The Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine unites the many voices in integrative health — from family doctors to psychologists, acupuncturists to nurses and every practitioner in between — to build bridges between professions and offer credible educational and certification programs for licensed healthcare providers. There’s a place for you, no matter your profession.
The Academy advocates for affordability and accessibility on behalf of patients and practitioners and builds leadership capacity in the next generation of caregivers. By combining science and compassion, we are transforming health and medical care.
The American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA) was founded to unite licensed medical doctors who practice holistic medicine and to provide a community for sharing, networking and collaborating. It is one of the oldest holistic medical organizations of its kind and many of today’s national leaders in holistic medicine like Dr. “Patch” Adams, Dr. Bernie Siegel and Dr. Christiane Northrup are or were members of the AHMA. In 2008, the AHMA opened membership to other licensed holistic practitioners including naturopathic physicians, acupuncturists, chiropractors massage therapists and others, and promoted the integration of conventional with complementary and alternative medicine. Today, the AHMA numbers over 800 members in 48 states and has local chapters in Minnesota, Michigan and Northeast Ohio.
Since its first meeting, the AHMA strove to create fellowship and collaboration among practitioners—bringing an understanding of how the mind, body and spirit all have a role to play in healing. In addition to bridging the gap between conventional and complementary and alternative medicine, the AHMA is uniting organizations within the holistic and integrative movement to grow and strengthen the collective voice and shift the paradigm from disease care to true health care.
In 1996, a group of AHMA members formed the American Board of Holistic Medicine, now known as the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine (ABIHM). Since 2000, the ABIHM has provided the only peer-reviewed, psychometrically validated board certification exam, exclusive to MD and DO physicians, in comprehensive integrative holistic medicine. The ABIHM exam set a critical standard: Nearly 3,000 MDs and DOs became ABIHM Diplomates.
The ABIHM Review Course, co-sponsored with the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, became an internationally recognized educational event, valued for its scholarly content and the fellowship enjoyed among the attendees. The board provided invaluable mentorship programs, published authoritative, evidence-based training materials and offered coursework online. Health seekers depended on ABIHM to connect with integrative MDs and DOs who practiced holistic medicine.
As the organization grew, so did its global network of interdisciplinary colleagues. Health professionals began an open dialogue about developing education and training beyond MDs and DOs. ABIHM leaders embraced a model of a team-based approach and collaborative care among providers and between disciplines. As the ABIHM evolved, the leaders of the ABIHM and AHMA, who have always been close, reconnected more meaningfully and envisioned a shared future as the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine. Please join us in our vision. There is no doubt, that together we can change and save lives. No gift is too small. Together we can create miracles. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine