St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Joins Academic Consortium to Support Integrative Medicine and Health
CONTACT: Dale West
269.264.9261
info@imconsortium.org
Members of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health voted this month to include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the organization’s global community – 75 of the world’s most prestigious academic medical centers and health systems dedicated to research, education and patient-centered health and healing through all appropriate therapeutic and lifestyle approaches.
The 80-bed pediatric hospital in Memphis sees 8500 patients each year from around the world, children with cancer, blood disorders or other catastrophic illness, while furthering the knowledge base for pediatric cancer, immunology, neurology, infectious diseases and other disciplines in basic, translational, and clinical research.
The hospital’s integrative medicine working group (IMWG) includes psychologists, occupational, physical, and music therapists, child life specialists, social workers, chaplains, dieticians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians. The multidisciplinary team, founded and led by Holly Spraker-Perlman, MD, MS, from the hospital’s Quality of Life and Palliative Care Division, works with patients and families to reduce stress, cope with diagnosis and treatment, and improve quality of life. The goal: compassionate, personalized, family-centered care that addresses physical, social, spiritual and emotional needs during and after their disease-directed therapy.
“We are excited to have St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in our growing network of institutions dedicated to integrative medicine and health, adding to our collective knowledge and opportunities for ensuring optimal health and well-being, available to everyone,” said Academic Consortium Chair Francoise Adan, MD.
“As data mounts for the inclusion of integrative strategies in family-centered care, we fully support the integration of low risk, non-pharmacological modalities for reduction of symptoms and promotion of wellness,” noted Pat Flynn, MD, St. Jude Deputy Clinical Director and Senior Vice President, Medical Director of Quality and Patient Care.