AIHM Interprofessional Fellowship Breaks New Ground with Scholarships

AIHM Interprofessional Fellowship Breaks New Ground with Scholarships

Leader in Advanced Integrative Medicine Training Offers Unprecedented Number of Scholarships

The Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (AIHM), the leading provider of education and training in the field of integrative medicine and holistic health, announced an unparalleled number of scholarship opportunities for their Interprofessional Fellowship program. Of the 60 inaugural Interprofessional Fellows, 19 received scholarships when the program launched in February. AIHM confirmed that the same level of support would be provided to the next class, which is filling now and commences late this summer.

Fostering Collaborative Healthcare through Scholarships and Training

The AIHM Interprofessional Fellowship is a groundbreaking, two-year, 1000-hour hybrid training model with online, in-person and clinical components, designed to give rise to the next generation of interprofessional collaborations and to activate fundamental, systemic change in the healthcare system. The program is open to all licensed health providers holding at least a master’s degree in their field. According to Founding Fellowship Director, Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., “Our best hope forchanging the trajectory of the health of our people and our planet is to bring together health professionals in a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration. We want to attract bold thinkers with shared values across multiple professions regardless of financial capacity.” Scholarships are considered an important lifeline for many practitioners interested in advanced training because earning capacity varies widely among professions and even within professions, especially for those working in underserved areas.

Outcomes and Impact of the AIHM Fellowship Program

When Fellows successfully complete their training, they emerge as experts in interprofessional team coordination, integrative medicine, and health promotion. M.D. and D.O. graduates will have met the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) Fellowship Requirement and are eligible to sit for board certification.

Scholarships for the 2016-2017 year have been made possible through a commitment by the AIHM Board and philanthropic leaders, including the Westreich Foundation, Integrative Therapeutics, Council for Responsible Nutrition, Food State, and the Miraglo Foundation.

“Our Interprofessional Fellowship is as ambitious as the outstanding Fellows whose educational and career aspirations we support,” said AIHM President, Mimi Guarneri, M.D. “We invite people to make an investment that will pay dividends for Fellows, for our entire community, and the field of integrative health and medicine as a whole. Together, we are building a new healthcare landscape.”

The first Integrative Therapeutics Scholarship was awarded to Gretchen E. Seitz, DAOM, L.A.c, a family medicine clinician in San Diego, CA, who serves as the Acupuncture Department Chair at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Dr. Seitz considers the AIHM Interprofessional Fellowship a transformative experience at the personal and professional level. “My profession won’t move forward unless we reach across the table,” she says, “I’m there to learn from my peers, but I am there also to show what my profession has to offer. I feel like a liaison, an ambassador, to help educate. Together, we can serve patients more effectively. I am so in love with it—thank you for the opportunity.”

Applications for the next AIHM Interprofessional Fellowship class are being accepted on a rolling basis. Clinicians are encouraged to apply soon. More information about the program and scholarship opportunities is available at aihm.org/fellowship.

Learn more at aihm.org.

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