The Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Vermont (UVM) has appointed Cara Feldman-Hunt its new Director, as Jon Porter, MD, retires after years of visionary leadership and dedicated service.

Cara Feldman-Hunt, MA, NBC-HWC, has a proven track record of fostering collaboration across disciplines throughout her career. Before joining UVM in 2015, she directed the Laura Mann Center, where she played a key role in advancing integrative healthcare in Vermont and connecting regional integrative practitioners with UVM and the UVM Health Network (UVMHN). She later helped establish UVM Integrative Health, a collaborative initiative among the Larner College of Medicine, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the UVM Medical Center. 

Through her role as Associate Director, Feldman-Hunt has helped shape UVM’s Osher Center since it was established by The Bernard Osher Foundation in 2022. Recent work includes:

  • Participants in the Osher Center’s Comprehensive Pain Program (CPP), the only integrative pain clinic in the U.S. covered by Medicaid, have seen a 70% reduction in emergency room visits one year post program completion.
  • Students in the Osher Center’s Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching program have a 100% pass rate on the National Board Exam and alumni are working across sectors in this rapidly growing field.
  • As one of only 11 Osher Centers (10 across the U.S., 1 in Sweden), UVM works with researchers, educators, clinicians, and leaders in Integrative Health, an active member of the Osher Collaborative.
Bernie Sanders, Cara Feldman-Hunt, Patricia Prelock
L to R: Carole Whitaker, Stephen M. Leffler, MD, UVMMC, Patricia Prelock, PhD, VT Senator Bernie Sanders, Cara Feldman-Hunt, MA, NBC-HWC, former LCOM Dean Rick Morin, MD, and Tracy Gaudet, MD, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs gathered in May 2015, after the Laura Mann Lecture Reconstructing Healthcare: From Problem Based Disease Care to Whole Person Health Care.

“Cara’s deep commitment to Integrative and Whole Health and her collaborative spirit make her the ideal leader to guide the Osher Center into its next phase,” said Mary Bitterman, president of The Bernard Osher Foundation. “Her perceptive leadership will continue to strengthen the Center’s role as a hub for whole health — connecting skilled practitioners, researchers, educators, and students across UVM and the UVM Health Network and to a global community of experts committed to improving health outcomes.” 

Feldman-Hunt holds a master’s degree from Columbia University, is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and is pursuing a Doctorate in Whole Health Leadership. She serves in national leadership roles, including on the Osher Collaborative Steering Committee and has just completed her three-year term of board service at the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health (ACMIH). Locally, she supports youth empowerment through her work on the board of The Strong Youth Foundation.

Jon Porter, MD, and Feldman-Hunt addressing members of the Osher Collaborative during the 2024 annual meeting.
Jon Porter, MD, and Feldman-Hunt addressing members of the Osher Collaborative during the 2024 annual meeting.

Porter’s legacy includes his role as founding Medical Director of the Comprehensive Pain Program (CPP), a nationally recognized transdisciplinary, integrative model of care. “We are truly grateful to Dr. Jon Porter for his foundational leadership and his tremendous work advancing integrative and Whole Health,” Bitterman said. Porter has been a highly respected member of the Osher Collaborative, and we shall miss his wise and sensitive guidance.”

As part of this transition, the Osher Center also welcomes UVM’s past Interim President, Patricia Prelock, PhD, to its Advisory Council. Prelock was instrumental in establishing the Osher Center at UVM and recently accepted a new role at the University of Arizona. Her continued involvement will help guide the Osher Center’s growth, and her visionary influence will remain a guiding force in its evolution and the connection between Osher Affiliates' work with experts across the field.

Langevin Prelock Feldman-Hunt sitting together at a meeting
When Osher Affiliates gathered to celebrate Patricia Prelock, PhD, (above, center) and wish her well as she begins her next chapter as Provost and Senior Vice President at University of Arizona, Helene Langevin, MD, (above left) Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), attended to celebrate Prelock's and Feldman-Hunt's impact and vision that the "future of healthcare must move beyond disease treatment towards whole health.”

Integrative, or whole, health is a comprehensive approach that addresses physical, psychological, spiritual, and environmental well-being. By empowering patients and combining evidence-informed conventional and complementary therapies—such as mindfulness, acupuncture, culinary medicine, and expressive arts—this model offers a transformative path forward for healthcare. Osher Affiliates conduct innovative research, provide patient-centered care, and educate learners at UVM and in the community.

Under Feldman-Hunt’s leadership, the Center will continue its mission modeling a transformative, equitable, whole health approach that promotes resilience, strengthens communities, and supports planetary health. The Osher Center will be the lead partner in See Change Sessions' Whole Health Track, convening global experts from across sectors for "A New Hope For Health Care: Prioritizing Prevention, Living Healthier, & Spending Wisely" from September 16-18. Learn more at seechangesessions.com/tracks/whole-health.html.