The Benson-Henry Institute’s annual Continuing Medical Education (CME) course will be held October 25-27, 2018 at Harvard Medical School.  Since its launch more than 30 years ago, the course has provided thousands of clinicians and mind body practitioners from across the globe an opportunity to explore cutting-edge research, share best practices and discover new strategies for treating patients.

This year’s course will be historic, as it is the first year it is being named in honor of Herbert Benson, MD, renowned mind body pioneer and founder of the institute.

“Dr. Benson pioneered a new area of research; in modern science, his approach was unique – a western scientist willing to investigate ancient traditional approaches to health,” said BHI Director Gregory Fricchione, MD.  “Dr. Benson came to understand that to maximize our patients’ chances of achieving health and wellness, we physicians, nurses and caregivers needed to help them advance their self-care. No longer would pharmaceuticals and procedures be sufficient. This, year we are proud to name our annual Benson-Henry institute/Harvard continuing medical education course in mind body medicine after Dr. Benson, our director emeritus.”

Register Today!

The 3-day Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine will be held at the Joseph Martin Conference Center in Boston. Keynote speakers are Richard Davidson, PhD and Joan Borysenko, PhD.

The founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Davidson is a neuroscientist whose research centers on emotion and the brain.  His most recent book (with coauthor Dan Goleman, PhD), Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body, was published last year.  A professor of psychology and psychiatry, Dr. Davidson was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine in 2006.

Dr. Borysenko is a Harvard-trained psychologist and internationally-recognized expert in the mind-body connection.  She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Minding the Body, Mending the Mind, and a former colleague of Dr. Benson’s.  A celebrated and uplifting public speaker, Dr. Borysenko is a blogger for the Huffington Post; her work has also appeared has appeared in outlets from The Washington Post to The Wall Street Journal.

The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine will focus on the latest research into the links between mind/brain and body and how the human being functions as a unit. Evidence-based practices that help us deal with stress related non-communicable diseases will be highlighted.  Attendees will be able to take part in meditation workshops, tai chi and yoga sessions, and build skills through interactive workshops and panel discussions that support stress reduction and the enhancement of resiliency.  Topics include mind body approaches to sleep, nutrition and exercise; how narrative story telling can help patients reframe their sense of wellbeing; ways to build your own mind body clinic; insight into our Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) program; integrative approaches to reducing burnout in healthcare providers; and the importance of self-care, among others.

Speakers include mindfulness researcher Dr. Judson Brewer, author of The Craving Mind, happiness expert Robert Waldinger, MD, noted sleep researcher Suzanne M. Bertisch, MD, MPH and acceptance and commitment therapy expert Dr. John Matthews, among others.  Our BHI leadership team – including Drs. Benson and Fricchione – will also present latest in mind body medicine research.

The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 23.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  The Benson-Henry Institute will also apply for Continuing Education (CE) credit(s) for nurses and psychologists and for credit hours for social workers.

This program has been approved for 23.5 Social Work Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. Collaborative of NASW and the Boston College and Simmons Schools of Social Work Authorization Number D 80092.

The Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. The Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, maintains responsibility for the program and its content. This offering meets the criteria for 18.5 Continuing Education (CE) credit(s) for psychologists.

This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the American Nurses Association Massachusetts (ANA MASS), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine, has been approved for 23.5 contact hours.

Registration for the course is conducted through Harvard Medical School.  For more information on this course, please visit mindbody.hmscme.com or email jmeek@partners.org.