Osher Collaborative Education Small Grants

Crowd-sourcing innovative ideas to create and implement professional education projects to benefit the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health

Osher Collaborative Education Small Grants

The Coordinating Center of the Osher Collaborative for Integrative Health is launching an annual call for proposals for educational projects to be conducted by members of the Osher Collaborative. Successful proposals will (a) focus on health professions education, (b) benefit the Osher Collaborative community, and (c) align with the Osher Collaborative mission of advancing the field of integrative health. Up to four projects, ranging from $20,000 - $40,000, will be awarded for FY26.

We especially encourage applications from staff and junior faculty who do not have access to other educational funding resources. We encourage senior faculty to join projects as mentors and to use these funds to support leadership opportunities for junior colleagues.

The Open Proposals process provides an opportunity for everyone in the Osher Collaborative to engage in proposal development by commenting on project ideas to suggest improvements, ask clarifying questions, and/or indicate interest in participating. This open submission system provides a tangible way for all to contribute to new educational projects across our eleven Osher Centers.

Questions? Please contact Lisa Howard, Coordinating Center Manager, lisa.howard@ucsf.edu

For instructions on how to create an account, click here.

Read important information about this forum

Phase 1: Initial Submission of Project Ideas (January 15 - 29)

1. Submit a description of your project idea (one short paragraph, about 150 words).

2. Follow activity on the Open Proposals Forum and respond to comments on your proposal--and also provide comments on proposals submitted by others.

3. All project ideas will be considered for invitation to Phase 2.

Phase 2: Optimization (February 6 - 27)

By invitation, selected project teams will expand previously provided project ideas into a 1-page proposal, as well as a simple budget. (The budget will be uploaded separately for purposes of confidentyiality on the forum.) Project ideas should integrate feedback shared through the Open Proposal Forum.

Open Improvement (editing allowed)

Commenting is closed.

Project Ideas (16 total)

Displaying 1 - 10

Bridging Gaps: Improving Health Coach Integration and Learning in Interprofessional Clinical Settings

Submitted by Susan Whitman on January 29, 2025 - 11:13am Last revised by Susan Whitman on February 27, 2025 - 6:40am.

Project Idea Status:

Open

In today's evolving healthcare landscape, it is imperative for students in health programs to engage in interprofessional training and care. To address this need, we propose the development of interprofessional education materials designed to enhance the integration and educational experiences of health coaches, other health student learners, and professionals in clinical settings. Utilizing in-depth patient cases that require partnership across multiple healthcare professions, learners will practice collaborative techniques in whole-person care.

Modeling an Inclusive, Culturally Responsive Curriculum: Integrating Health Equity and Anti-Oppressive Frameworks into the Osher Faculty Fellowship

Submitted by Nicole Henderson on January 28, 2025 - 8:13pm Last revised by Nicole Henderson on February 28, 2025 - 12:49pm.

Project Idea Status:

Open

Project Lead: Nico Henderson (UCSF)
Key Team Members: Vinny Minichiello, MD (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Marliese Warren, MS (UCSF), Jenifer Matthews, MD (UCSF/CHO), Melinda Ring, MD (Northwestern), Anand Dhruva, MD (UCSF)

Consultants: Denise Connor, MD (UCSF), Elizabeth Walsh, PhD (Vanderbilt), Yvette Coulter (UCSF)

Impact of open-awareness practice preceding cadaveric dissection on student learning and well-being

Submitted by Heather Christensen (University of Cincinnati) on January 27, 2025 - 7:31pm Last revised by Heather Christensen on February 24, 2025 - 11:16am.

Project Idea Status:

Open

Project Leads: Heather Christensen

Key Osher Partners: Sian Cotton (Cincinnati)

Key Team Members: Caroline Gundler & Aaron Marshall

Integrating Nature/Earth RX Training and Delivery into Medical Education for Clinics, Campuses, and Communities

Submitted by David Victorson (Northwestern Univeristy ) on January 25, 2025 - 8:51am Last revised by David Victorson on January 28, 2025 - 9:50am.

Project Idea Status:

Open

Project Leads: David Victorson and Ann Vertovec (Northwestern)

Key Osher Partners: Christine Vatovec (Vermont), Aterah Nusrat and Peter Wayne (Harvard), Bruce Barrett (Wisconsin), Barbara Walker (Cincinnati), Stephanie Cheng (UCSF)

Project Summary:

This pilot funding will support the training and implementation of a virtual Nature/Earth RX program within integrative medical education. Building on foundational work completed by July 2025, medical trainees will be trained to deliver virtual Nature/Earth RX sessions to patients referred from Osher Collaborative clinics. An IRB-approved evaluation will assess program feasibility, patient engagement, and prescriber self-efficacy. This initiative aims to enhance medical education and clinician workflow while promoting health behaviors and environmental stewardship, with scalable benefits for patients and trainees alike.

Estimate of Total Budget Request: Between $20,000-$40,000

Modular Integrative Health Educational Curriculum: Phase 2 Deployment, Testing, Evaluation, and IH Specialties

Submitted by Sara Arscott (Osher Center for Integrative Health at UW-Madison) on January 24, 2025 - 1:39pm Last revised by Sara Arscott on March 4, 2025 - 7:57am.

Project Idea Status:

Open

Phase 2 Proposal:

Title: Modular Integrative Health Educational Curriculum: Phase 2 Deployment, Testing, Evaluation, and IH Specialties

Leads: Sara Arscott (University of Wisconsin - Madison), Lisa Howard (Osher Collaborative Coordinating Center)

Collaborators: (contributing authors and project support)

Yoga Therapy Rx: Creating a Dynamic Education Platform for Health Professionals

Submitted by Anisha Durve (University of Miami Osher) on January 23, 2025 - 12:26pm Last revised by Anisha Durve on February 26, 2025 - 6:11pm.

Project Idea Status:

Open

Our goal is to create a collaborative, online educational platform leveraging the expertise of 40+ Osher Yoga/Meditation team members across 10 USA centers.

This platform will teach MDs, medical students, and other health professionals about the science of yoga therapy and how to “prescribe” it safely using targeted techniques of meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, physical poses, or lifestyle practices.

An Innovative Touch: Piloting an internship to integrate massage therapists into modern healthcare settings

Submitted by Benjamin Smith (Huntsman Cancer Institute) on January 16, 2025 - 11:56am Last revised by Benjamin Smith on February 24, 2025 - 7:46am.

Project Idea Status:

Open

Project Title: An Innovative Touch: Piloting an Integrative Health Internship for Hands-On and Movement-Based Therapies

Whole Health Ambassador Teams (WHATs): Bringing Experiential and Systemic Training (BEST) to Medical Practice

Submitted by Andrew Ahn (HMS/BWH Osher Center for Integrative Health) on February 3, 2025 - 10:41am Last revised by Lisa Howard on February 6, 2025 - 3:47pm.

Project Idea Status:

Not Selected for This Round

The Whole Health Ambassador Teams Program transforms healthcare education through experiential learning and strategic knowledge dissemination. Despite strong evidence supporting integrative health practices, adoption remains limited due to provider unfamiliarity and lack of firsthand experience. This program strategically identifies and recruits healthcare "changemakers" across the HMS/MGB community - open to all members of the healthcare community, including physicians, nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, executives, MBAs, and support staff.

Creating and Implementing an Integrative Health Toolkit to Connect Medical Students with Integrative Medicine Opportunities

Submitted by Gabriella Danziger (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) on January 29, 2025 - 11:14am Last revised by Lisa Howard on February 6, 2025 - 3:47pm.

Project Idea Status:

Not Selected for This Round

Project Leads: Gabriella Danziger, Gabrielle Osher, Anna Haigh, Maya Frost, Dr. Melinda Ring, Dr. David Victorson (Northwestern University)

Brief Project Description, including Feasibility and Anticipated Impact:

Enhancing Education in Interpersonal Communication Using a Validated Tool

Submitted by Kate O'Farrell (University of Utah) on January 29, 2025 - 10:41am Last revised by Lisa Howard on February 6, 2025 - 3:50pm.

Project Idea Status:

Not Selected for This Round

Health professional education is rapidly changing with online learning and AI. Nonetheless, the foundation of healing rests on core skills in interpersonal communication that create a sacred space while also empowering patients. Assessment of these core skills are too often assessed subjectively without validated instruments. We proposed to iterate an already-validated health coaching assessment tool that has observable anchors for numerous competencies in interpersonal education.