College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Interprofessional Health Sciences Concentration in Integrative Health

Our students are trained for careers as Integrative Health research scholars. The Integrative Health faculty employ a variety of methodologies in different clinically applied domains to investigate health outcomes through an integrative approach to medicine and health.

Integrative medicine and health "reinforces the practitioner-patient relationship, concentrates on the individual as a whole, is evidence-based, and employs all suitable therapeutic and lifestyle strategies, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to attain the best health and healing." (Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health, 2019).

Areas of Focus

Students pursuing this concentration can delve into Integrative Health topics including:

  • Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching
  • Integrative physical therapy/manual therapy
  • Integrative pain management
  • Health Equity in Integrative Health 
  • Planetary Health
  • Culinary Medicine
  • Behavior change
  • Integrative Oncology
  • Anxiety management strategies
  • Mindfulness
  • Nature therapy/forest bathing
  • Yoga

Requirements

Students collaborate with their research mentors and committee to design and fulfill three of the four mandatory Ph.D. research rotations in an accredited Integrative Health research environment, alongside their educational electives. This arrangement offers students the chance to delve deeply into various projects that are pertinent to contemporary Integrative Health theories and practices. As a participant in the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health (ACIMH), UVM Integrative Health encourages its students to engage actively in the Consortium's Research Working Group.

UVM interprofessional health sciences integrative health alum Alyssa Smith

Student Outcome Spotlight: Alyssa Smith, Ph.D.

Alyssa Smith chose UVM’s Interprofessional Health Sciences Ph.D. for its collaborative, real‑world focus. The program prepared her for a competitive postdoc at the University of Arizona, where she advances integrative health and wellness coaching for adults with disabilities.

Read more