by Emily Stembridge
The Bernard Osher Foundation has given an additional $2.1 million to the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt. This grant supplements the original endowment established in 2014 through the Bernard Osher Foundation’s leadership and commitment to holistic medicine.
“We are pleased to augment our endowment support for Vanderbilt’s Osher Center and wish our colleagues continued success with their important work in advancing the field of integrative medicine and in promoting health and well-being,” said Mary G.F. Bitterman, PhD, president of the Bernard Osher Foundation.
The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt, a part of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, provides whole-person care — focused on body, mind and spirit — in a healing environment with a cutting-edge approach to integrative medicine. The Osher Center integrates scientifically proven complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, mindfulness and yoga, into personalized treatment plans.
The recent grant is made in testament to the progress made at the Osher Center since its inception under the leadership of Roy Elam III, MD, former interim director Linda Manning, PhD, and current interim director Ruth Wolever, PhD, alongside Osher Center colleagues at Vanderbilt. As part of this philanthropy, $100,000 in current-use funds will immediately assist in advancing the Osher Center’s education and clinical service programs.
“We are so grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Osher and The Bernard Osher Foundation for their continued support of our relationship-centered work focused on whole person care. Because of their generosity and the steadfast support of Dr. Bitterman, we are able to expand our efforts in diversity, equity, inclusion and scholarship. We are honored by their trust and confidence in our program,” said Wolever.
The center’s most recent work includes expanding mind-body services like health coaching and mindfulness-based interventions.
Over the past 16 months, the Osher Center’s interdisciplinary team pivoted during the pandemic to provide telehealth services to patients, launch diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and recruit three new psychologists to keep up with patients’ needs.
“At the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt we have made great strides in advancing integrative medicine,” said David Kennedy, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. “This generous grant from The Bernard Osher Foundation is a tribute to the work we’ve done and will allow us to expand our research, education and clinical services in this arena. I am grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Osher and The Bernard Osher Foundation for their support and encouragement.”
