Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Network Forum
The continued support from the Weil Foundation for the Osher Center helps to bring together integrative medicine researchers, educators and clinicians to promote collaboration and also to encourage cross-institutional projects and initiatives in the field. The 2020 Integrative Medicine Network Forum: Learning Horizontally and Vertically: Building Networks Within and Between Healthcare Professions was held on November 6th.
This virtual forum promoted integration between medical education, research and clinical innovation via three main themes: resiliency, interprofessional education and diversity, equity and inclusion. These three interconnected themes are critical to the education mission at the Osher Center, and can profoundly shape all aspects of the emerging field of IM. Participants looked at the epidemic of healthcare provider burnout, reviewed the need for individual and systems-based approaches to promote well-being and resilience, and understood how provider resiliency and IM education directly affects patient care. Focus was placed on the importance of interprofessional education in healthcare professions that include conventional providers (e.g. physicians, nurses, psychologists, physical therapists) and complementary/integrative healthcare providers (e.g. chiropractors, acupuncturists, mind-body instructors). Dialogues were engaged in that focused on how understandings of diversity, equity, and inclusion within IM contribute to creativity in research, innovation in education, and overall improved quality of care.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
chair Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, a healing oriented approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit.Richard Baxter
secretary & treasurer/vice-chair As the business manager and partner of Andrew Weil, M.D. since 1999, Richard Baxter has been a leader in the development and growth of the Weil business enterprise which includes Weil Lifestyle, LLC, the Weil Foundation, the award-winning website DrWeil.com and the healthy lifestyle restaurants of True Food Kitchen.As an entrepreneur and creator of sound business partnerships, Richard has been highly influential in the success of the renowned Weil brand.
Prior to joining Dr. Weil, Mr. Baxter was and still remains the president of the Executive Consulting Group. From 1984 to 1999, he provided management consulting services for the growth and profitability of over 300 companies. Earlier in his career Mr. Baxter was a professional tennis coach and manager in the sporting industry.
Mr. Baxter currently serves on the boards of Weil Lifestyle, LLC and the Weil Foundation. He is also a past president of the Southern Arizona Tennis Association and has served on the Board of the Southwestern Tennis Association.
He is a graduate of a specially-designed mini-MBA program conducted at Darden Business School of the University of Virginia.
Mr. Baxter currently resides with his family in Tucson, Arizona.
Humberto S. Lopez
Humberto LopezPracticed as Certified Public Accountant for almost six years with the Accounting firm of Deloitte, Haskins & Sells in Los Angeles, California, developing an expertise in real estate. Since 1973, he has syndicated approximately 100 limited partnerships acquiring and disposing of in excess of $1,000,000,000 in real estate. He has owned and operated in excess of 18,000 apartments; 500,000 ft. of shopping centers; 5 hotels totaling 948 rooms; approximately 850,000 square feet of office buildings; a golf course and in excess of 2,000 acres of land and has converted in excess of 700 apartments into condominiums.
In addition to the real estate investments, other significant investments include a national mail order company located in Cleveland, Ohio, a bank holding company, contact lens manufacturer, both located in Phoenix, Arizona and an auto dealership located in Santa Barbara, California.
Daria Myers
Daria Myers , is Senior Vice President, Global Innovation and Sustainability, for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.,A position she has held since February, 2009. Ms. Myers oversees the Company’s global innovation initiatives and is also responsible for implementing environmental sustainability and social responsibility efforts through brands, global affiliates, facilities, and corporate departments.
Ms. Myers is a proven leader in innovation, with more than 30 years experience in the Company. Prior to her current role, Ms. Myers was Global President of Origins, where she co-founded the brand and led the launch of the groundbreaking Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins and Origins Organic collections.
Other positions within the Company included senior management roles at Aveda, co-founder of BeautyBank and time with Aramis, where she was responsible for the introduction of several initiatives, including Lab Series Skincare for Men.
A summa cum laude graduate of Hunter College in New York, Ms. Myers holds a B.A. Degree in French and Italian Literature. She is a member of both the Fashion Group International and Cosmetics Executive Women. She has developed programs to raise funds for several not-for-profit initiatives, including Project Sunshine, which provides free services and programs to children living with medical challenges, on whose board she sits as a Director, and the Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer, in the Division of Pediatrics Oncology at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She is also a Director on the board of The Weil Foundation, which supports the advancement of integrative medicine through training, research, education and policy reform.
Adele Simmons, PhD
Adele Simmons is a senior executive at Metropolis Strategies where she focuses on environmental and sustainability issues, and provided leadership for the 2009 Burnham Plan Centennial.She was co-chair of the Task Force that developed a Climate Action Plan for the city of Chicago, and is a member of the Green Ribbon Committee. She served as a co-chair of the Council on Global Affairs study group on Chicago’s global future.
Mrs. Simmons was President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for a decade, overseeing grants of over $175 million a year, including an annual $25 million program for Chicago. The foundation’s international programs focus on the environment, population, international peace and security, understanding inequality within and among nations and climate change.
Mrs. Simmons is currently on the Board of Marsh and McLennan Companies, and a number of non-profit organizations, including the Field Museum, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Economic Club of Chicago, Demos and The American Prospect, the Synergos Institute, the Weil Foundation, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. She served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Redesign Initiative.
She served on President Carter’s Commission on World Hunger and President Bush’s Commission on Sustainable Development and was a member of the Commission on Global Governance as well as the UN High Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development. Before joining the MacArthur Foundation, Mrs. Simmons was President of Hampshire College, Dean of Students and Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University.
Diana Weil
Diana Weil is a Certified Nutrition Specialist who holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health.With her thriving private practice and extensive experience working with clients worldwide, she is dedicated to optimizing nutrition for thousands of individuals. One of Diana’s primary goals is to assist people in establishing a healthy relationship with food. Additionally, she is a Certified Integrative and Holistic Health Coach. This multifaceted background enables her to take a holistic view of her clients’ health, considering factors such as lifestyle, stress, and emotional well-being alongside dietary considerations. By addressing the interconnectedness of these elements, Diana empowers her clients to achieve long-lasting transformations and a profound sense of vitality.
Diana’s lifelong immersion in the world of integrative health and nutrition can be attributed to her upbringing as the daughter of renowned Dr. Andrew Weil. Growing up in a household where health and well-being were at the forefront, she absorbed invaluable knowledge and insights from her father, fueling her own desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Today, she continues to honor her family legacy by dedicating herself wholeheartedly to her clients and staying at the forefront of advancements in nutrition science.
Beyond her private practice, Diana collaborates with numerous corporations to develop nutritious recipes and impart her knowledge on fostering positive and wholesome conversations around food and nutrition. By combining her culinary creativity with her in-depth understanding of nutrition, she strives to create meals that not only nourish the body but also delight the taste buds.
Diana Weil’s unwavering dedication to nutrition and promoting integrative health has made her a trusted voice in this space. With her vast knowledge, compassionate approach, and profound commitment to her clients’ success, she continues to inspire individuals to take charge of their health and embark on transformative journeys toward a vibrant and more nourished life.
Donald Abrams, M.D.
executive director Donald I. Abrams, M.D., is the past chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, an integrative oncologist at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.After completing his integrative medicine fellowship at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. Abrams has been providing integrative oncology consultations to people living with and beyond cancer since 2005. His integrative oncology interests are in nutrition and cancer, medicinal mushrooms, Traditional Chinese Medicine interventions and cannabis in cancer care.
He co-edited the Oxford University Press textbook Integrative Oncology with Andrew Weil. He served for 13 years as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query Integrative, Alternative and Complementary Medicine (NCI PDQ® IACT) Editorial Board.
Dr. Abrams was President of the Society for Integrative Oncology in 2010 and continues active as the co-chair of the Council of Past Presidents. He has been a member of the Weil Foundation Board of Directors since 2008.
James Dalen, MD, MPH
executive director emeritus A graduate of Washington State University, Dr. Dalen received his MD from the University of Washington. He has graduate degrees in psychology from Michigan and Public Health from Harvard.He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Boston City Hospital and the New England Medical Center. After a fellowship in Cardiology at Harvard’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, he was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School from 1967-1975, where he was Associate Professor of Medicine.
From 1975 to 1988, he was at the University of Massachusetts where he served as Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine (1975-1977) and then Chairman of Medicine (1977-88). From 1986 to 1987 he served as Interim Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Worcester.
Dr. Dalen has been a member of the University of Arizona faculty since 1988. He served as Dean of the College of Medicine from 1988 to 2001, and Vice President for Health Sciences from 1995 to 2001. During his tenure as Dean and Vice President, the College of Public Health, The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and the Arizona Telemedicine Program were established. Successful fund raising led to the establishment of new research facilities including the Children’s Research Center, The Sarver Heart Center, The Arizona Arthritis Center and a major expansion of the Arizona Cancer Center.
Currently he is Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Public Health, and teaches in the colleges of Medicine and Public Health. In addition, he is Executive Director Emeritus of the Weil Foundation which supports education in Integrative Medicine.
From 1988 until 2004 he was Editor of the Archives of Internal Medicine and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Dalen established and served as Co-Chairman for the ACCP Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic Therapy, which has resulted in the publication of eight CHEST Supplements since 1986. He is the author or co-author of more than 350 publications in medical literature as well as eleven books and monographs.
He has served as President of the American College of Chest Physicians, President of the New England Cardiovascular Society, and Governor of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physicians.
He has received many teaching awards. In 1987 he received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the University of Massachusetts. In 1988 he was named the University of Washington Distinguished Medical Alumnus of the Year and received the Alumni Achievement Award from Washington State University. In 2000 he received the College Medal from the American College of Chest Physicians and was named a Master Fellow of the college. In 2010 he was awarded the Harvard School of Public Health’s highest honor for its alumni: the 2010 Alumni Award of merit.