Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public: A Summary of the 2009 Summit, which was released today, offers a wealth of data and information that can be useful to media interested in following developments taking place in integrative medicine.

The document summarizes presentations and discussions that took place during the Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public convened by the Institute of Medicine on Feb. 25-27.  The summit brought together a range of health experts to discuss how integrative approaches to health care could lead to improved quality and value.

Topics explored included:

·         the importance of improving primary care and chronic disease care systems and increasing the focus on patient-centered care, prevention, and wellness

·         ways the reimbursement system influences what care is practiced and how

·         the effects of lifestyle and behavior on genes, health, and disease

·         how socio-economic factors and the environment influence health  

·         the education and training of health professionals and multidisciplinary team approaches to care

·         the importance of evidence-based medicine

The document presents the perspectives and ideas of many well-known experts in the fields of both conventional and integrative medicine and other areas, including:

·         Donald Berwick, M.D., president and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston

·         Carol Black, M.D., F.R.C.P., chair, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, London

·         Erminia Guarneri, M.D., founder and medical director, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, La Jolla, Calif.

·         George Halvorson, CEO, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif.

·         Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

·         Michael Johns, M.D., chancellor, Emory University, Atlanta

·         Richard Lifton, M.D., Ph.D., chair, department of genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.

·         William Novelli, former CEO, AARP, Washington, D.C.

·         Dean Ornish, M.D., founder and president, Preventive Medicine Research Institute, San Francisco

·         Mehmet Oz, M.D., vice chair and professor of surgery, Columbia University, New York City

·         Ralph Snyderman, M.D., chancellor emeritus, Duke University, Durham, N.C.

·         Ellen Stovall, president and CEO, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, Washington, D.C.

All statements and views in the summary are those of summit participants and should be attributed accordingly. The summary does not contain position statements or recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.  The report can be obtained online for free at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12668 (click on the "Download Free PDF" icon on left side of page).  Reporters who wish to obtain a print copy should contact the National Academies’ Office of News and Public Information, tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.