HISTORY

The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health began as a visionary concept shared by eight academic medical institutions in 1999, during a meeting at the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The group of eight institutions pledged a strong commitment to the vision of integrative medicine and the development of its role in healthcare delivery, shaped by several core values.

These values remain to this day a driving force in the growth and increasing impact of this organization.  They include a process that is itself integrative and mindful, deepening not only an understanding of this comprehensive approach to healthcare, but also recognizing experience supported by evidence-based results as essential elements.

Founding institutions:
Duke University
Harvard University
Stanford University
University of California, San Francisco
University of Arizona
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts
University of Minnesota

Conceived as the Academic Consortium on Integrative Medicine, the new organization embraced the following vision for its members, articulated by representative Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD:

  • Support these leaders in their advocacy for integrative efforts at their institutions.
  • Expand familiarity with the range of programs and orientations emerging at other medical centers, and report the clinical, educational, and research opportunities in this rapidly growing field.
  • Come to a larger understanding of the importance of this field and how the development of a scientific knowledge base, appropriate clinical expertise, and a comprehensive, integrative, mind/body perspective can positively influence medicine of the future.
  • Develop an influential, expandable working community of awareness, based on first-hand experience of the principles and practices of mindfulness.  This community can contribute to the articulation of a new paradigm for medicine, one that truly integrates, on all levels, the best of conventional, mind/body, complementary, and non-traditional approaches to health and illness, and to the development of the field as other academic health centers seek to develop this work at their own institutions.
  • Establish, through dialogue and inquiry among the participants, the true mission, objectives, and scope for the Academic Consortium.

In 2000, during a second meeting, Albert Einstein/Yeshiva University, Georgetown University and Thomas Jefferson University joined the organization.  At this meeting the name was changed to The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine and the organization received an educational curriculum grant from the Philanthropic Collaborative for Integrative Medicine (PCIM).

An organizing meeting in 2002 established the Bylaws and a governing structure, including committees and working groups focused on membership, clinical care, education and research.   Brian Berman, MD, of the University of Maryland was elected chair of the Steering Committee for a three-year term. He selected Aviad Haramati, PhD, of Georgetown University to serve with him as vice chair.  The Policy Committee was formed in January 2005 to develop a Consortium public policy agenda.

In January 2015, the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine changed its name to the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health.

With early and sustained philanthropic support from The Bravewell Collaborative, the Academic Consortium has grown to more than 75 academic medical centers and health systems working together to advance comprehensive, integrative medicine and health.

A Growing Community

Members by the year they joined the Academic Consortium

2021 - Indiana University School of Medicine, Southern Cross University, Whole Health School of Medicine and Health Sciences

2020 – Parkview Health, Case Western Reserve University, NICM Health Research Institute, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein

2019 – University of Tennessee Medical Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine

2018 – NYU Langone Health, Cedars-Sinai, University of Florida

2017 – Weill Cornell Medicine, Inova Health System

2016 – University of Utah, Veterans Health Administration, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Hackensack Meridian Health, Emory University School of Medicine, MedStar Health

2015 – Sutter Health Systems, Beaumont Health, UH/Connor Integrative Medicine Network, University of Saskatchewan, Central Maine Healthcare

2014 – University of Kentucky, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Tecnologico de Monterrey School of Medicine

2013 – Temple University, Texas Tech, University of Miami, University of Toronto

2012 – Allina Health, University of Southern California, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine

2011 – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, UT MD Anderson, Aurora Health Care, Cleveland Clinic, Tufts University

2010 – University of Chicago, UCSD

2009 – University of Cincinnati, University of IL-Chicago

2008 – Boston University, Northwestern University, Ohio State University

2007 – Vanderbilt University, McMaster University, Johns Hopkins University

2006 – University of Colorado, University of Kansas, University of Vermont, Mayo Clinic, Yale University

2005 – Laval University, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin

2004 – University of  Connecticut, University of New Mexico, UCI, Wake Forest, University of Alberta

2003 – UCLA, OHSU, University of Calgary, George Washington University

2002 – UTMB, University of Pittsburgh, University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, Univ Hawaii, Rutgers University, University of Michigan, Columbia University

2000 – Albert Einstein/Yeshiva University, Georgetown University, Thomas Jefferson University

1999 – Duke University, Harvard University, Stanford University, UCSF, University of Arizona, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts, University of Minnesota