Photo caption: IU School of Medicine faculty from across the state attended the Mind Body Medicine facilitator training, which was held at the West Baden Springs Hotel in September. The training was facilitated by Aviad Haramati, PhD, of Georgetown University, and Antwione Haywood, PhD, of IU School of Medicine.
Over the past three semesters, more than 40 Indiana University School of Medicine students have participated in the Mind Body Medicine program, an 11-week elective designed to enhance mindfulness and promote overall well-being, stress management, empathy, self-awareness and self-care.
The skills and techniques taught in the course can help participants become better students and, eventually, better clinicians.
“Developing skills to improve my own well-being has enhanced the time spent on course work, and I believe that these same strategies will ultimately help me become a more engaged, compassionate physician,” said second-year medical student Cameron Smock.
Likewise, Acacia Williams, also in her second-year, said that the Mind Body Medicine elective was “one of the best” experiences she’s had in medical school. “Initially, I was very skeptical about taking this elective due to the time commitment and my heavy course load. However, after the first session, I knew I made the right choice,” she said.
The faculty members who teach the course have benefitted from it, too. All of them must complete the Mind Body Medicine facilitator training, a program that prepares them to train medical students in mind-body modalities. So far, 12 faculty members from campuses across the state have participated.
The training, most recently held in September, has been described by participants as “rewarding,” “enlightening,” “transformative,” and “phenomenal.”
Antwione Haywood, PhD, assistant dean for student affairs, has both facilitated the faculty training and taught the elective for students.
“Many faculty pursue Mind Body Medicine training with the mindset that the program will benefit others,” he said. “But the true gift is that the faculty members end up benefiting most from mindful practice.”
All in all, there are many reasons to invest in your own wellness—and that’s why IU School of Medicine has invested in providing this opportunity for faculty and students.
“Wellness is a word that’s tossed around so much, it sometimes loses its meaning,” said second-year medical student Emma Ross. “But Mind Body Medicine embodies the qualities physicians need to maintain wellness. After all, if we cannot take care of ourselves, it will be difficult to take care of others.”
Interested in taking the Mind Body Medicine elective? Attend the call out on November 4 from 12-1pm in Medical Science B15.