Global Academy Institute for Integrative Medicine
at the State of the World Forum
Restoring the Soul to Healing: The Future of Integral Medicine
New York: September 6, 2000

The State of the World Forum 2000 requested the Global Academy Institute for Integrative Medicine to convene a panel to inform and generate dialogue about the future of integrative medicine, which brings together the best of Western allopathic medicine with traditional, alternative and complementary healing practices. The Institute invited leaders in the field of integrative and alternative medicine to explore the tenets that the restoration of the soul and the bond between the patient and the practitioner are two of the main foci of the emerging Integral Medicine Movement.

Moderator:
Richard Elion, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine
Panel:
Brian Berman, M. D., director, University of Maryland’s Complementary Health Clinic
Deepak Chopra, M.D., is an acknowledged leader in the field of mind body medicine
Jean Houston, Ph.D., co-director of the Foundation for Mind Research.
Woodson Merrell, M.D., director of Beth Israel Hospital’s Continuum Center for Healing and Health.
Robert Washington, Ph.D., executive director, William Wendt Center for Loss and Healing.

During this highly interactive dialogue, panelists and audience members addressed the way in which the merging of science, soul and community will create an ecology of healing that will truly shape the future of Integrative Medicine. During the session, participants, panelists and audience alike, discussed the following topics, and looked at their place in our healthcare system:
The interface between traditional and scientific medicines
Traditional healing systems
Energy medicine
The use of prayer and ritual in the healing process
The modern shaman
The role of the community in healing 
The patient/practitioner bond 
The soul and healing
The soulful healing model from the patient’s perspective 

Biographies of Panelists:
Brian Berman, M.D., is the founder and director of the University of Maryland’s Complementary Health Clinic. Dr. Berman is board certified in family medicine and pain management and has trained extensively in acupuncture, homeopathy, and other CAM therapeutic approaches. He is principal investigator or co-principal investigator on several large NIH and Department of Defense-funded randomized controlled trials in complementary medicine. Dr. Berman has participated extensively on boards advising the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine. He is a key figure in the integration of clinical research and evidenced based medicine.
Richard Elion, M.D., is an attending physician at George Washington University Hospital and an associate attending in clinical medicine at the GWU School of Medicine. Dr. Elion received his M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Elion is one of the founding members of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. Dr. Elion has conducted numerous studies on drugs that combat the AIDS virus.
Deepak Chopra, M.D., is trained in western medicine and is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is a best-selling author, international lecturer, and leader in the field of mind body medicine. Dr. Chopra promotes the integration of western medicine and science with natural healing traditions.
Jean Houston, Ph.D., is co-director of the Foundation for Mind Research and the author of Jump Time, the Possible Human, and A Passion for the Possible. Dr. Houston is a scholar and researcher in human capacities, and specializes in the development and application of multiple methods of increasing physical and mental skills, learning and creativity. She is the founder of the Mystery School, a program of cross-cultural mythic and spiritual studies. She was a protégé of the late anthropologist, Margaret Mead, and co-led seminars and workshops with mythologist Joseph Campbell. Dr. Houston has acted as advisor to UNICEF and past president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology.
Woodson Merrell, M.D., is director of the Continuum Center for Healing and Health. Dr. Merrell created this model Integrative Medicine program at New York’s Beth Israel Hospital, one of the world’s premier hospitals. He is assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, a certified acupuncturist and a physician who has incorporated into his practice modalities that include homeopathy, botanicals, nutritional therapies, and mind body techniques for the past 12 years.
Robert Washington, Ph.D., is executive director of the William Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, a Washington, D.C. based agency providing counseling, volunteer support, and training related to issues of grief and bereavement. Dr. Washington received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and is a former commissioner of Mental Health for the District of Columbia. Dr. Washington is currently enrolled in divinity school. He is co-infected with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C and utilizes the interface between psychology and spirituality as his primary focus of work as a healer and a patient. (top)