Harvard Medical School CME In-Person in Boston, MA AND via Live Streaming

Registration is now open for The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine, the Benson-Henry Institute’s celebrated continuing medical education (CME) course, offered in partnership with Harvard Medical School.

The course will be held live, in person at the Fairmont Copley Hotel in Boston, MA and will be livestreamed to participants around the world.  Video recordings of all talks will be available to all conference-goers for up to 60 days.  BHI is also offering two optional online pre-course workshops, Mind Body Approaches to Weight Management (new!) and Group Medical Visits to Guide Patients to Healthier Lifestyle Behaviors.

“The Herbert Benson Course in Mind Body Medicine is an opportunity for clinicians, researchers, scientists and mind body enthusiasts to explore the latest research and learn the best techniques in mind body medicine. Our work – providing patients with skills to build resilience and improve wellbeing – are essential as we rebound from the pandemic and face a multitude of other stressful challenges at home and abroad. We are so pleased to be able to meet each other again in person this fall, and to provide online streaming to participants around the world. The course provides a wonderful opportunity to connect and collaborate with colleagues around the world,” said BHI Director Gregory Fricchione, MD.  “We have an impressive line-up of keynotes and experts in the field, and this year we are offering two exciting  optional half-day courses on mind body approaches to weight management and delivering mind body medicine in group visits.”

Keynote speakers are Katarina Blom, MA, positive psychology researcher, author of The Togetherness Effect and star of the NBC show “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning;” Chris Palmer, MD, Harvard psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health; Martin Picard, PhD, director of the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at Columbia University Irving Medical School, which investigates organelle-to-organism communication linking the human experience with molecular and energetic processes inside mitochondria; and David R. Williams, PhD, MPH, MDiv, Harvard University professor of public health whose research enhances our understanding of the complex ways in which socioeconomic status, race, stress, racism, health behavior and religious involvement can affect health.

This program is among the highest-rated Harvard Medical School CME course. The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 25.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. For additional accreditation information, please see below.

Participants will get

• The latest clinical approaches and integrative models of care
• Cutting-edge research into the linkages between the brain and the body
• Education on genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics ad how to leverage recent advances in the neuroimaging of contemplative states
• Current data on stress, stress management and resilience enhancement, and their impacts on patient health and treatment options

For course scheduling, information and to register, please visit mindbody.hmscme.com.  Register by September 20^th for an early bird discount.

About our Keynotes

Katarina Blom, PhD, is a happiness psychologist who focuses on how we can create sustainable well-being during times of change. She is the co-author of two books on happiness and stars in the NBC reality series “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” where she helps individuals not only come to terms with mortality but also enrich their lives by forging deeper connections with loved ones through the treasures passed down within their homes.  Her TedX Talk, “You Don’t Find Happiness, You Create It,” has been viewed 5 million times.

In addition to her media work, Dr. Blom is the co-author of two books, Seriously Happy – An Introduction to Positive Psychology and Lonely or Strong – How to Create Successful Teams. She is currently in the process of writing her third book, The We-Brain – The Surprising Science on How Our Connections Make Us Happier, Healthier, And More Resilient.

 

Chris Palmer, MD, is a Harvard psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. He is the Founder and Director of the Metabolic and Mental Health Program and the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For almost 30 years, he has held administrative, educational, research, and clinical roles in psychiatry at McLean and Harvard. He has been pioneering the use of the medical ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders—conducting research in this area, treating patients, writing, and speaking around the world on this topic. Most recently, he has proposed that mental disorders can be understood as metabolic disorders affecting the brain, which has received widespread recognition in both national and international media outlets.

Dr. Palmer received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine. He did his internship and psychiatry residency at McLean Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Palmer leads McLean Hospital’s Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education. In this role, he has developed hundreds of educational conferences, workshops, Grand Rounds, and other professional educational activities, most of them under the aegis of Harvard Medical School. His leadership has transformed the department from a small, subsidized department of the hospital into a flourishing educational program that is now leading mental health education for professionals nationwide.

He has held numerous leadership positions in the continuing education field beyond McLean Hospital’s program, including serving on leadership, advisory, and strategic planning committees of Harvard Medical School, Partners Healthcare, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

Dr. Palmer has been involved in psychiatric research for over 23 years. He has served as a research physician in the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory and the Sleep Research Laboratory, both at McLean Hospital, where he worked with teams pursuing wide-ranging research in the areas of addiction and sleep.

Most recently, his research interests have turned to the areas of metabolism, metabolic disorders, and their connection to mental disorders. Interestingly, the connections are widespread and span across numerous mental and metabolic disorders. He is focused on combining and understanding epidemiological data, basic science research, and clinical studies in order to better understand what role metabolism plays in mental illness.

Dr. Palmer has been pioneering the use of the ketogenic diet and its applications in psychiatry. The ketogenic diet is an evidence-based treatment for epilepsy, and can work in treatment-resistant cases, even after numerous medications and even surgery fail to control seizures. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it does work for a significant percentage of people. It turns out that many anti-epileptic treatments are used routinely in psychiatry, so this dietary intervention should at least be considered in the treatment of mental disorders. Interestingly, the ketogenic diet is a metabolic intervention and has been shown to have profound effects on brain metabolism. These changes may correct some of the metabolic abnormalities found in people with mental disorders. Dr. Palmer has published case studies, pilot clinical trials, and is actively conducting research in this area. He is also working with researchers from around the world to further explore this treatment in clinical populations as well as pursuing more basic science research.

 

In 2023, Dr. Palmer became the Founder and Director of the McLean Hospital Metabolic and Mental Health Program. This new and innovative program will conduct research exploring the role of metabolism in mental health and the use of metabolic treatments for people with mental health conditions, offfer consultations to McLean Hospital patients who are interested in a metabolic approach, and develop education for healthcare professionals,

Dr. Palmer’s clinical practice has focused on helping people suffering from treatment-resistant mental illnesses, including mood disorders, psychotic disorders, and personality disorders. His treatment approach has been comprehensive and has included psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and complementary and alternative treatments. However, he has always been looking for better treatments and outcomes because far too many people do not get better with our current approaches.

 

Martin Picard, PhD is an Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine in Psychiatry, Neurology and the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University Irving Medical School. A mitochondrial biologist, Dr. Picard’s world-class research explores the impact of mitochondria in physical and mental health.

Dr. Picard received his BSc Honours in neuroimmunology, and PhD in mitochondrial biology of aging at McGill University. He then moved to the University of Pennsylvania for a postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine with Doug Wallace. There, he worked on mitochondria-mitochondria interactions, mitochondrial reprogramming of the nuclear (epi)genome, and mitochondrial stress pathophysiology along with Bruce McEwen at the Rockefeller University. He joined the faculty of Columbia University in 2015.

Dr. Picard directs the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at CUIMC, which investigates organelle-to-organism communication linking the human experience with molecular and energetic processes inside mitochondria. His laboratory has identified novel membrane structures for mitochondrial communication in rare mitochondrial diseases, showed that cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) is a psychological stress-inducible molecule detectable in blood and saliva, and developed a mitochondrial health index (MHI) to study the mind-mitochondria connection in immune cells and brain tissue. His group also has established that human hair greying is reversible and linked to life stress, and developed a longitudinal cellular lifespan model that recapitulates trajectories of human epigenetic aging and allostatic load in vitro. Dr. Picard’s translational research program has contributed to defining the diversity of mitochondria across the brain and body, and to longitudinally examining the link between stress, energy expenditure, and the rate of aging at the cellular level.

With their collaborators, investigators and trainees in the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group combine clinical, cellular, and computational approaches to understand how energetic processes and perturbations within mitochondria interact with key brain-body processes that shape aging biology and sustain human health. Moving beyond the disease focus of biomedicine, Dr. Picard co-leads a Science of Health initiative aiming to define and quantify individualized health states, a necessary step to accelerate the transition towards sustainable healthcare over the next century.

Research on the link between energy, stress, and health from the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group has been covered in The New York Times, Scientific American, The New Yorker, and on TEDx.

David R. Williams, PhD, MPH, M. Div. David R. Williams is a St Lucian and American social scientist who has specialized in the study of social influences on health. His research has enhanced our understanding of the complex ways in which race, socioeconomic status, racism, stress, health behaviors and religious involvement can affect physical and mental health. He has been invited to keynote scientific conferences in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, South America and across the United States.

Dr. Williams is the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health, and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also a Professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology at Harvard University. His first 6 years as a faculty member were at Yale University where he held appointments in both Sociology and Public Health. The next 14 years were at the University of Michigan where he was the Harold Cruse Collegiate Professor of Sociology, a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute of Social Research and a Professor of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health.

Dr. Williams is the author of more than 500 scholarly papers in scientific journals and edited collections and his research has appeared in leading journals in sociology, psychology, medicine, public health and epidemiology. The Everyday Discrimination scale that he developed is currently the most widely used measure to assess perceived discrimination in health studies. He has served on the editorial board of 16 scientific journals and as a reviewer for over 70 journals. According to ISI Essential Science Indicators, he was one of the Top 10 Most Cited Researchers in the Social Sciences during the decade 1995 to 2005. The Journal of Black Issues in Higher Education ranked him as the Most Cited Black Scholar in the Social Sciences in 2008. And Thomson Reuters ranked him, in 2014, as one of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds based on his scientific articles published between 2002 and 2012. In 2023, ScholarGPS ranked him number one in citations in African and African American Studies worldwide.

With funding from the National Institutes of Health and the sponsorship of the World Health Organization, Dr. Williams directed the South African Stress and Health Study, the first nationally representative study of the prevalence and correlates of psychiatric disorders in sub-Sahara Africa. This study assessed the effects of HIV/AIDS, exposure to racial discrimination and torture during apartheid, on the health of the South African population. He was also a key member of the team that conducted the National Study of American Life, the largest study of mental health disorders in the African American population in the U.S. and the first health study to include a large national sample of Blacks of Caribbean ancestry. He also served as the director of the Lung Cancer Disparities Center at Harvard, a center for Population Health and Health Disparities funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Williams received his elementary and high school education in Castries, St Lucia. After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago, he earned master’s degrees in divinity and public health, at Andrews University and Loma Linda University, respectively. He next earned a master’s and PhD degree in sociology from the University of Michigan.

 

ADDITIONAL ACCREDITATION INFORMATION:

NURSE PRACTITIONERS and REGISTERED NURSES

Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 25.75 ANCC contact hours.
PSYCHOLOGISTS

Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
SOCIAL WORKERS

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Harvard Medical School is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 25.75 general continuing education credits.
RISK MANAGEMENT

This activity meets the criteria of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for 3.00 credits of Risk Management Study. This includes:

• 2.00 credits of Medical Marijuana Training

Please check your individual state licensing board requirements before claiming these credits.
 

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.
CANADIAN ACCREDITATION

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.
EUROPEAN ACCREDITATION

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found here: https://www.uems.eu/areas-of-expertise/cme-cpd/eaccme
ABMS/ACGME COMPETENCIES

This course is designed to meet the following American Board of Medical Specialties and Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education competencies:

• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Medical Knowledge

IOM COMPETENCIES

This course is designed to meet the following Institute of Medicine competencies:

• Provide Patient-Centered Care
• Employ Evidence-Based Practice

Questions? Please contact Jocelyn Meek at jmeek@mgb.org for further information.

 

The need is especially important now, when COVID-19 fears are high

BOSTON — In a perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI) for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) call for broader use of mind-body practices.

In a time when meditation, yoga and mindfulness increase in popularity for general well-being, the piece emphasizes the necessity of fully integrating these stress-reduction practices into patient treatment plans and medical research.

Stress exacerbates anxiety and depression and plays a role in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and chronic pain, according to lead author Michelle Dossett, MD, PhD, of UC Davis Health.

“By reducing the body’s stress response, mind-body practices can be a powerful adjunct in medicine by helping to decrease patients’ symptoms and improving their quality of life,” says Dossett, who was a physician and researcher with BHI when the perspective was written.

Despite its recent rise in popularity among the general public, mind-body medicine isn’t new. Researchers at BHI have been integrating the field of mind-body medicine into MGH’s clinical care, research and training programs since 2006. Early research on the advantages of such techniques dates back 40+ years, when the institute’s founder and perspective senior author, Herbert Benson, MD, became one of the first Western physicians to bring spirituality and healing into medicine and is most famously known for his work with the Relaxation Response.

“The Relaxation Response,” Benson states, “is an inborn, anti-stress capacity that transcends the differences that separate mind from body, science from spirituality and one culture from another.”

At BHI, mind-body medicine is widely recognized as the third leg of a three-legged stool: the first leg is surgery, the second is pharmaceuticals and the third is self-care, in which patients learn techniques to improve their own health through mind-body medicine, nutrition and exercise.

“Western medicine has produced revolutionary health benefits through advances in pharmacotherapies and procedures,” the researchers describe in the perspective. “It now faces enormous challenges in battling stress-related noncommunicable diseases. …Chronic pain, often perpetuated by psychosocial stress, has become an epidemic that our pharmaceutical arsenal is poorly equipped to handle and medical costs continue to soar. Mind-body therapies can be a helpful adjunct in managing chronic pain and other stress-related noncommunicable diseases by fostering resilience through self-care.”

The article also addresses skeptical patients’ preconceived notions of mind-body medicine as well as the anticipated barriers of service coverage and clinician education on the appropriate use of these tools. These challenges further reinforce the need for continued research and investment into the development and implementation of personalized practices to maximize their public health potential.

Dossett and her colleagues also note that mind-body practices can be helpful in reducing stress related to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Benson and perspective co-author Gregory Fricchione, MD, who is BHI’s current director, lead the field of mind-body medicine and research on counteracting the harmful effects of stress, thereby promoting health and reducing the vulnerability to stress-related illnesses. Dossett, who trained and mentored with Fricchione and Benson, moves the research of mind-body medicine beyond the walls of the BHI at UC Davis Health as a lead researcher in integrative medicine and assistant professor of internal medicine.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with an annual research budget of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 8,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2019 the MGH was once again named #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its list of “America’s Best Hospitals.”

 

Link to the NEJM article

You’re home with the kids for the foreseeable future and wondering how you’re going to cope: will they keep up on schoolwork? Will you be able to get any work done? Will you all go stir-crazy?

The key to thriving in this uncertain situation is how you frame it, says Rana Chudnofsky, MEd, director of BHI’s Resilient Youth program.

“We’re being given the unexpected gift of time by having our children at home,” Chudnofsky says.  “This is also a time of appreciation: aren’t we lucky to be able to be home together. Talk about and appreciate the people who are working every day – first responders, medical professionals, the people at the grocery story and the mail carrier.  We need to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have these people here to support us.”

Being home together can be challenging and overwhelming since we are used to highly scheduled lives, but we can find gratifying ways to be together on a day-to-day basis.

Chudnofsky offers some ideas:

1. It is important to give your children time to talk about their feelings, and really listen.
2. Remain optimistic. Children sense when we are anxious, so try to remain balanced in your own body and mind and your children will learn by example.
3. Limit technology. Instead of directing children to technology, we have the opportunity to spend mindful time with them and offer new opportunities for learning. Instead of being too busy to be present for our children, we have the luxury of time to create shared learning opportunities with a home schedule.
4. Maintain a level of normalcy and make time for creativity. We know that most children do better with structure. Perhaps we can create a daily schedule that includes structure as well as time for imagination and play.
5. Stay connected. Technology can provide ways to maintain and strengthen relationships with family and friends near and far. You can make phone calls, set up group chats, text supportive messages, send photos and make cards to mail.

This is also an opportunity to learn about caring for community. Who lives in your area? Are there any elderly people that are alone who might need a daily check-in call? Are there any people dealing with illness in your neighborhood who can use a supportive phone call? How well do you know your cousins? This could be a good time to get to know your extended family, or perhaps you can delve into your genealogy.

Things families can do together:

• Create a jar that holds words of thankfulness. Each family member writes something they are thankful for and puts it in the jar to read at a later date.
• Create a family meditation and a special place that you are all enjoy together. For example, if you all enjoy going to the ocean and have a favorite place, create a relaxing meditation where you are together, relaxed and happy in this special place.
• Enjoy a game of charades.
• Getting outside for fresh air and sunshine
• Read a book together.
• Create a story together.
• Cook together. (You can make it both a math and science lesson!)
• Arrange video play dates to connect with day care and school friends

For older kids

• They can journal about this time.
• Map out a trip in your mind.
• Read a book and then watch the movie and compare it.
• Explore your local library website with your child.
• Explore on-line events.
• Enjoy audible books with children of all ages.

“This Coronavirus can give us a great opportunity stop, pause and enjoy the people we have in our lives. If we look at this as an opportunity, we can optimize our experiences and enjoy one another,” Chudnofsky said.

Caution and concern rule the day in the time of Coronavirus, as well it should.  But as we work together to prevent the spread of the virus and protect ourselves and our families form infection, there are ways we can both manage our stress and boost our self-care.

“The way I think of it is, if you’re going to be Purell-ing your hands all the time – or as you are washing your hands throughout the day – you can actually practice meditation,” says BHI Medical Director Darshan Mehta, MD.  “Hand washing or use of hand sanitizer is a perfect cue to do a mini relaxation.  While you are moving your hands together, you are counting and breathing deeply, so this gives you both the benefits of fighting off the virus and the internal benefit of knowing that you are taking care of yourself.”

The news about Coronavirus (aka COVID-19) can be overwhelming, Dr. Mehta says.  It has proven highly contagious with a rapid global transmission; many businesses have been affected and people are more and more cancelling trips and large gatherings, self-quarantining and working from home.

The best way to approach these uncertain times is to be practical, Dr. Mehta said.

“Follow trusted scientific sources like the Centers for Disease Control instead of social media or cable news,” Dr. Mehta said.  “And be practical: if you’re in an area where there are a lot of new cases of the virus, ask yourself, ‘Is there a way I can meet with people in a different way right now? Can I work from home or connect via Skype or Zoom?’”

Maintaining social support and avoiding isolation is a resilient response to the virus, Dr. Mehta says.  Even if you are quarantined, you can continue to stay connected with your friends, neighbors, coworkers etc. through modern technology.

We can also increase our ability to fight off the disease by maintaining personal health. Maintaining healthy eating habits, getting good sleep each night and exercising regularly can boost our immune systems and improve our ability to fight the virus.  While you may find the need to adapt some habits – perhaps working out at home instead of a gym or at the very least carrying sanitizing wipes to clean equipment – we can continue to maintain emotional equilibrium.

“Yes, this is a scary thing, but we can still do many things to optimize our health and wellbeing and we can still enjoy life,” Dr. Mehta said.

It’s a New Year and a New You – right?

If you’re setting resolutions for the new year,  be sure the goals you’ve set for yourself will influence joy in your life, says BHI’s Dr. Ellen Slawsby.

“The biggest thing is remembering that New Year’s resolutions are for us to enhance the value of our lives,” Dr. Slawsby said.

Whatever your resolution – diet or exercise, improving relationships, doing good deeds – reminders and rewards are key to staying true to your goal.  Here are some simple tips Dr. Slawsby recommends as you move through the year:

1. Setting reminders: once a week, remind yourself (via scheduled reminders on your smartphone, notations in your pocket calendar, post-it’s on your fridge) to evaluate how you’ve done in the past week. By doing this, we’re also reaffirming that this is an important goal and if we didn’t do well this past week, then we will commit to doing better next week.
2. Journaling: jot down some notes about how adhering to (or not adhering to) your resolution is making you feel. Are you happier now that you are exercising more? How did you feel about reaching out to a friend you haven’t heard from in a few years? Did you feel pride or gratitude when you donated to a charity? As the year progresses, you will be able to look back and reflect on your progress and be grateful for what you have and all you’ve accomplished.  “It brings you joy all over again,” Dr. Slawsby said.
3. Checking in with others: sometimes letting others know about our resolutions can help, because they will also give us gentle reminders. Also, for some, it’s not a commitment unless others know we’ve made it.
4. Rewarding yourself for good behavior: if you’re dieting, put a dollar in a jar for every pound you lose, so you can splurge on a new clothing item for yourself when you meet your goal. If you’ve been volunteering more time to others, also reward yourself with time spent on things you love – reading, gardening, etc.

“Resolutions aren’t just to fix problems, but to reframe our thoughts and lives in a more positive or healthier way,” Dr. Slawsby said.  “You’ve got to not only stop eating cookies, but change the way you think about food – and yourself – if you want lasting change.”

Working for Mrs. Rosalynn Carter and President Carter, during a stint I had at the Carter Center, was one of the highlights of my career. I came to know Mrs. Carter quite well given her focus on improving mental health care through her Carter Center Mental Health Program. She was a wise, modest and kind person who treated everyone with respect, dignity and compassion regardless of their station in life. I had never known a celebrity before, and she impressed me greatly with her warmth and authenticity. She was a genuinely graceful person. But it should be mentioned that she combined her natural warmth with a steely resolve to do the right thing. This special amalgamation of qualities earned her the nickname, “the steel magnolia”. And I can attest to her determination to make life better for those suffering from illness and poverty and discrimination.

Mrs. Carter had so many accomplishments that made the world a better place. She and President Carter were of one mind in this respect. In this era, when so many enterprises are transactional and profit and power driven, the Carters exemplified something radically different. It seems to me their motto was–“Everything fits when we all work together for each other”. And just being at the Carter Center campus somehow filled the atmosphere with this philosophy. I’ve taken this lesson with me from my time there working with Mrs. Carter and it has guided my efforts at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Benson-Henry Institute here.

I am sorry that she no longer walks on this planet with us, but I join the multitude of people who are thankful for the life she led. She sure has earned her eternal peace.

– BHI Director Gregory L. Fricchione, MD

 

October 27-29, 2022 In-Person AND Live Streaming

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine, the Benson-Henry Institute’s celebrated continuing medical education (CME) course, offered in partnership with Harvard Medical School.

The course will be held live in person October 27-29, 2022 at the Renaissance Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA and will be livestreamed to participants around the world.  Video recordings of all talks will be available to all conference-goers for up to 60 days.  For the first time ever, BHI is also offering an optional online pre-course workshop, Group Medical Visits to Guide Patients to Healthier Lifestyle Behaviors.

“The Herbert Benson Course in Mind Body Medicine is an opportunity for clinicians, researchers, scientists and mind body enthusiasts to explore the latest research and learn the best techniques in mind body medicine. Our work – providing patients with skills to build resilience and improve wellbeing – are essential as we rebound from the pandemic and face a multitude of other stressful challenges at home and abroad. We are so pleased to be able to meet each other again in person this fall, and to provide online streaming to participants around the world. The course provides a wonderful opportunity to connect and collaborate with colleagues around the world,” said BHI Director Gregory Fricchione, MD.  “We have an impressive line-up of keynotes and experts in the field, and this year we are offering an exciting new optional half-day course on delivering mind body medicine in group visits.”

Keynote speakers are renowned healthy aging researcher Elissa Epel, Ph.D., co-author of “The Telomere Effect” (2017) with Elizabeth Blackburn, a NYT bestseller under the category of Science; Laura Kubzansky, PhD, co-director of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, and director of the Society and Health Laboratory at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; internationally recognized thought and practice leader Rhonda V. Magee M.A., J.D., author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness (2019); and Tyler J. VanderWeele, Ph.D., Director of the Human Flourishing Program and Co-Director of the Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality at Harvard University.

This program is among the highest-rated Harvard Medical School CME course. The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 27.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. For additional accreditation information, please see below.

Participants will get

• The latest clinical approaches and integrative models of care
• Cutting-edge research into the linkages between the brain and the body
• Education on genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics ad how to leverage recent advances in the neuroimaging of contemplative states
• Current data on stress, stress management and resilience enhancement, and their impacts on patient health and treatment options

For course scheduling, information and to register, please visit mindbody.hmscme.com.  Register by September 20^th for an early bird discount.

About our Keynotes

Elissa Epel, Ph.D, is a Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco. Her research aims to elucidate mechanisms of healthy aging, and to apply this basic science to scalable interventions that can reach vulnerable populations.

Dr. Epel studies psychological, social, and behavioral pathways underlying chronic psychological stress and stress resilience that impact cellular aging. She also studies the interconnections between stress, addiction, eating, and metabolic health. of stress in aging, and on reversibility of early life adversity, and Science of Behavior Change.

Her research has been featured in venues such as TEDMED, NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Morning Show, 60 minutes, National Public Radio, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wisdom 2.0, Health 2.0, and in many science documentaries. She co-authored “The Telomere Effect” (2017) with Elizabeth Blackburn, a NYT bestseller under the category of Science.

Laura Kubzansky, PhD is Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, co-director of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, and director of the Society and Health Laboratory at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Kubzansky has published extensively on the role of psychological and social factors in health, with a focus on the effects of stress and emotion on heart disease. Primary lines of research include: 1) studying whether and how stress, emotion and other psychological factors may help to explain the relationship between social status and health; 2) studying whether and how positive psychological functioning and positive aspects of the social environment may lead to greater longevity and healthier aging. Other research projects and interests include biobehavioral mechanisms linking emotions, social relationships, and health; defining and measuring aspects of well-being; relationships between early childhood environments, resilience, and healthy aging; interactions between stress and environmental exposures (e.g., lead, air pollution) and how they influence health; workplace and other social conditions in relation to well-being; strategies for modifying psychological well-being.

Rhonda V. Magee M.A. Sociology, J.D. is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and an internationally recognized thought and practice leader focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education, law and social change work. A prolific author, she draws on law and legal history to weave storytelling, poetry, analysis and practices into inspiration for changing how we think, act and live better together in a rapidly changing world.

Dr. Epel is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on mindfulness in legal education, and on teaching about race using mindfulness, including “Educating Lawyers to Meditate?” 79 UMKC L. Rev. 535 (2011), “The Way of ColorInsight: Understanding Race and Law Effectively Using Mindfulness-Based ColorInsight Practices”, 8 Georgetown J. of Mod. Crit. Race Perspectives 251 (2016), “Teaching Mindfulness with Mindfulness of Diversity,” in McCown et al, Resources for Teaching Mindfulness: An International Handbook (Springer, 2017), and “Community Engaged Mindfulness and Social Justice: An Inquiry and Call to Action”, in Purser et al., Handbook of Mindfulness: Culture, Context and Social Engagement (2017).

Her first book, The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness, was published in September 2019 by TarcherPerigee, a member of the Penguin Random House Group, with paperback issued in September 2021. 

Tyler J. VanderWeele, Ph.D., is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Director of the Human Flourishing Program and Co-Director of the Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality at Harvard University. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University in mathematics, philosophy, theology, finance, and biostatistics.

His methodological research is focused on theory and methods for distinguishing between association and causation in the biomedical and social sciences and, more recently, on psychosocial measurement theory. His empirical research spans psychiatric and social epidemiology; the science of happiness and flourishing; and the study of religion and health. He is the recipient of the 2017 Presidents’ Award from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS). He has published over four hundred papers in peer-reviewed journals; is author of the books Explanation in Causal Inference (2015), Modern Epidemiology (2021), and Measuring Well-Being (2021); and he also writes a monthly blog posting on topics related to human flourishing for Psychology Today.

 

ADDITIONAL ACCREDITATION INFORMATION:

NURSES Harvard Medical School is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This activity is approved for 27.75 contact hours. Contact hours are awarded commensurate with participation and completion of the online evaluation and attendance attestation. We suggest claiming your hours within 30 days of the activity date; after this time, the attendance attestation will still be required to claim your hours.

PSYCHOLOGISTS This course will be submitted for continuing education credits.

SOCIAL WORKERS This course will be submitted for continuing education credits.

NURSE PRACTITIONERS For the purpose of recertification, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

CANADIAN ACCREDITATION The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

EUROPEAN ACCREDITATION The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found here: https://www.ama-assn.org/education/ama-pra-credit-system/agreement-european-union-medical-specialties-uems

Please contact Jocelyn Meek at jmeek@partners.org for information on accreditation status.

 

Registration is now open for the Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine, BHI’s celebrated continuing medical education (CME) course. The course will be held via live stream October 21-23, 2020.

Participants will get

• The latest clinical approaches and integrative models of care
• Cutting-edge research into the linkages between the brain and the body
• Education on genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics ad how to leverage recent advances in the neuroimaging of contemplative states
• Current data on stress, stress management and resilience enhancement, and their impacts on patient health and treatment options

Keynote speakers are world-renowned meditation teacher and loving kindness guru Sharon Salzberg and emotional intelligence researcher and expert Daniel Goleman, PhD.  Both of these celebrated speakers have storied careers in the field and multiple New York Times bestsellers to their credit.

For course scheduling, information and to register, please visit mindbody.hmscme.com. This program is among the highest-rated Harvard Medical School CME course and it sold out last year.

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 21.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Harvard Medical School is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This activity is approved for 21.75 contact hours. Contact hours are awarded commensurate with participation and completion of the online evaluation and attendance attestation. We suggest claiming your hours within 30 days of the activity date, after this time, the attendance attestation will still be required to claim your hours.

This program has been approved for 21.5 Social Work Continuing Education hours for re-licensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. Collaborative of NASW and the Boston College and Simmons Schools of Social Work Authorization Number D 81744.

This course has also been submitted for continuing education credits for psychologists. For more information, contact jmeek@partners.org.

About our Keynotes

Sharon Salzberg, a pioneer in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher, and best-selling author, has played a pivotal role bringing meditation and mindfulness into mainstream American culture since 1974. She is cofounder of The Insight Meditation Society, in Barre, Massachusetts, and has authored 11 books, including the New York Times best-seller, Real Happiness, her seminal work, Lovingkindness, and Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection. Her latest book, launching in June of 2020 is, Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World. Acclaimed for her down-to-earth and relatable teaching style, Sharon offers a secular, modern approach to Buddhist teachings, making them instantly accessible. Her writing can be found on Medium, On Being, the Maria Shriver blog, and Huffington Post. Sharon is also the host of her own podcast, The Metta Hour, with more than 90 episodes featuring interviews with the top leaders and voices in the meditation and mindfulness movement.

 

Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist who lectures frequently to professional groups, business audiences, and on college campuses. As a science journalist Goleman reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for The New York Times for many years. His 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence was on The New York Times bestseller list for a year-and-a-half, with more than 5,000,000 copies in print worldwide in 40 languages and has been a best seller in many countries. Apart from his books on emotional intelligence, Goleman has written books on topics including self-deception, creativity, transparency, meditation, social and emotional learning, ecoliteracy and the ecological crisis.

The Benson-Henry Institute (BHI) for Mind Body Medicine at MGH is pleased to announce it is now accepting applications for its 2022 Watts Scholarship program.  Launched in 2017, the Watts Scholarship fully funds two clinicians in earning Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Certification for Healthcare Practitioners.

BHI’s copyrighted SMART program is research validated and has been shown to have far-reaching positive effects on overall health and wellness, teaching self-care skills that are especially as we reemerge from the COVID19 pandemic.

Through the generous support of Mr. Randy Watts, an enthusiastic benefactor of BHI’s work, two training scholarships will be available to cover the total training costs of scholarship awardees who work with underserved populations.  One scholarship will be awarded to an MGB employee, and the other to a non-MGB clinician.  Applications are due July 1, 2022.

“Stress is a leading cause of many health conditions, and our research clearly shows we can improve our own health outcomes by reducing stress through self-care,” said BHI Director Gregory L. Fricchione, MD.  “We believe spreading SMART – especially to those who are at greatest stress risk – is critical to the health of our country.  We are so grateful to Randy Watts for helping us bring this important work to those who need it most.”

Watts Scholarship Information

Licensed healthcare clinicians who would like to become certified to provide the Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) program to their Partners patients are eligible to apply.  Full details and training requirements for becoming a BHI SMART-Certified Healthcare Practitioner can be found here.

Applications are due July 1, 2022 and eligibility requirements include:

1. Applicants must be a practicing healthcare clinician licensed in one of the following categories:

• Doctor (MD, DO)
• Nurse (RN, NP)
• PhD/EdD/PsyD
• Master’s-level social worker
• Master’s-level mental health counselor
• Physician’s Assistant

2. Applicants must demonstrate their work with underserved patient populations who will benefit from SMART training.
3. Applicants must be able to complete all training activities within the course of one (1) year.

 

Application Instructions

Application Form

 

Questions? Email jmeek@partners.org.