The Ohio State University Family & Community Medicine Fellowship in Integrative Health is a one-year program designed to train physicians in evidence-based therapies and associated philosophies collectively known as Integrative Health. Our program combines education, clinical mentorship, and hands-on training and practice with faculty who use evidence-based Integrative Health in our clinic and at our world-renowned academic medical center. The goal of the program is to provide physicians with a wide range of knowledge and skills needed to be successful practitioners in the field of Integrative Medicine as well as future leaders in healthcare organizations, academic medical centers, government and industry.

We facilitate this training process through the guidance of the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABoIM) and the oversight of the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health. Specific training goals, learning objectives, and activities will be facilitated by our expert faculty across a one-year calendar. This fellowship has been approved by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine (COM) Graduate Medical Education Office (GME).

Take a Virtual Tour of Our Integrative Health Fellowship Learning Spaces and Medical Center Campus

Curriculum Goals

The overarching goal of this fellowship is to increase the knowledge, skills and use of Integrative Medicine (IM) therapies (evidence-based complementary + alternative/integrative (CAM)) by the physician fellow for their patients.

To provide 12 months of comprehensive clinical, didactic, experiential, and research-oriented evidence-based training in the NIH-defined domains of Integrative Medicine offered through the holistic learning and practice environment of the OSU Center for Integrative Health which is supported and facilitated by physician leaders and expert faculty educators and practitioners.
To provide the self-motivated adult learner with multi-faceted learning environments (online, classroom, clinic, bedside, laboratory, and individualized mentoring) to become an outstanding academic leader, clinician, and teacher within the field of Integrative Medicine.
To guide in and expect the use and evaluation of core integrative medicine and health attitudes, values, skills, and knowledge through the best evidence-based and patient-centered care and by the combination of the best allopathic and integrative (complementary and alternative (CAM)) therapies.
To provide opportunities for the fellow to witness, understand, and recommend models of health behavior change in a patient population.
To provide opportunities for the fellow to achieve competency in a self-determined area of integrative practice available through OSU CIH (see Faculty chart).
To provide opportunities for the fellow to investigate, incorporate, and reflect on the concepts of self-care, resilience, and life balance as they implement or sustain a practice for personal wellness.

Curriculum Activities

Two days/week working with Center for Integrative Health providers participating in direct patient care.
Two days/week practicing primary care at OSU Primary Care site.
One day/week dedicated to lectures, self-study, self-care and experiential learning opportunities (mindfulness, meditation, pranayama, yoga, tai chi, qi gong, Reiki, etc).
Curriculum consists of 11 modules:
- Introduction to integrative medicine – Foundations
- Nutrition
- Natural Products/Supplements
- Mind-Body Medicine
- Lifestyle/Prevention
- Spirituality
- Whole Systems Medicine
- Complementary Modalities
- Manipulative/Body-based Therapies
- Integrative Therapies
- Business of Integrative Medicine
Scholarly project per fellow’s preference
Opportunities for teaching medical students and residents

Competencies and Learning Objectives and Opportunities

Competencies and learning objectives for our program follow the published recommendations of:

Locke et al. Recommended Integrative Medicine Competencies for Family Medicine Residents. Explore 2013; 9:308-313
Ring M. et al. Developing and implementing core competencies for integrative medicine fellowships. Acad. Med. 2014;89(3):01-08.