie amongst members who attended/participated and helped members to step back and engage in contemplation that is necessarily inextricable from the creative process, which I found most edifying and rewarding.”
Project by:
Siddharth Joshi
School:
St. George's University School of Medicine
Music Therapy and Recess: Art Show!
Description:
At Music Therapy night, a board-certified music therapist described the scope of her work and engaged the 40-student audience in a group music therapy session. At Recess: Art Show!16 student artists showcased their artwork to celebrate the humanities in medicine.
Target audience:
First through fourth year medical students, in particular those that have a background in music and visual arts.
Impact:
“Forty medical students and one faculty member walked away knowing how they can use music for patients as a comfort measure in their clinics, for what purpose they can refer patients to a neurologic music therapist, and what results they can expect. Another 100 students and community members enjoyed an evening of an art show displaying medical student art with live music provided by medical students. Attendees left with an appreciation for the well-roundedness of their peers.”
Project by:
Shokoufeh Dianat
School:
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)
Medical Student Wellness
Description:
I took a survey of medical student wellness, stress level, engagement in self care activities and assessed the interest of more avenues of self care at our school. I connected with the Holistic and Integrated Medicine Interest Group to promote more awareness of integrated medicine in our community. We also connected with the students and teachers in the Masters program for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at Georgetown to help build a bridge between the two schools. We organized events such as meditations, talks, and workshops to promote integrated medicine.
Target audience:
Events: 10-20 medical students, 5 complementary and alternative medicine students, 2 faculty
Survey: 280 medical students, school administration including the deans.
Impact:
“The
survey helped the school and the Office of Student Affairs realize how
important student wellness is at our school for the success and happiness of
the community. In the short term, some
students were able to experience the benefits of meditation and learn about
other healing techniques from different health care providers.”
Project by:
Maki Sato
School:
Georgetown School of Medicine
AMSA Integrative Medicine Scholars Program
Description:
Bi-monthly webinar series introducing various IM topics to a select group of 20 medial students from across the US and Canada.
Target audience:
Medical Students interested in integrative and holistic medicine.
Impact:
“Each meeting brings 15-20 medical students together in a lecture/round-table discussion format, which is hosted by web-based conference software. Through this forum, we have created a supportive environment in which our participants are encouraged to seek out further information, empowered with the facts and figures with respect to integrative medical practices, and provided a community in which to discuss and explore their ideas and questions.”
Project by: Rachael Maciasz, Caroline Schepker and Andrea Clark
Institution:
AMSA