People who suffer from cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic pain, and severe trauma may improve symptom management, reduce stress or pain, and experience improved energy levels when their treatment is augmented with acupuncture, herbs, music, massage and other complementary therapies.
To identify best practices for clinical patient care that integrates these therapies with conventional medicine, the Institute co-sponsored an international forum at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. The October 2015 summit, Clinical Models in Integrative Medicine, brought together leaders from seven of the world’s top integrative medicine programs to exchange knowledge and perspectives.
“Having a wealth of diverse expertise at the forum led to a rich cross-pollination of ideas,” said Institute President Brian Berman, MD. “The insights we gained will improve the care and well-being of patients around the world.”
Institute Scholar and forum co-sponsor Claudia Witt, MD, presented on integrative medicine approaches to supporting the care of cancer patients at the University of Zurich, leaders from the Institute-supported integrative care program at the University of Maryland’s R Adam Cowley Shock Trauma Center, as well as leaders from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US), Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (UK), University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany), Cantonal Hospital (Switzerland), and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (China).
Recommendations on program structure, integration, financial models, and clinical management were discussed and will be published in peer-reviewed medical literature, informing future models for better patient care.
Presentation Videos
- Integrative Oncology at UniversityHospital Zurich (Switzerland)
Claudia Witt, MD, MBA, Professor of Medicine and Chair, Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, UniversityHospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Switzerland
Other presenters at the forum were:
- Integrative Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (USA)
Gary Deng, MD, Interim Chief, Integrative Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA - Integrative Oncology at the Breast Cancer Clinic, University Duisburg-Essen (Germany)
Gustav Dobos, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine and Chair of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany - Chronic Pain Management at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (UK)
Peter Fisher, MD, Clinical Director and Director of Research, Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, University College London Hospitals, UK - Marc Schläppi, MD
Head, Center for Integrative Medicine, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, Switzerland - Integrative Medicine in Gastroenterology at the Hong Kong Institute for Integrative Medicine (China)
Justin Wu, MD Associate Dean (Development) Faculty of Medicine, Director Institute of Integrated Medicine, Director S.H. Ho Center for Digestive Health, Professor of the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
