UWG to Host First Integrative Health Conference

The University of West Georgia is hosting its first Integrative Health Conference in May. This rapidly expanding field incorporates mainstream medicine with alternative forms of healing.

The conference will bring together practitioners in the field to encourage its development in Georgia. Among the speakers will be Dr. John Kim, director of Georgia Integrative Medicine and the program director of UWG’s Integrative Health Studies Certification Program. The online certificate program began in the spring 2012 semester.

“Integrative health is utilizing the available tools in healing in a mindful way,” Kim said. “You use conventional medicine when it’s appropriate and use alternative medicine when appropriate.”

It is the only one focused on the issue in Georgia. "The conference is important because it addresses the unmet needs of the people,” Kim said. “UWG is the content expert in this field."

The other scheduled speakers are: Dr. Kenneth L. Brigham, associate vice president and director of the Predictive Health Institute at Emory University; and Dr. Roberta J. Weintraut, program director of family medicine residency at Mercer University School of Medicine/Medical Center of Central Georgia.

The conference will be on May 26 on the UWG campus in Carrollton. It is free, but registration is required. It is open to doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, mental health counselors, complementary and alternative medicine professionals, as well as the general public. Check-in will begin at 7:30 a.m. The conference will conclude at 1 p.m. p.m.