About Osher Center for Integrative Health
At the Osher Center, we are committed to delivering high-quality care to the individuals we serve within our health system. We actively collaborate with specialist colleagues across our organization to expand access to integrative health care. We have increased our capacity to partner with non-health care entities within our university and throughout our broader community to explore innovative ways not only to treat disease, but also to understand and nurture the origins of health. We strive to be leaders in the next phase of integrative health: salutogenic science. While much work remains, we move forward using the same principles that integrative health practitioners use to support healing in individuals — listening deeply, seeking to understand common goals, and reflecting on how best to be of service in support of health and healing.
History
The integrative health program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was founded in 2001 by Dr. David Rakel. What started as a small consultative practice with some massage therapy offerings and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program has grown to become one of the nation’s notable integrative health programs. As part of a generous gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation, our program became one of 11 academic integrative health institutions in the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health. Our growing success as a program with strong clinical, educational, and research components led to our designation as an official multidisciplinary center within the University of Wisconsin in 2022.
Mission
The Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Wisconsin–Madison, through the principles of integrative health and participatory medicine in our compassionate care, education, and research, supports the individuals, health care system, and communities we serve on the path to their greatest well-being. We strive to be a trusted academic and clinical resource for compassionate, innovative, and evidence-based services to achieve whole-person and whole-community health for all.
Center Leadership
Faculty, Clinicians, and Staff
Collaborations
The Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health is an international group of 11 academic health centers funded by the Bernard Osher Foundation to study, teach, and practice integrative health care. The Osher Collaborative amplifies the impact of each member’s work, advancing whole-person care. We work with the collaborative on multi-site grant applications and quality improvement of health care modalities. Center members meet regularly to share best practices and create efficiencies.
Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health
The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health is the world’s most comprehensive community for advancing the practice of whole health, with leading expertise in research, clinical care, and education. We have many faculty, staff, and learners that attend the consortium’s international conference to present plenary and poster sessions.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health is the federal government’s lead agency for scientific research on complementary and integrative health approaches. Its mission is to determine, through rigorous scientific investigation, the fundamental science, usefulness, and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and health care.
Make a Difference
A gift to the Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Wisconsin—Madison ensures our continued ability to offer compassionate treatments, wellness programs, and resources that support the health of our community.
Contact the Osher Center
The Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health amplifies the collective impact of the 11 Osher Centers on health and well-being for all.