The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has received full recognition from the American Board of Physician Specialties and the American Board of Integrative Medicine for the Integrative and Behavioral Medicine Fellowship program.
UTMB’s fellowship program was launched in 2015 and is part of UTMB’s Integrative Medicine curriculum that has been developed systematically over the past 15 years.
Integrative Medicine is the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing according to the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health.
The practice of IM evaluates all aspects of the patient’s health including their lifestyle, mind, body, spirit, and community.
“We are pleased that the ABOIM fully recognizes our new fellowship training program,” said Dr. Victor Sierpina the WD and Laura Nell Nicholson Family Professor of Integrative Medicine and professor of family medicine at UTMB who directs the program. “Our goal is to produce physicians who are knowledgeable in all aspects of wellness and approach patient care with a holistic and patient-centered perspective.”
Upon completion of the fellowship, the graduate will be qualified to sit for the ABOIM Integrative Medicine board examination and if successful, receive board certification.
Candidates for the fellowship must also have completed a Family Medicine residency training program, have a full unrestricted medical license to practice medicine in Texas, demonstrate a long-term interest in the study and practice of both Integrative Medicine and Behavioral Medicine. They must be certified in Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine or anticipate certification by the completion of the fellowship.
In addition to Sierpina, fellows are mentored by a team of UTMB faculty including Drs. Kyu Jana, Julie McKee, and Karen Welch. They bring expertise in Integrative Medicine applied to women’s health, integrative oncology, bio-behavioral medicine, geriatrics, nutrition, botanicals, acupuncture, and pain management.