Is Your Integrative Medicine Fellowship Program Approved?

Integrative medicine is a healing-oriented medical specialty that focuses on the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle. The integrative medicine practitioner makes decisions about illness prevention and treatment based on medical evidence and uses all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare modalities, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.

Fellowship Approval Enables Physicians to Apply for ABOIM Certification

In the United States, the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS) is the only multi-specialty certifying board to offer integrative medicine board certification. Physicians who become certified through the American Board of Integrative Medicine® (ABOIM®), an ABPS Member Board, commit themselves to ongoing education and self-development and position themselves at the forefront of this evolving specialty.

To be eligible to apply for initial certification in integrative medicine, an applicant must first satisfy the general requirements of the ABPS, which include graduation from a recognized U.S., Canadian, or international allopathic or osteopathic college of medicine, and a valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the U.S., its territories, or Canada. In addition, an applicant must be an active integrative medicine specialist, and, as of January 1, 2023, all applicants must have completed an approved integrative medicine fellowship. Once certified by the ABOIM, physicians will have established themselves as leaders in integrative medicine. As Diplomates of the ABPS, a nationally recognized board, they will also have joined a community of physicians dedicated to advancing patient care while enjoying more career opportunities and increased mobility in the job market.

Advancing the Specialty: Integrative Medicine Fellowships & the ABOIM

Fellowship programs are integral to advancing the specialty, and as the field expands and deepens its critical role in mainstream healthcare, more educational programs at every level will be needed to meet the public’s interest and expectations.

In 2020, the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health assumed the role of approving integrative medicine fellowship programs that meet the high standards of the ABPS. The organizational home for 76 of the world’s most prestigious academic health centers and health systems with integrative medicine programs, the consortium sets and monitors the educational standards for the nation’s integrative medicine fellowships. Currently, the ABOIM recognizes 18 programs in nine states, as well as Washington, D.C.

Each approved Fellowship program in Integrative Medicine provides a minimum of 1000 hours of graduate medical education. Physician faculty must have current certification in the specialty or possess qualifications judged acceptable to the Academic Consortium Fellowship Review Committee and faculty must pursue CME credit to remain current in their emerging fields, consistent with the ABOIM recertification requirements.  A complete list of Fellowship Program Standards and a list of approved Fellowship Programs are available from the Academic Consortium.

ABPS Board Certification: A Mark of Distinction in the Medical Industry

ABPS boards, like the ABOIM, emphasize psychometrically evaluated testing in addition to advanced training, experience, and moral character. Our stringent requirements ensure that only the brightest and most dedicated physicians attain ABPS certification. Upon certification by the ABPS, they become part of a community of like-minded professionals nationally recognized for their achievements. ABPS-certified physicians work in esteemed institutions nationwide, spanning all 50 states, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. As members of a distinguished community of medical professionals, ABPS Diplomates share clinical experiences and best practices, while also enjoying abundant leadership opportunities.

Questions?  Want to discuss your program’s path to approval?  Contact the ABPS today.

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Patient Care Is Our Priority

Medical organizations throughout North America understand that our rigorous certification standards prove that ABPS Diplomates are capable of delivering the best patient care possible.

With declining access for maternity care amid rising maternal mortality, ABPS and their Board Certification in Family Medicine Obstetrics has been essential for me and many of my colleagues in getting privileges and thereby creating local access for mothers and their children.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
John B. Waits, MD
Family Medicine Obstetrics
Board certification through the American Board of Physician Specialties has served to substantiate my interest and additional training in several fields of medicine including Internal Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Administrative Medicine. As a result, I have been able to serve my community in clinical, disaster response, and administrative medicine roles. Through the ABPS, I have become recognized as a leader in my various fields of interest.

Spencer Price MD, MPH, MBA
Administrative Medicine
In this era, when continuous updated medical knowledge means so much to you, when quality of emergency care matters most to you ,when you need to excel in your medical career to continue providing exceptional service to your critically ill patients, please consider board certification with the Boad of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). Where your knowledge & expertise translates to credentialing & certification with wider approval & recognition every day at many fronts. We Welcome you to join our team for a brighter future of our emergency healthcare where dedication to profession relies not solely on clinical practice but also on sound academic certification.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashraf A. Gerges, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
Board certification in Orthopedic Surgery through the American Board of Physician Specialties validated my training and surgical experience through a process that was both rigorous and respectful of real-world practice. ABPS recognizes clinical competence, not just credentials, and that sets it apart.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Orthopedic Surgery
The American Board of Physician Specialties is a forward- thinking organization that focuses on where Medicine is going, not just where it has been. Traditional Certification Boards like Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Dermatology are represented as are Integrative Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Family Medicine-Obstetrics. Physicians appreciate the ability to showcase their skills and knowledge through Board Certification, and this organization allows excellent physicians the ability to bring their skills to patients. The dedication and commitment of this organization and its volunteers will ensure ongoing distinction and commitment for decades to come.

Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Dermatology
Serving as a member on the American board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) for many years and now serving as a Member at Large of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) has been an enriching and rewarding experience. The board’s commitment to excellence, integrity, and positive impact is truly inspiring. I am grateful to collaborate with such a dedicated and visionary group, and I am proud of the meaningful progress we continue to achieve together.

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Integrative Medicine
There are many ways board certification advances a physician career. ABPS Board examination verifies your accuracy, precision, and reflects your mastery of your residency training verifying your expertise. ABPS Board certification demonstrates your level of expertise beyond your practice experience, primary education degrees, and training which are necessary for insurance reimbursement and practice privilege requirements. Attaining your ABPS Board Certification will clarify your purpose, secure your practice growth, and expand into leadership positions. Board certification can serve as an indication of a physician’s commitment to medicine, beyond the minimal standards and competency of training, their measurement to quality of care, and attaining an award for excellence.

Chris Kunis MD
Internal Medicine
When the American Board of Physician Specialties offered to host the American Board of Integrative Medicine, ABPS became a landmark organization working to move medicine into the twenty first century. Certifying physicians who have completed rigorous academic training in Integrative Medicine ensures that the field of Integrative Medicine will continue to develop academically, clinically, and professionally. The leadership of ABPS continues to impress me - they are diligent in constantly innovating to provide certifications for physicians who want to advance their careers and their areas of expertise. I am honored to be a part of this organization.

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD
Integrative Medicine
On October 18, 2007, President George W. Bush released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), calling on our nation, among other initiatives, to “collectively support and facilitate the establishment of a discipline of disaster health”. It is a great testament to the wisdom and foresight of the American Board of Physician Specialties that it immediately set to work and created, within the short span of only one year, an educational blueprint and set of certification examinations, both written and oral, for a new subspecialty of disaster medicine—and it is why I chose to be part this vital initiative and this wonderful organization. This is but one of the many innovative programs initiated by the American Board of Physician Specialties over the years, and why I am proud to support its work on behalf of our nation’s public health.

Art Cooper, MD
Disaster Medicine
Far too often, medicine is led by less than 5% of non-practicing physicians taking away and replacing the voice of the 95% of physicians practicing and placing patient safety and care first on the front lines every day. The American Board of Physician Specialties has raised the standards in physician board certification not only in the quality of their boards of certification, but in hearing and allowing for the voice of those active physicians caring directly for patients. Having been a part of the ABPS over the last 28 years has allowed me to grow as a woman leader in a field often wrought with challenges. It helped me and others raise the bar of the standards of care in my specialty, Emergency Medicine, through their Board Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). ABPS also helped raise the standards of care for 21st century medicine through their certifications in other specialties, particularly in Integrative Medicine & Disaster Medicine. Having physician voices heard matters to medicine and is essential in the betterment of patient safety and care.

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine