When the Bernard Osher Foundation provided funding to create the new University of Washington Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, one of the stated goals was to provide education about integrative medicine. Working to build a community of Seattle-area integrative medicine practitioners, researchers, educators, and other interested parties may not have been a formal part of the Osher Foundation’s vision, but it is an essential aspect of the Center that the leadership of the UW Osher Center envisioned. So it isn’t surprising that the first formal event hosted by the Osher Foundation provided both educational and networking opportunities. Generously underwritten by the Cha Chi Ming Fund, on November 27, 2018, the Osher Center hosted a dinner and lecture for the Seattle integrative medicine community. Dr. Emily Wong, the founder of the Cha Chi Ming Fund traveled from Hong Kong for this inaugural event and was the featured speaker.
Over 50 representatives from across the Seattle healthcare community, including several departments at the University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hopsital, Bastyr University, Kaiser Permanente, Swedish Hospital, and Fred Hutch, as well as independent practitioners came together to listen to three lectures about different aspects of integrative medicine. The audience also included individuals who are not healthcare providers or researchers, but are interested in integrative medicine.
Dr. Emily Wong’s presentation on “Art and Healing” incorporated an experiential aspect into her presentation and spoke to the therapeutic and restorative properties the arts bring into our day-to-day lives. Dr. Lu Marchand, the Executive Director of the UW Osher Center provided an overview of the new Center and also spoke on Resiliency. And Dr. Iman Majd, the Director of Clinical Services for the Osher Center, provided a presentation on “Implementing Acupuncture in Primary Care”.
“This was a different type of event,” said Dr. Misbah Keen, the Associate Director for Education for the Osher Center. “I have gone to a lot of these types of events, and usually people leave as soon as the lectures are over, but many people stayed afterward. They wanted to connect with others interested in integrative medicine. It was a great evening.”
With the support of the Cha Chi Ming Fund, the Osher Center plans on this being an annual event. Look for a formal announcement of the next planned event for Fall 2019.
