Leading UCSF Faculty and Practitioners Incorporate Integrative Modalities through Training in the Integrative Medicine Scholars Program
As we look for solutions to new and old pressing problems, how can integrative medicine reach more people who need it? How can we empower current leaders with integrative medicine tools? The Osher Center is proud to introduce our five incoming Integrative Medicine Scholars—all established physicians in other medical specialties—who will be joining together for a yearlong training program that coincides with the continuation of their practice. This program meets the need for accessible training in integrative medicine for established UCSF faculty and practitioners looking to incorporate integrative medicine into their clinical practice, research, and teaching. Osher Center Director of Education, Anand Dhruva, MD, explains that while most integrative medicine training is geared towards people earlier in their career, the “scholars program takes people already established and highly productive and allows them to shift their attention to integrative medicine.”
Incoming Integrative Medicine Scholars:
- Shannon Fogh, MD; Radiation Cancer Specialist, Department of Radiation Oncology, UCSF
- Meghan Jobson, MD, PhD; Palliative Medicine Fellow, Department of Medicine, UCSF
- Natalie Marshall, MD; Medical Director, UCSF – John Muir Health Cancer Center in Berkeley
- Kavita Mishra, MD, MPH; Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, UCSF
- Juliet Morgan, MD; Chief Resident for Education, Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF
As part of the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Medicine, our scholars will be training alongside five Northwestern University faculty members. The jointly developed curriculum draws on extensive expertise across the Collaborative and is designed to be adapted to the needs of learners at different levels. In addition to the weekly seminars, scholars participate in clinical observation and case discussions with Osher Center faculty and complete an independent scholarly project.
Integrative Medicine Scholars help disseminate integrative medicine at UCSF, extending the reach of the Osher Center. As previous scholars have demonstrated, the program builds a network of advocates for integrative medicine within their home departments. Recent scholar Niharika Dixit, MD, an oncologist at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, works with patients who would otherwise lack resources for integrative care. She is applying her training to a new research project that incorporates integrative medicine approaches in group medical visits for breast cancer survivors in English and Spanish in a public hospital. Dr. Dixit notes, “My patients are often surprised and delighted by my integrative medicine approach to cancer care.”
Dr. Dhruva reflects that as people are increasingly asking how they can improve and protect their health and deal with the stress of a global pandemic and ongoing inequity, Integrative Medicine Scholars can advocate for patient-centered and culturally appropriate approaches to health and wellbeing and “make a significant impact right away at UCSF and on a national level.”
