Clinical Fellowship in Integrative Medicine

The ideal candidate has:

• Successfully completed training in an ACGME-accredited residency program in family medicine or internal medicine and will become board-eligible/certified in their primary specialty following residency
• A strong passion for the field of integrative medicine and health
• An ability and interest in working with and through teams
• A demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning so as to stay abreast of an emerging and rapidly changing medical field
• A desire to serve as a leader in integrative medicine
• An interest in improving access to integrative medicine to all patients
• The ability to speak basic to intermediate medical Spanish, or a plan to take language courses prior starting the fellowship
• Pursued interest in this field as demonstrated by:
  • Attending of presenting at regional or national integrative medicine conferences
  • Pursuing research, other educational endeavor, or personal or professional activities related to integrative medicine
  • Exhibiting clear and balanced personal and emotional strength, and the ability for self-reflection and personal growth
• Participated in the Osher Center's two-to-four-week integrative medicine elective or a similar training in the year prior to starting fellowship, and completed core integrative medicine readings before starting at the Osher Center

The program has a strong mission to develop clinicians with the knowledge and skills to:

• Practice integrative medicine primary care and consults, whether in an academic setting, community clinic or private practice
• Formulate and implement integrative health strategies for medically underserved patients
• Develop strong partnerships with patients to support them on their personal health journey
• Serve as leaders in integrative healthcare
• Educate students and colleagues in the basic principles and practices of integrative medicine
• Function within an academic medicine setting through collaborative clinical care, teaching and/or research 
• Collaborate on clinical research in integrative medicine to advance the evidence base
• Engage in initiatives to advance integrative health in underserved communities and through public health work

Our integrative medicine fellowship provides comprehensive training to the graduating fellows through the unique and distinctive combination of:

• In-depth grounding in integrative healthcare philosophy and practice through a curriculum developed and taught by faculty across the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health
• Clinical training in integrative and functional medicine at the Osher Center for Integrative Health, one of the leading academic integrative medicine centers
• Opportunities for engagement and shared learning with the sister Osher Centers at UCSF, Vanderbilt, Harvard and University of Washington

The curriculum and milestones will follow the 2014 published proposed competencies for IM fellowships. Upon successful completion of training, fellows will be eligible to sit for the American Board of Integrative Medicine through ABPS.

Fellows participate in built around healing approaches and clinical topics. Fellows are adult learners and encouraged to tailor their experiences to their personal interests.

The clinical fellowship begins in PGY-4 year. The PGY-4 and PGY-5 schedule is balanced between clinical and protected time for academic and self-care pursuits.

It is expected that Osher Center for Integrative Health fellows will:

• See patients for integrative medicine consults at the Osher Center for Integrative Health; as part of the Osher clinical team, fellows interact both formally and informally with the clinic's faculty, providers and staff
• Develop a primary care practice and expand integrative and lifestyle offerings in an underserved community at an affiliated federally qualified health center, part of the Erie Family Health Centers
• Participate in the Osher Collaborative fellowship curriculum
• Engage in the monthly Faculty Fellowship in Integrative Medicine program
• Become familiar with functional medicine evaluations as part of an integrative medicine assessment
• Become board-certified in integrative medicine through the ABOIM upon completion of fellowship
• Attend and participate in Osher Center for Integrative Health grand rounds, team meetings and research meetings
• Engage with the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health as part of Northwestern’s institutional membership
• Have flexibility to focus on other academic interests and self-care
• Participate in curricular and research projects; academic productivity is encouraged and expected, such as preparing or lecturing on Integrative Medicine topics; developing and implementing new course curricula or education initiatives; working on peer-reviewed performance improvement, quality assurance/quality improvement or education research; preparing articles, book chapters, abstracts or case reports for publication in peer-reviewed journals; assisting with funding/grant preparation; preparing and presenting peer-reviewed abstracts at regional or national specialty meetings; and participating with faculty in the initiation, conduct and/or analysis of clinical trials

Fellows are paid a competitive PGY-4 and PGY-5 salary with standard benefits per Northwestern University. Education support includes coverage for attendance at mutually agreed upon continuing education conferences and meetings to support the fellowship training. Completion of a functional medicine introductory training is a required component of the fellowship.

The clinical fellowship is a two-year training, running from July, 2022 - June, 2024. Year 1 clinical time will be divided between the Osher clinic conducting integrative consults, and an affiliated community health clinic, providing primary care, with the goal of incorporating integrative practices to meet the needs of patients from at-risk populations.  Year 2 clinical time will be fully devoted to integrative consults in the Osher Clinic.  Didactics will occur weekly via Zoom with a cohort of fellows from across the Osher Collaborative Fellowship program.

Please note: Residents in Northwestern University family medicine and internal medicine residencies are given priority in the selection for this fellowship.  ONLY graduates of a residency in family medicine or internal medicine are eligible; exceptions cannot be made, due to the demographics of the patients seen during the clinical training. Physicians with training in other specialties such as pediatrics, PMR, OB-Gyn should not apply, though we encourage you to seek other opportunities to further your integrative medicine training.

Please send the following information to Melinda Ring, MD, FACP, ABOIM (mring@nm.org), for consideration as a future Osher Center for Integrative Health Northwestern fellow.

Application Components

Applicants who meet the program requirements and seem like an appropriate fit will be invited first for a Zoom meeting with the director, and then meetings with additional Osher faculty/staff. Due to the pandemic, in person interviews are not required.