FEDERAL WAY, Wash., Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) announce their innovative collaboration on a broad range of educational and training activities for residents in the WMed Family Medicine – Battle Creek residency program.

“From 2017-2020, interest amongst medical students and residents to learn about functional medicine more than doubled,” states Robert Luby, MD, IFM Director of Medical Education Initiatives. “We have also seen increased demand from academic institutions to train and certify their faculty and to offer functional medicine education earlier in student and resident training programs to develop a more comprehensive approach to patient care.”

By learning functional medicine curriculum alongside academic programming, residents are better equipped to care for their patients with a functional medicine lens, increasing their overall confidence and competence as practitioners and improving patient outcomes.

“WMed prepares and equips Family Medicine residents to provide a lifetime of compassionate, comprehensive, culturally competent, and evidence-based clinical care to patients and their families,” shares Ramona Wallace, DO, assistant professor, WMed Department of Family and Community Medicine. “Not only does this partnership support WMed residents in building their foundational approach to patient care, it also creates accessibility for patients within a variety of diverse settings.”

Functional medicine and conventional medicine both play important roles in patient care. By seeking out root causes and treating them with evidence-based, clinically verified methods, a functional medicine approach — paired with conventional medical care — results in improved health outcomes, reduced costs over time, and a greater overall patient experience.

“In stewardship with partners like WMed, IFM is bringing functional medicine into a greater number of health care systems, clinics, academic medicine sites, and vulnerable and underserved communities, ensuring access to this critically important approach to patient care,” adds Amy R. Mack, MSES/MPA, IFM chief executive officer 

The current cohort of residents began July 1, 2023. To learn more about functional medicine within the academic setting, please email partnerships@ifm.org. To learn more about the WMed residency program, visit wmed.edu/FM-BC.

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About Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed)

We are committed to excellence and health equity through transformative medical education, high-quality, patient- and family-centered care, innovative research, and community partnerships within a just culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our vision is health equity for all in Southwest Michigan through innovation in the practice and study of medicine.

The medical school is a collaboration of Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo's two teaching health systems, Ascension Borgess and Bronson Healthcare. The medical school is a private nonprofit corporation supported by private gifts, clinical revenues, research activities, tuition, and endowment income. Building upon a $100 million foundational gift in 2011, WMed is a recipient of the Empowering Futures Gift, a philanthropic commitment of $300 million to support the mission of the medical school. WMed contributes to the economic vitality of Southwest Michigan through the services we provide as well as the creation of 1,600 new jobs and an annual estimated economic impact of $353 million in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties.

WMed is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Higher Learning Commission. The medical school offers a comprehensive, innovative four-year Doctor of Medicine degree program and two Master of Science degree programs in Biomedical Sciences and Medical Engineering. We train physicians in 10 residencies and five fellowships accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. To support our educational mission, we have Joint Accreditation for interprofessional continuing education, which incorporates accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

WMed Health is the clinical practice of the medical school with more than 300 providers offering comprehensive primary care and specialty services in several locations throughout Kalamazoo, Portage, and Battle Creek. The Department of Pathology faculty serve as the Office of the Medical Examiner for counties throughout Michigan and northern Indiana.

The W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus located in downtown Kalamazoo serves as the primary educational facility with faculty and administrative offices, student study and social spaces, team-based learning halls, a state-of-the-art Simulation Center accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, basic science research labs, as well as toxicology and forensic pathology labs.

WMed is building upon Kalamazoo’s century-long foundation of drug discovery and medical device development with a strategic investment in clinical, laboratory, community, and educational research. The Center for Immunobiology, Center for Clinical Research, Research Histology Lab, Innovation Center, and Human Research Protection Program contribute to the medical school’s advancement of knowledge through innovation and discovery.

About The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)

As the leading voice for functional medicine for more than 30 years, IFM is advancing the transformation of healthcare for patients and practitioners worldwide. IFM supports the confident and competent practice of functional medicine through high-quality education and certification programs; partnerships across medical disciplines; and advocating on behalf of functional medicine clinicians and patients around the globe. IFM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the only organization providing functional medicine certification along with educational programs directly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). For more information, please visit IFM.org.

About Functional Medicine

As a catalyst in the transformation of healthcare, functional medicine treats root causes of disease and restores healthy function through a personalized patient experience. From chronic illness to disease prevention, functional medicine systematically addresses the unique physical, mental, and emotional needs of all patients. By understanding each patient’s genetic, environmental, and lifestyle influences, functional medicine is a vital partner to conventional medicine that delivers transformative care to promote optimal health and well-being.

Alyssa Parker
The Institute for Functional Medicine
505.780.8716
media@ifm.org