Washington event marks Bravewell's official release of the Summary of the Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public

Grace Kanoy and Amy Greeson were privileged to attend the black-tie dinner event that was held on November 4, 2009 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington DC. Award-winning cardiac surgeon, author, and health and wellness expert Mehmet Oz, MD served as the Master of Ceremonies. At the start of the evening, IOM President Harvey Fineberg, MD, PhD, presented the official Summary of the Summit to Bravewell President Christy Mack, stating that, "Bravewell is the force for integrative medicine." Dr. Fineberg thanked IOM Executive Officer Judy Salerno, MD; IOM Senior Scholar Mike McGinnis, MD; and Chair of the IOM Planning Committee Ralph Synderman, MD, for their hard work in convening the Summit. In attendance were representatives from government, health care, education, advocacy groups, philanthropy and major corporations as well as private citizens. "This is the way it should be," commented Dr. Oz. "It's going to take all of us working together to transform health care and create a culture of health and wellbeing in America."

The Bravewell Collaborative lies in the forefront of expanding awareness about integrative medicine including implementing its inclusion in medical schools throughout the US. We were honored to share the evening with many outstanding pioneers including co-founders Christy Mack and Penny George.

The Summary of the Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public can be downloaded from the IOM website at www.iom.edu/Activities/Quality/IntegrativeMed.aspx.