Integrative Medicine Courses - Undergraduate Medical Education
Our goal is to expose students to relevant patient interactions earlier, including teaching a more integrative approach to healthcare. Principles of integrative medicine are beginning to be interwoven into existing courses and electives and numerous integrative medicine-focused courses have been created in the UC medical sciences program.
Integrative Medicine Medical School Electives
The Mind-Body Medicine Elective provides students with self-care and reflection skills combined with group support to adaptively deal with stressors, leading to overall improved well-being and empathy, and ultimately healthier, balanced professionals. This course will focus on the evidence base and indication for use of mind‐body techniques in both a personal and professional/clinical setting.
Learning Objectives:
1.Describe the evidence base for a variety of mind-body medicine modalities including meditation, guided imagery, autogenic training, journal writing and movement and reflect on the ways these skills can be helpful both personally and professionally.
2.Articulate the importance of and create a plan for self-awareness and self-care for personal health and well-being and the importance of maintaining a balance between the intellectual, emotional, physical, social and spiritual aspects of their lives as developing physicians.
3.Experience and practice a variety of mind-body techniques.
4.Understand the potential use of mind-body techniques for stress management, wellness promotion, lifestyle management and optimal learning performance both as students and as future physicians.
5.Conduct a scientific literature review and presentation in the area of mind-body medicine as it relates to a specific area of student interest.
Course Co-Directors: Barbara Walker, PhD (walkebr@ucmail.uc.edu) and Sian Cotton, PhD (cottons@ucmail.uc.edu)
Administrative Director: Kelly Lyle, MS, MHA (woosleka@ucmail.uc.edu)
Credit weeks: 2 (80 hrs)
Full time – 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
The Planetary Health and Medicine course will be a 4-week part-time elective. The first 3 weeks will be completed online, and students will be tasked with a reading list, prerecorded lectures, and other online curricula. At the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of the impacts of climate crisis on the individual health of their patients, the populations they care for, and the community in which they live.
The last week will be devoted to the development and submission of a proposal on climate crisis/sustainability, focused on improvement of practices within our hospital system, medical school, and the surrounding community. Students will address a topic from among the following categories: medical waste, food sustainability, clean air, clean water, or energy utilization. They will have the opportunity to engage community leaders, advocates, educators, and policymakers on how to implement solutions outlined in their submission. This climate and health proposal will contribute towards future policies and one that can be acted upon to improve the health and wellbeing of the patients at UC Health or the larger Cincinnati community.
The course will be offered in October and November, and then again in March and April with a maximum of 6 students in each block.
Course Director: Chad Coe, MD
Click here to learn more about the Narrative Medicine Course.
Integrative Medicine Graduate Courses
GNTD 6087
Fundamentals of Integrative Health
3 credit hours (Dr. Lauri Nandyal)
This course provides an overview of the basic principles and history of integrative health and medicine. This includes an emphasis on a critical review of the scientific evidence-based for integrative medicine approaches as they relate to prevention, treatment of chronic disease, and overall wellness. Students experience a variety of integrative health modalities and a focus on healthy lifestyle as models for disease prevention, treatment of illness, and overall health and wellness promotion. GRADUATE STUDENTS WILL ALSO:
- Analyze and critique relevant journal article.
- Meet apart from the undergrads for one hour bi-weekly/virtually for a journal club, each required to present.
- Describe the business and practice of integrative medicine including relative policy implications.
What students are saying about Dr. Nandyal:
- Dr. Nandyal- her courses really made me interested in pursuing integrative health to some extent in my future career
- Dr. Nandyal, your passion and generosity were so appreciated!
GNTD 6088
Science and Practice of Mind Body Medicine
3 credit hours (Drs. Sian Cotton/Barbara Walker)
100% asynchronous online
This course explores the scientific foundations and practical applications of mind-body medicine, examining how mental, emotional, and physiological processes interact to influence health and well-being.
GRADUATE STUDENTS WILL ALSO:
- Understand how to synthesize existing literature in mind body medicine and propose a next pilot research step.
- Focus on science and choose one mind/body modality to research in more depth and propose a pilot research and summarize the literature in more depth – i.e. guided imagery as it relates to pre and postsurgical outcomes.
GNTD 7050
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Compassionate Care
3 credit hours (Dr. Meera Murthi)
25/50% online hybrid, flipped classroom model and offered on Wednesdays from 3-5p (in person, via Zoom).
This course will combine the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course with the 8-week Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) course, for a full 16-week course. You will be using meditation, yoga and other proven mind/body modalities to cultivate awareness and reduce stress. MBSR is a formal eight-week program with a daylong intensive that was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. This course is adapted to fit in with the standard college curriculum. The primary intention of the MBSR curriculum is to create a structured pathway to relieve suffering and increase wellbeing for people facing a host of challenges arising from a wide range of medical and psychological conditions and the demands and stressors inherent in the everyday lives of human beings.
GNTD 7051
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
3 credit hours Derek Johnson, L.Ac, MSOM, DMQ
This course provides the basis for understanding the mechanisms and principles by which traditional Chinese medicine is practiced. Graduate students will use the theories of Chinese medicine to develop a diagnosis that is accurate and appropriate for the delivery of acupuncture and/or accessory techniques. Based on the diagnostic findings, develop an effective treatment plan using acupuncture and/or other accessory techniques.
GRADUATE STUDENTS WILL ALSO:
- Analyze a case study utilizing the available information to identify diagnostic factors, diagnose and develop a treatment strategy using all the modalities in the course.
The most recent National College Health Assessment (2022) (n=54,204) revealed that only 17.9% of undergraduate respondents reported eating an average of three or more servings of fruit (per day) over seven days. Additionally, 27.8% of the same population reported consuming an average of three or more servings of vegetables (per day) in the same timeframe. Their survey also indicated that 44.7% of responses indicated some level of food insecurity (based on the US Household Food Security Survey Module). Historically, most nutrition literature on academic performance focuses on children and adolescents in primary and secondary education. However, food is a foundational element of physiological needs necessary to thrive, and with multiple chronic diseases linked to dietary patterns and nutrition, increasing opportunities for expanded food literacy among higher education students may improve an individual's short and long-term health and well-being.
Description:
This course will explore concepts relevant to food literacy, culinary medicine, and seek to enhance students’ fundamental culinary and nutritional knowledge for personal health. Throughout the course, we will examine dietary behavior on personal and global health outcomes and provide practical strategies for diet-related behaviors throughout one’s life. To gain a holistic perspective on food literacy, we will also examine facets of food systems and their impact on environments, communities, and public health.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe evidence-based connections between chronic diseases and diet-related behaviors.
- Identify components of food literacy in health and wellness for individuals and communities.
- Demonstrate foundational culinary skills, including meal planning, procurement, food preparation techniques, and food safety.
- Compare local and global food systems.
- Evaluate current dietary choices alongside personal health goals and develop strategies to meet individualized goals.
3 credit hours (Dr. Lauri Nandyal)
Digestive disorders are a primary reason many Americans seek health care. There is ample evidence that stress, the environment, and diet play leading roles in many of these conditions.
Pre-healthcare students in their Junior or Senior year, or graduates who have had Intro to Integrative Health and Medicine (MEDS 2087, or GNTD 6087) are invited to join us to explore the toll that the Western diet and lifestyles have on guthealth and health in general, the role of Social Determinants of Health and nutrition-driven biology, and the broad influence the gut has on other biologic systems.
Share the role of developing content to educate your classmates via weekly patient-focused case-based learning, along with enjoying the in-class application of Integrative models for more effective prevention and treatment of digestive diseases. This rigorous but very interactive 13 week course helps students learn how to apply these principles in a clinical setting to better educate their future patients and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
What students are saying about Dr. Nandyal:
- Dr. Nandyal- her courses really made me interested in pursuing integrative health to some extent in my future career
- Dr. Nandyal, your passion and generosity were so appreciated!
GNTD 6092
Music and Health
3 credit hours (Betsey Zenk Nuseibeh and Christina Weber)
100% asynchronous online.
This course will expand student knowledge beyond traditional coursework by including experientials pared with the growing scientific evidence of music and health outcomes. Students in health-related fields will possess new ways to connect with their patients or clients through additional therapies and/or modalities that may be part of their existing skill set or of particular interest. Together we will learn how music can be a powerful, non-invasive therapy that can encourage exploration of self and community while supporting physical and mental well-being supported by evidence-based research. Students will experience first-hand, the ability of music to improve health outcomes, including the role of music therapy in health care and community-based settings.
Graduate Students will also:
- Complete a short literature review, synthesizing existing literature on a specific topic inspired by one of the course modules.
- Identify a question related to one course topic, compare and contrast current knowledge, and recommend future research directions.
GNTD 6089
Mental Well-being and Self Care
3 credit hours (Meriden McGraw)
Fall/Spring 100% asynchronous online.
This course will introduce scientifically validated strategies shown to reduce stress and increase mental wellbeing. It will also seek to increase students’ capacity to overcome setbacks, challenges, and difficulties. The course will include exploration and discussion of the psychological science of self-care and mental wellbeing and include experiential learning of specific self-care strategies to bolster overall mental wellbeing and resiliency.
Integrative Medicine Undergraduate Courses
3 credit hours (Dr. Lauri Nandyal)
This interactive course provides an overview of the basic principles and history of integrative medicine and health while empowering students to learn tools for improving patient outcomes and their own self-care. This includes an emphasis on a critical review of the scientific evidence base for integrative medicine approaches as they relate to prevention, treatment of chronic disease, and overall wellness as well as listening coaching from your instructor to provide an interactive learning environment. Students experience a variety of integrative health modalities and a focus on a healthy lifestyle as models for disease prevention, treatment of illness, and overall health and wellness promotion to improve patient outcomes and their own self-care.
What students are saying about Dr. Nandyal:
- Dr. Nandyal- her courses really made me interested in pursuing integrative health to some extent in my future career
- Dr. Nandyal, your passion and generosity were so appreciated!
Science & Practice of Mind-Body Medicine
3 credit hours (Dr. Barbara Walker)
100% asynchronous online
This course explores the scientific foundations and practical applications of mind-body medicine, examining how mental, emotional, and physiological processes interact to influence health and well-being.
3 credit hours (Meriden McGraw)
Fall/Spring 100% asynchronous online. This course will introduce scientifically validated strategies shown to reduce stress and increase mental wellbeing. It will also seek to increase students’ capacity to overcome setbacks, challenges, and difficulties. The course will include exploration and discussion of the psychological science of self-care and mental wellbeing and include experiential learning of specific self-care strategies to bolster overall mental wellbeing and resiliency.
Music and Health
3 credit hours (Betsey Zenk Nuseibeh and Christina Weber)
100% asynchronous online. This course will expand student knowledge beyond traditional coursework by including experientials pared with the growing scientific evidence of music and health outcomes. Students in health-related fields will possess new ways to connect with their patients or clients through additional therapies and/or modalities that may be part of their existing skill set or of particular interest. Together we will learn how music can be a powerful, non-invasive therapy that can encourage exploration of self and community while supporting physical and mental well-being supported by evidence-based research. Students will experience first-hand, the ability of music to improve health outcomes, including the role of music therapy in health care and community-based settings.
Kelly Lyle, MHA, MS, 200hr CYT
100% Online Asynchronous
3 Credit Hours
Students will learn foundational concepts and how to use this knowledge to facilitate a strong Yoga Asana, Pranayama, and meditation practice as well as how to apply these principles in everyday life.
MEDS 2092 - Introduction to Nature Based Therapies and Ecopsychology – 3 credit hours – (Dr. Barbara Walker) This course will be taught 100% Asynchronous online and will have one optional field trip.
This course explores the dynamic relationship between humans and the natural world, focusing on the therapeutic benefits of nature connection for mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
The most recent National College Health Assessment (2022) (n=54,204) revealed that only 17.9% of undergraduate respondents reported eating an average of three or more servings of fruit (per day) over seven days. Additionally, 27.8% of the same population reported consuming an average of three or more servings of vegetables (per day) in the same timeframe. Their survey also indicated that 44.7% of responses indicated some level of food insecurity (based on the US Household Food Security Survey Module). Historically, most nutrition literature on academic performance focuses on children and adolescents in primary and secondary education. However, food is a foundational element of physiological needs necessary to thrive, and with multiple chronic diseases linked to dietary patterns and nutrition, increasing opportunities for expanded food literacy among higher education students may improve an individual's short and long-term health and well-being.
Description:
This course will explore concepts relevant to food literacy, culinary medicine, and seek to enhance students’ fundamental culinary and nutritional knowledge for personal health. Throughout the course, we will examine dietary behavior on personal and global health outcomes and provide practical strategies for diet-related behaviors throughout one’s life. To gain a holistic perspective on food literacy, we will also examine facets of food systems and their impact on environments, communities, and public health.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe evidence-based connections between chronic diseases and diet-related behaviors.
- Identify components of food literacy in health and wellness for individuals and communities.
- Demonstrate foundational culinary skills, including meal planning, procurement, food preparation techniques, and food safety.
- Compare local and global food systems.
- Evaluate current dietary choices alongside personal health goals and develop strategies to meet individualized goals.
Tai Chi Basics: Medication Through Movement - MEDS 2094
Rationale:
Movement therapies such as Tai Chi and Qigong are one of the Eight Pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) used to treat and maintain the body, mind, and spirit. These movement therapies are essential for health in TCM just like acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutrition. Tai Chi was developed relatively recently (around the 17th century) to blend and balance the opposites of Yin and Yang yet it is rooted in philosophy and prescribed movements thousands of years old. It has developed and spread across the world as an artform and expression of health and spirituality.
Studies have demonstrated the benefits of Tai Chi for common conditions including Parkinson’s Disease1, hypertension2, and mental health3. Tai Chi has been shown to be a significant piece of improving and maintaining good health in conjunction with other forms of modern medicine.
Description:
This course will primarily focus on the Yang 24 Short Form which is the most commonly practiced Tai Chi set in the world. Students will be able to complete the form on their own by the end of the semester and integrate it into their self-care routines. The course will include weekly in-person instruction as well as self-practice. It will also involve weekly readings and lectures to introduce the philosophical and therapeutic concepts to round out the student’s introduction to the foundations of Tai Chi movement and self-cultivation.
Learning Objectives:
Students who successfully complete this course will:
- Understand the origins and evolution of Tai Chi
- Be able to demonstrate the Yang 24 Short Form
- Define foundational concepts Tai Chi
- Understand the philosophical roots and how they apply to practice
- Demonstrate knowledge of modern research on Tai Chi
MEDS 3070
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Compassionate Care
3 credit hours (Dr. Meera Murthi)
25/50% hybrid online, flipped classroom model and offered on Wednesdays from 1-3p (in person). This course will combine the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course with the 8-week Mindful Self Compassion course, for a full 16-week course. You will be using meditation, yoga and other evidence-based mind-body modalities to cultivate awareness and reduce stress. MBSR is a formal eight-week program with a daylong intensive that was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. This course is adapted to fit in with the standard college curriculum. The primary intention of the MBSR curriculum is to create a structured pathway to relieve suffering and increase wellbeing for people facing a host of challenges arising from a wide range of medical and psychological conditions and the demands and stressors inherent in the everyday lives of human beings.
MEDS 3071: Healthy Lifestyle Brain Health
3-Credit Hours with Dr. Annie Fenn
100% asynchronous online
Course Description: Learn how daily habits impact the brain’s ability to think, remember, and thrive with age. This course first takes a detailed look at the science of neuroprotective foods, including the 10 brain healthy food groups, the 6 food groups to limit or avoid, and the dietary patterns proven to slow brain aging and prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementias Then, it dives into the latest science of how lifestyle habits synergize with brain-healthy eating to optimize memory and thinking skills now while protecting the brain’s longevity. Learn how physical exercise builds brain strong neural networks, and how much and which types of exercise are best. Unpack the data on sleep, including what happens in the brain while we sleep, how much sleep is optimal, and what happens when the brain is sleep-deprived. Finally, we’ll look at other science-based habits that help cultivate a brain-healthy life, such as stress mitigation, cognitive reserve, and an approach to personal mental fitness. At the course’s completion, students will become well-versed in current brain health topics and create an individualized strategy for optimizing their own brain health
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
3 credit hours (Derek Johnson, Licensed Acupuncturist)
100% asynchronous online. This course provides the basis for understanding the mechanisms and principles by which traditional Chinese medicine is practiced. Students explore different therapeutic modalities. Course content includes traditional Chinese philosophy as applied to treatment in acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage therapy, Tai Chi, and Qi-Gong. This course requires individuals to be open to learning about different philosophical beliefs upon which Chinese medicine is based.
3 credit hours (Dr. Lauri Nandyal)
Digestive disorders are a primary reason many Americans seek health care. There is ample evidence that stress, the environment, and diet play leading roles in many of these conditions.
Pre-healthcare students in their Junior or Senior year, or graduates who have had Intro to Integrative Health and Medicine (MEDS 2087, or GNTD 6087) are invited to join us to explore the toll that the Western diet and lifestyles have on guthealth and health in general, the role of Social Determinants of Health and nutrition-driven biology, and the broad influence the gut has on other biologic systems.
Share the role of developing content to educate your classmates via weekly patient-focused case-based learning, along with enjoying the in-class application of Integrative models for more effective prevention and treatment of digestive diseases. This rigorous but very interactive 13 week course helps students learn how to apply these principles in a clinical setting to better educate their future patients and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
What students are saying about Dr. Nandyal:
- Dr. Nandyal- her courses really made me interested in pursuing integrative health to some extent in my future career
- Dr. Nandyal, your passion and generosity were so appreciated!
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Contact us today!
Email Kelly Lyle, Education Program Director for the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC at woosleka@ucmail.uc.edu
Related Courses & Certificates
Contact Us
Osher Center for IntegrativeHealth
Medical Sciences Building Suite 4358
231 Albert Sabin Way
PO Box 670582
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0582
Mail Location: 0582
Phone: 513-558-2310
Email: osher.integtrative@uc.edu