Vision Statement
The Osher Center for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt is committed to creating an integrative health center that is focused on the patient, the practitioner and the healing environment. We care for ourselves and our center so that we can best serve our patients. We continually strive to provide transformative care guided by the individual’s journey and informed by continuous quality improvement. We hone and support relationships in all aspects of the health and healing process.
History of the Center
The Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health was established in 2005 through the generous vision of local philanthropists John and Stephanie Ingram. Officially opening its doors in January 2007 at 3401 West End in Nashville, the Center initially occupied 3,800 square feet. Under the leadership of Roy Elam, III MD, Tobi Fishel, PhD, and Jay Groves, EdD, MMHC, a foundation was built, as Dr. Fishel says, on deeply connecting with each individual's story, accompanying them on their healing journey, and fostering a sense of community. Dr. Elam's guiding principles, "every voice matters" and "you are enough," were even inscribed on the center’s subflooring, reminding both patients and colleagues that everything they need is already within them.
Endowed gifts from the Bernard Osher Foundation in 2014 and 2020, leading to the naming of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Vanderbilt, continue to be instrumental in efforts to assist patients on their healing journeys, to spread the practice of integrative medicine, and to reduce suffering. Vanderbilt's Osher Center also helped establish the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Medicine and Health, now a network of eleven centers in the United States and Sweden. The Osher Foundation is proof of the power of philanthropy to heal.
Reflecting its expanding reach, the Center underwent significant spatial growth, increasing from 3,800 square feet to 7,000 in 2011, and then to 15,000 square feet in 2017. The welcoming environment, characterized by curved walls, neutral tones, and abundant greenery, promotes a sense of calm and healing.
In 2015, the Osher Center joined the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a natural alignment given the shared goal of helping patients restore and maximize function and quality of life.
The enduring commitment and passion of everyone involved, past and present, continue to drive our mission: to provide relationship-centered care in a healing environment, utilizing an interdisciplinary, team-based approach to empower individuals to access their innate capacity for health and healing. We express our sincere gratitude to all who have contributed to our growth and development and look forward to the future.
Focus of our Clinical Care
The Osher Center at Vanderbilt is focused on delivering whole health to individuals seeking care beyond just physical disease by leveraging psychological health, health behaviors, physical activity, nutrition, relationships and community, spiritual practices, sleep/rest, and our environment. Our team delivers multimodal interdisciplinary care. After a in-depth integrative health consultation with a medical provider, the patient and team member create a personalized integrative treatment plan. Treatment modalities represented at our center include: acupuncture, biofeedback, health coaching, health psychology, mindfulness, hypnosis, physical therapy, therapeutic massage, and therapeutic movement (including Tai Chi and yoga).
Physical Location and Design
The Osher Center for Integrative Health is housed in the 3401 West End building, one mile from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) main campus. This 15,000 square foot space, a collaboration between Southeast Venture and VUMC's Office of Planning, incorporates natural elements and soothing tones to cultivate a calming atmosphere. In addition to offices and treatment rooms, the Osher Center features dedicated rooms for yoga, meditation, acupuncture, massage, and mind-body practices. The unique design reflects the Center's core philosophy: to integrate mind, body, and spirit for the well-being of patients, staff, and faculty alike. Here, your journey towards wellness is supported in an atmosphere that is calming and restorative.
The Osher Collaborative
The Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health comprises an international group of eleven academic health Centers funded by The Bernard Osher Foundation to study, teach, and practice integrative healthcare. The Osher Collaborative amplifies the collective impact of the eleven Osher Centers on health and well-being for all.
The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health
The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health (the Academic Consortium, or ACIMH) is the world’s most comprehensive community for advancing the practice of whole health, with leading expertise in research, clinical care, and education. By consolidating the top institutions in the integrative medicine space, all working in unison with a common goal, the Academic Consortium is the premier organizational home for champions of whole health.
