GALVESTON, Texas - Dr. Victor Sierpina, a professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, will take part in a national symposium sponsored by the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C. to discuss how to improve the nation's health care system.
The two-day "Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public" begins Feb. 25 and is designed to advance the science and progress of integrative medicine in the U.S.
"It is imperative that we take a total look at our health care system and focus on how a patient-centered, integrated approach can have a positive impact," Sierpina said. "We must create a sustainable, fundable system of care that contributes to the health of every citizen. This system should adequately incentivize patients and health care providers to emphasize prevention, lifestyle modification and health promotion and not just disease care."
Topics at the summit will include patient-centered care, continuity of care, chronic disease prevention and management, the scientific basis for the elements of integrative medicine, economic implications and financing reform, and mind-body relationships and health.
Established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides independent, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector and the public.
At the request of the Obama transition team, Sierpina recently helped organize a local forum for UTMB students who made recommendations to President Obama's administration for changing health care procedures.
To learn more about the summit, visit www.iom.edu/integrativemedicine.