Brief Notes: Merrell/Martha Stewart, AANP/Benda, Quevedo/Duke, Benjamin/Humana, Patton/GHC, Abrams/Osher, plus ...
Personnel: Abrams/UCSF, Quevdo/Duke, Patton to Huff at GHC, May/Alternare
 UCSF-Osher's Donald Abrams, MD
The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine has announced that Donald Abrams, MD,
will be the integrative program's new director of clinical programs.
Abrams, who has been part of the Center's clinical group with 2004,
will maintain his position as chief of the hematology/oncology
division at San Francisco General Hospital and on the exec team of the
UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Care Committee. According to a release, Abrams, a leader in HIV-AIDS
research and care, completed the University of Arizona association
fellowship program in 2004. The UCSF notice on Abrams adds that he replaces integrative medicine
clinical leader Sylver Quevedo, MD, MPH, who "was tapped to head a department of integrative medicine at Duke University." ...
 Laura Patton, MD, leaving GHC
Laura Patton, MD, who has served as CAM services leader at Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative,
a staff-model HMO, is stepping down from the position after a decade of
work in responding to that state's "every category of provider" law.
Patton has frequently been a source of useful, experience-based
information, ensuring that others would have an opportunity to learn
from the Group Health's
experience. She worked closely with me and a local group of leaders to
share the very first utilization data - which showed that payer fears
of soaring utilization had tended toward paranoia. Patton participated
in numerous collaborative efforts in the region. She will be replaced
at Group Health by family practice doctor William Huff, MD who has been working at Seattle's leading integrative center, Seattle Healing Arts ... Also in the Seattle managed CAM scene, Robert May, ND, has transitioned out of Alternare Health Services following that network's purchase by American Whole Health Networks ...
IM on the Radio: Continuum/Martha Stewart, Benjamin/Humana, Levin/Henry Ford,
The pioneering integrative group in New York City at Continuum Center for Health and Healing has teamed with Martha Stewart Living Radio to produce two, hour-long shows via the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 112. According to an internet posting, one show, "From the Center," features Woodson Merrell, MD, and the other, "Healthy Kids," features Ben Kligler, MD, MPH. Both are hosted by the Center's co-founder Barbara Glickstein, RN, MPH, MS ...
 Humana's Sam Benjamin, MD
As part of his work with health system giant, Humana, long-time integrative medicine presence Sam Benjamin, MD,
the corporation's vice president for integrative services, has a weekly
program on integrative topics which airs in regions where the health
system has significant presences. The "Dr. Sam Show" airs for one to
two hours, weekly, in eight distinct markets ... Robert A. Levine, PhD, CHt, the co-director of complementary and integrative medicine program at Henry Ford Health System, has a regular integrative medicine show on WNZK in Southfield, Michigan ...
Associations - HerbDay, Acu without Borders, GMEF, AANP/Benda
The national HerbDay planned for October 14, 2006, is picking up steam and new sponsorships. A recent release from the planners, a consortium of five organizations with an interest in herbs and herbalism, notes that the Herb Society of America is a new sponsor, with an event scheduled for the US Botanic Gardens. Supplement companies General Nutrition Centers and Vitamin World have are sponsoring and two new academic institutions, Tai Sophia Institute and Western Carolina University are among the academic centers involved ...
Acupuncture without Borders (AWB), an organization which
provides services to individuals in areas hit by natural and other
disasters is continuing its strong presence in Louisiana following Katrina. The Integrator was first aware of this work through volunteer William Wulsin, ND, LAc, who flew down shortly after Katrina. AWB, which offers services in over 25 Louisiana venues, is in a funding push to continue its services, according to Diana Fried, MAc, MA, executive director. The
focus of care services is on stress reduction, typically using the
efficient NADA protocol to groups of seated, clothed patients ...
 New Orleans AWB client
Global Medicine Education Foundation Professional Training Program in Transformative Medicine
has announced sufficient interest to begin its first class in October.
Additional slots are open. The combination onsite/internet program,
featured in the first Integrator issue, distinguishes itself for its multi-disciplinary faculty and openness to students from diverse backgrounds. Most of the initial class are medical doctors. The full program is approved for 160 CME credits, with the October kick-off representing 40 of those ...
 Bill Benda, MD, building bridges
In a break with tradition, in not only their own profession, but for most guilds, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) has selected a medical doctor, Bill Benda, MD,
to serve on their board of directors. Benda, an ER doc with a long
involvement in seeking to create political cohesiveness between diverse
stakeholders in the CAM-IM space, chaired a panel at the AANP meeting
which included the presidents of the American Holistic Medical Association, and the American Holistic Nursing Association ...
Media: CAM Use in Washington State, Berman/Hospitals and Health Networks
A few interesting factoids on developments in Washington States were in a CAM-IM feature in the Bremerton Sun
("Acceptance is Growing for Nontraditional Health Care," August 13,
2006). The article notes that since 2000 the number of acupuncturists
and NDs in the  Chico Spa operator Cathy Rogers, ND
state has grown by by 50% and 70%, respectively. A Group Health Cooperative (GHC) spokesperson claims that CAM use among the HMO's members represents 6-8% of "use." Elizabeth
Gilje, president and CEO of KPS Health Plans, a GHC owned plan, is quoted as saying: "We have found a dramatic utilization of these
benefits since the first year it was implemented." Local practitioners Cathy Rogers, ND, a former academic dean at Bastyr University and former president of the AANP, who operates the Chico Water Cure Spa is featured. She states that "everything that has happened between (the 1970s) and now is due
to a small group of people who kind of wanted to rebirth the profession
and integrate it into the whole health scene" ... Brian Berman, MD, is the subject this issue of the regular CAM column by Sita Ananth, MD in the AHA publication Hospitals and Health Networks ...
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