In 2021, The Bernard Osher Foundation invited the University of Wisconsin to join the Osher Collaborative — a group of academic centers that practice, teach and study integrative health.
In Dec. 2022, the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UW was officially established. UW is one of 10 universities across the country in the Collaborative and one of 11 globally, according to The Osher Collaborative.
Through integrative health approve to medicine, the Osher Collaborative focuses on compassionate care, education and research.
The UW School of Medicine has had an integrative health program implemented for over 20 years. The program that Dr. David Rakel started is now one of the largest of its kind in the nation, according to the School of Medicine and Public Health.
UW Health offers services such as acupuncture, massage healing and stress reduction practices, according to UW Health.
“UW has an increased capacity to bring integrative health to other departments,” Director of the UW Integrative Health Program Dr. Greta Kuphal said.
Kuphal emphasized that by collaborating with the Osher Collaborative, UW has an increased capacity to collaborate with other prestigious universities on integrative health practices. In addition, there are many teaching opportunities within the Collaborative.
Integrative health approaches healthcare with a focus on what is important to the individuals and uses that to guide an individual’s personalized health plan. Many things, such as nutrition, personal development and spirituality, for example, might impact one’s health, according to Kuphal.
The Osher Collaborative is based out of San Francisco and is interested in promoting integrative health and wellness as people age, Kuphal said. The Osher Center has partnered with 11 programs with strong research, education and clinical care, according to the website.
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Students that use UW Health for their medical care will have access to integrative health programs. For students interested in areas of learning, education, and community outreach, this collaboration provides students with more opportunities and the latest techniques, according to Kuphal.
“Our goal is to look at how these interventions can improve health,” Kuphal said.
