Letter from the President October 2018

“ISH Partners with Saybrook University”

Dear Reader,

I am very pleased to announce that our Institute has signed a partnership agreement with Saybrook University of Oakland, CA, to offer courses leading to a master’s or PhD degree in Integrative Medicine. Classes will begin in the fall of 2019 with ISH providing the space for four-day Residential Conferences, where students meet and interact with their professors in person before doing most of their course work online and via video-conference. This course format means a student can stay employed while working towards his or her degree.

I learned about Saybrook when Shannon McLain, a current PhD student there, came to our Institute. Shannon wanted to teach mind-body skills to medical students in the Texas Medical Center. I thought, “Saybrook? An online university? How good can that be?” I asked Shannon to put her ideas in writing and to my surprise she returned with an outstanding proposal. I thought, “Wow, I have to find out more about Saybrook University.”

That week I went online and was so impressed with the courses offered that I immediately signed up for an overview course in Integrative Medicine. I wanted to see first-hand if Saybrook was as good as it appeared from my exposure to Shannon and her work. Because the four-day Residential Conference was held in Monterrey California, I had to fly there, but I loved the experience. The first day 50 students in my class gathered in a large room where the chairs were arranged in a large circle. This signaled that Saybrook was going to be a different academic experience. We were welcomed by Dr. Donald Moss, Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences, a man I instantly liked. He was knowledgeable and also very personable.

After sharing his own story, Dr. Moss invited each student to introduce him or herself and share something about why they enrolled in Saybrook. I was impressed by their stories and their enthusiasm at beginning their post-graduate education. When the last student had shared, Dr. Moss explained the importance of us having a daily self-care practice, talked about the power of the mind-body connection, and introduced the skill of “soft belly” breathing. He then led us in a twenty-minute meditation. I loved it and his was something I had never experienced in an academic setting in my past. But, I wondered what would the online experience be like?

The courses I have taken at Saybrook have all been academically challenging and rewarding. So far, I have taken courses in Mind-Body Medicine, Psychophysiology, Integrative & Complementary Medicine, Movement - Exercise, Yoga and Tai chi, Evidence-Based Coaching, Mindfulness and Meditation, and Biofeedback. Each week we have assigned readings from the medical literature and write essays on discussion questions provided by our professors. We also write responses to the essays of our fellow students. The faculty is available by email as needed. We meet with our professors in videoconferences two or three times during the eight-week course. We write a paper or design a poster - great ways to integrate course material.

My experience was so positive that I asked Dr. Moss if he thought it would be possible to have an extension of Saybrook University in Houston, offering our Institute as the site for the Residential Conferences. Dr. Moss took the offer to the President of Saybrook, Dr. Nathan Long, and I soon learned he was excited about the possibility. A Partnership Agreement was created and with our Board of Trustees’ approval I was instructed to sign the document.

I see this as an exciting opportunity for our Institute. We will extend an invitation to the 120,000 employees of the Texas Medical Center, as well as thousands of others throughout our region who may be interested in acquiring a degree in Integrative Medicine. I see this as an important step as health care moves further into preventative medicine. Physicians and institutions will be able to hire employees trained in integrative skills and offer these services to their patients and clients. This is an exciting opportunity for health care and I am delighted that in the fall of 2019 our Institute will partner with Saybrook University.

We will shortly begin spreading the good news.

John K. Graham
President and CEO – Institute for Spirituality and Health