Osher Collaborative Education Small Grants

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

Project Ideas on Open

Project Ideas (7 total)

Displaying 1 - 7

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

Project Idea Status: 

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

Project Idea Status: 

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

Project Idea Status: 

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

Project Idea Status: 

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

Project Idea Status: 

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

Project Idea Status: 

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

Project Idea Status: 

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