These annual lectures were inspired by Norma MacKellar. She had an insatiable curiosity which led her to study Marine Biology at UNBSJ.  A year later she then studied at St. Thomas University where she received her Education degree. Teaching allowed her to live and travel in in Botswana in Southern Africa and then in Thompson in northern Manitoba. These experiences as well as Norma’s passions for community service, social justice, and the environment in New Brunswick led to her commitment to understand health as closely connected to food and the environment. She passed away in July 17, 2020.

 

What is global health?

It points to the effects of a globalized economy, advances in transportation, and changes to agricultural practices on health care issues  beyond national borders. It focuses on improving health and health care equity for populations worldwide and takes into account both medical and non-medical disciplines, such as epidemiology, sociology, public policy, environmental factors, cultural and urban studies.
 

What is integrative medicine?

It is an approach to health that emphasizes the collaboration between practitioner and patient in the healing process, considers all factors that influence health, including mind, spirit, community, nutrition and the environment in connection to the body. In addition, it highlights the complementary relationship between conventional and alternative methods. Still, integrative medicine does not accept alternative forms of medicine uncritically nor discards conventional medicine. Rather, it is driven by critical inquiry that leads this approach to be open to new paradigms. In addition to treatment, integrative medicine focuses on health promotion and disease prevention.

 

Centres for Integrative Medicine include:

• Canadian Institute of Natural and integrative Medicine

• Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine

• Duke Integrative Medicine

• George Washington Center for Integrative Medicine

• The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine: Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital

• Jefferson -- Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine

• John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

• Johns Hopkins GIM Program in Integrative Medicine

• Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program (Research)

• Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at University of California at Irvine

• The University of Arizona Andrew Weil Centre for Integrative Medicine

• University of California at LA Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine

• University of California at San Francisco Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

• University of Colorado Hospital Center for Integrative Medicine

• University of Connecticut Health Center Programs in Complementary and Integrative Medicine

• The University of Kansas Health System -- Integrative Health

• University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Integrative Medicine

• University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society

• Rutgers Institute for Complementary & Alternative Medicine

• University of Michigan Integrative Medicine

• University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality & Healing

• University of New Mexico (UNM) Health's Center for Life