Institute for the Study of Integrative Healthcare

Directory
Institute for the Study of Integrative Healthcare

What We Do

The Institute provides many opportunities for students to collaborate and participate in professional research and strong partnerships with healthcare providers in the community.

integrativehealthcare@utica.edu

Department Type

Center or Institute

Made possible through the largest single gift for endowment in the University's history, the anonymous donors sought to invest in Utica University's longstanding record of innovation and responsiveness to the changing landscape of the healthcare delivery system.

The Institute for the Study of Integrative Healthcare provides many opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate in professional research, as well as establish strong partnerships with healthcare providers in the community.

Integrative healthcare acknowledges the varied strategies that individuals choose to keep themselves healthy, including a broad range of evidence-based strategies and cultural and traditional health practices. In short, it is treating the ‘whole’ patient.

Through the Institute, student and faculty researchers learn more about healthcare strategies that may be common to other cultures and traditions (acupuncture, for example), so that they can be integrated into the paradigm of what it means to be healthy. These methods become particularly important in providing healthcare for immigrant and refugee populations and are increasingly sought by the larger population.

The Institute will leverage technology to connect faculty, community members and students to examine the relationship between integrative healthcare, patient health and professional practice. Students in graduate programs such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing and healthcare administration as well as undergraduate programs such as psychology, communication and media, and dietetics and nutrition (to name a few) will engage in meaningful experiences related to their fields of study. Faculty associated with the Institute will take a cross-disciplinary approach to their study to directly prepare students for their intended careers.

Learn More and Register for the Integrative Healthcare Conference

"Community Health and Healing"
September 10, 2022
Conference at Utica University

Learn More

Students will benefit from the opportunities provided by the Institute to apply their knowledge in meaningful and relevant ways at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Institute faculty will be charged with connecting their research from the Institute to their teaching with student experiences so that students engage in meaningful ways with their curricula, which will be a means to enhance persistence to graduation.

Advisory Council for The Institute for the Study of Integrative Healthcare

Mary Siniscarco, Associate Professor of Health Sciences, President
Maria DeGiglio, Professor of Practice, Business and Economics, and Director, Healthcare Management Programs, Vice President
Helen Blouet, Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department, Secretary
Sharon Kanfoush (Sharon Kanfoush Wellness, LLC, and Professor of Geology), Member-at-Large
Cynthia Love-Williams, Associate Professor of Nursing, Member-at-Large
Dave Roberts, Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Psychology-Child Life, Member-at-Large
Jenni Barlow-Gagnon, Senior Vice President, Behavioral Health Services, Upstate Cerebral Palsy
Jeremy Earl, Senior Vice President, Education Services, Upstate Cerebral Palsy
Daniel Kuckel, MD, Family Physician, Naval Hospital Jacksonville, FL
Sherine Lazarow, Executive Director, Academic Operations, MVHS
William “Tony” Mandour, MD, Reflexologist, Omni Balance Life Center, Naples, FL
John Milligan, CEO, Upstate Family Health Center, Inc.
Kenneth Visalli, Jr., DO, Slocum-Dickson Medical Group, P.L.L.C.
Mary Zielinski, Vice President, Medical Group Operations, MVHS.

Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Co-principal investigators are Michael Kowalski, A.P., 5 Element Institute, Jacksonville, FL; Paul Mongan, MD, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL, and Cynthia Love-Williams, RN, DNS, Utica University. This study will measure the effectiveness of “usual care” for chronic neck pain, compared with usual care plus acupuncture for chronic neck pain. The research hypothesis is that combining acupuncture with usual care will show a clinically relevant increase in the effectiveness of the integrated therapies, compared with usual care alone. This study will also measure the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic neck pain. The hypothesis is that in economic evaluation terms, integrating acupuncture with usual care will not create significant overall costs, relative to the benefits which study patients obtain.

Children, Families, and Integrative Healthcare Practices. Co-principal investigators are Patrice Hallock, Ph.D., Nicole Scienza, Ph.D. (Psychology-Child Life) and Laurah Klepinger, Ph.D. (Anthropology). The goal of this work is to positively impact child health and family well-being by raising awareness of and teaching others about integrative healthcare practices. Families may engage in practices such as yoga and mindfulness already but may not report them to their child care providers and/or healthcare providers because they may not be deemed important. The curriculum and training aimed at families will help families to recognize the importance of their integrative healthcare practices and why they should share these practices with their child care and healthcare providers. Researchers will measure the impact of this training for research purposes. This specific project is aimed at improving the health outcomes of families and young children in Central New York.

Cross-Cultural Study of Herbal Remedy Use. Co-principal investigators are Lucia Corriette, DPT (Physical Therapy), Patrice Hallock, Ph.D., and Maryam Hashemian, M.D., Ph.D. (Biology). Researchers are interested in how herbal remedies are used across cultures and the experience of those who seek herbal remedies, especially among those with cancer and neuro-muscular diagnoses. What are some differences between herbal remedy use in the US, the Caribbean, and Iran? Herbal supplement use in Iran is estimated among 60-70% of the population and in the Caribbean as high as 80-90% of the population. Herbal supplement use in US, however, is estimated at about 20% of the population (with increased use associated with diagnoses; it may be as high as 63% for patients with cancer). This is a cross-cultural study of herbal remedy use in across three diverse environments and healthcare settings.

COVID-19 Impact on P-12 Educators. Investigators for this study are associated with the Intermountain COVID-19 Impact Consortium (ICIC), a collaboration of five research organizations west of the Hudson Valley region: Bassett Research Institute, SUNY Cobleskill, Utica University, SUNY Oneonta, and Zogby Strategics. Utica University faculty researchers are Margaret Hemstrought, M.Ed. (Wellness and Adventure Education) and Patrice Hallock, Ph.D. The consortium organizes research projects that seek to identify broad systemic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region, and this specific study is aimed at understanding stressors associated with COVID-19 in our local public schools.

Institute Events

Mindfulness as a Wellness Modality - November 16, 2021

Sponsored by Utica's Institute for the Study of Integrative Healthcare and the American College of Healthcare Executives (Central New York Chapter)

Presented by Sharon L. Kanfoush, C-IAYT, ERYT500, this virtual presentation focused on the concept and process of "mindfulness," which includes what mindfulness is, what it isn't, and how it can be used to support our individual health and well-being.

Learning objectives:

Define mindfulness and describe what it is and what it isn't.
Describe a brief history of "mindfulness" and how it fits into a structure of well-being.
Distinguish between "mindfulness" and other practices.
Explain basic "mindfulness" practices.
Describe scientifically-supported benefits and contraindications of mindfulness practices.

Integrating Eastern and Western Medical Perspectives - March 11, 2021

A virtual presentation sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Integrative Healthcare with Daniel Katz of Wildwood Health Center on integrated healthcare.

Join Daniel Katz, LAc, MASOM, PT - Owner and Practitioner, Wildwood Health Center for a virtual presentation, followed by a Q & A segment, focusing on integrative approaches to healthcare. Appropriate for both patients and providers.

Key takeaways include: