Series Description

As a follow-up to our successful series on faculty and student wellness and resiliency and as a prelude to our annual meeting integrating nutrition and wellness education in teaching the health sciences, the 2018 Spring IAMSE Web Seminar Series focuses on specific examples of how schools have implemented programs to address these issues. The first session will feature presentations by Angela Cheung from the University of Toronto and Maryam Hamadi from Stanford who will describe the current status of physician nutrition, barriers to healthy eating by physician training and practice, and suggestions for awareness recognition of the importance of proper nutrition in the wellness of physicians. The second session will be presented by Nicholas Pennings from Campbell University who will highlight, from a practical standpoint, how a new osteopathic medical school implemented a longitudinal nutrition theme focused on obesity. The next session will be presented by Sian Cotton who will provide a detailed description of a highly successful center for the promotion of integrative health and wellness at the University of Cincinnati. The fourth session will be another paired presentation by John Yoon from the University of Chicago and Tania Jenkins from Temple who will highlight research focused on the moral and spiritual development of students over-time, conducted as part of the of the “Good Physician Project”. The series concludes with a presentation by Joe Shapiro from Beth Israel on promotion of student wellness using peer-support groups. This series will set the stage for our upcoming meeting and provide insight into implementation of these important curricular initiatives.

Webinar Description

This session will briefly review the problem of healthcare provider stress, high rates of burnout, and describe high-level multi-pronged interventions to address these critical issues. The session will focus on highlighting two successful programs currently underway at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine that constitute a preventive and educational approach to fostering well-being. One is the course in mind-body medicine, modeled after the program at Georgetown University School of Medicine, which is now underway in 7 of our 13 Colleges at UC. This effort is aimed at advancing student wellness and resilience by teaching students mind-body skills in supportive group formats that are facilitated by trained faculty. The second program to be described is the Turner Farm Student Wellness retreats, where inter-professional groups of healthcare students are exposed to concepts such as Food as Medicine, Mindfulness for Stress Reduction, and a hands-on teaching kitchen experience at a weekend retreat. Both program presentations will include information on development, outcomes, and sustainability plans to enable faculty and administrators at other schools to consider implementing or adapting.

Speaker

Sian Cotton, PhD
Director, Center for Integrative Health and Wellness, UC Health Integrative Medicine

Dr. Cotton is a Professor in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine and the Founding Director of the UC Center for Integrative Health and Wellness (CIHW) and UC Health Integrative Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. As a clinical health psychologist, Dr. Cotton has worked with children, adolescents and adults with a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions. In 2007, she was awarded a K23 career development award by the National Institutes of Health to examine the role of spiritual coping and health-related quality of life in adolescents with a chronic illness. Dr. Cotton’s research focuses primarily on mindfulness based interventions for improving wellness and integrative medicine practice-based research. The CIHW is a member of the international Teaching Kitchen Collaborative in collaboration with Turner Farm’s teaching kitchen, where Dr. Cotton conducts student and community wellness educational programs. She speaks regularly with community organizations, healthcare audiences, and academic groups about mind-body medicine for stress reduction, and preventive and wellness-based approaches to healthcare. Dr Cotton currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health.