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Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda
For Doctors and Advanced Practice Providers |
Online Program

Discover a new paradigm for medical practice

Watch the video: Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda for Doctors and Advanced Practice Providers, 3 minutes and 27 seconds

board integrative of medicine logo
Approved by the American Board of Integrative Medicine

Patients are increasingly demanding whole person, prevention-oriented healthcare without harmful side effects.

Watch the video: Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda for Doctors and Advanced Practice Providers, 3 minutes and 27 seconds

During your program, you’ll gain knowledge and skills to optimize your clinical effectiveness while minimizing adverse effects of conventional medicine. You’ll learn to empower your patients and increase satisfaction through whole-person care utilizing best practices of modern Integrative Medicine and Integrative Ayurveda.

board integrative of medicine logo
Approved by the American Board of Integrative Medicine

Developed in collaboration with University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine

The faculty of the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine have contributed their Foundational Fellowship Curriculum (FFC) to the MS program. The FFC provides state of the art knowledge in all the major domains of integrative medicine recommended by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM). The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine has been teaching physicians and health professionals for 20 years in their fellowship programs.


Prevent clinician burnout, practice self-care

Clinician burnout and exhaustion is a grim reality, with more than half of physicians and healthcare providers reporting burnout.

This one-of-a-kind training for healthcare professionals engages you in an ongoing program of clinician-oriented self-care using evidence-based practices of mind-body medicine, lifestyle medicine, Integrative Ayurveda, and the Transcendental Meditation technique.

Get started by contacting Noreen

Noreen Dillman, admissions counselorNoreen Dillman is this program’s admissions counselor for US students. Noreen will provide you with all the details of becoming a student, including connecting you with the program director or faculty.

Contact Noreen >

International applicants may connect with us through our international inquiry form.


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Featured faculty

arti prasad

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP, ABOIM – Director

arti prasad

Arti Prasad is Adjunct Professor, the College of Integrative Health and Medicine at Maharishi International University and Chief Strategic Development Officer, Hennepin Healthcare
Professor of Medicine, at the University of Minnesota.

“As a founding member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine and as a practitioner, teacher, and leader in the field of integrative health, I believe this is the first time in the nation that the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda as a whole system of medicine will be highlighted and integrated with modern medicine through this combined fellowship program.”

charles elder

Charles Elder, MD, MPH, FACP – Executive Director

charles elder

Charles Elder is Executive Director of the Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda for Doctors and Advanced Practice Providers; Senior Investigator at the Center for Health Research; and Emeritus Physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

“Learning Maharishi AyurVeda helped transform my clinical practice, and I am eager to share with fellows and colleagues the novel, time-tested, and science-based approaches that can improve outcomes, optimize both patient and clinician health, and reinvigorate medicine.”

Sankari Wegman

Sankari Wegman, PhD – Assistant Director

Sankari Wegman

Sankari Wegman is Assistant Professor, College of Integrative Health and Medicine, at Maharishi International University.

“Over the last 20 years in my professional practice, I have seen firsthand how Maharishi AyurVeda has transformed the health and well-being of patients. I am excited to be a part of this program that will equip healthcare practitioners with tools to provide their patients with whole person care from the different modalities of Integrative Medicine, while also placing an emphasis on practitioner self-care.”

Leslie Elder

Leslie Elder, MDAdjunct Associate Professor of Physiology and Health

Leslie Elder

Dr. Leslie Elder is Adjunct Associate Professor, College of Integrative Health and Medicine, at Maharishi International University.

“Maharishi AyurVeda empowers us to not only be the healers we always dreamed of being, but additionally gives us the knowledge of how to best care for ourselves. It’s been my dream for many years to be able to share this knowledge with other health care professionals. I’m thrilled that this fellowship has now come to fruition.”

All Department Faculty

Cheryl Ritenbaugh

Cheryl Ritenbaugh, PhD, MPH

Cheryl Ritenbaugh

Cheryl Ritenbaugh, PhD, MPH, is Professor Emerita of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona. Trained as a medical anthropologist, she has been active in federally-funded research into complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CIM) for more than 20 years, and was among the first to define and then implement whole systems research in CIM. She has mentored researchers in the field, and continues her involvement through consultation in major research projects.

Ing-Jun Hwang

Ing-Jun Hwang, DACM, MS, MA

Ing-Jun Hwang

Ing-Jun Hwang is a licensed acupuncturist certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and the State of California Acupuncture Board. She holds a doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and a Master’s in Maharishi Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. With over 30 years of translation/interpretation experience between Mandarin Chinese and English in Taiwan and the U.S., she is also a certified medical Mandarin interpreter for CCHI and NBCMI.

Kate Shafto

Kate Shafto, MD, ABOIM

Kate Shafto

Kate Shafto, MD is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Integrative Medicine, having completed the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Fellowship in 2017. She is an Associate Professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School and Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, MN where she works in Integrative Chronic Pain care. With the Medical School, she is the Course Director for the small group, case-based learning course Foundations of Clinical Thinking for preclinical students. She serves as a subject matter expert in the areas of Integrative Medicine, non-pharmacologic chronic pain care, group medical visits, food/food systems and nutrition. She also teaches a culinary medicine, food systems and nutrition course for health professional graduate students and practicing providers which she co-created with a chef/MPH colleague.

Susan Wieland

L. Susan Wieland, MPH, PhD

Susan Wieland

Dr L. Susan Wieland is Director of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA. She is faculty at the Department of Family & Community Medicine and has a guest appointment at the Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Dr Wieland is a research methodologist and has been a member of the Cochrane Collaboration since 2001, leading several Cochrane and non-Cochrane evidence synthesis projects focused on non pharmacological interventions such as acupuncture, yoga and dietary supplements. Dr Wieland is a member of the Cochrane Climate Health Working Group and the GRADE Working Group and holds editorial positions at several integrative medicine and evidence synthesis journals.

May Wang

May Wang, MD, ABOIM

May Wang

Dr. Wang is a Senior Physician and Physician Acupuncturist in the Department of Family Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Northwest. Dr. Wang is originally from Florida, born to parents who emigrated from Taiwan. She went to college and medical school in Miami, Florida and then moved to Portland, Oregon in 2001 to do her residency training in family medicine at the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU). Prior to coming to Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Wang worked at a Native American community health clinic for several years. She is an experienced physician acupuncturist. Dr. Wang currently lives with her husband, daughter, and cat in Northeast Portland.

Meena Makhijani

Meena Makhijani, DO, ABOIM

Meena Makhijani

Dr. Meena Makhijani is triple board certified in Geriatric Medicine, Family Medicine, and Integrative Medicine. She is also a certified Ayurveda Practitioner, having studied at the Ayurvedic Institute under Dr. Vasant Lad, and SCU (Southern California University). She also completed 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in AyurYoga. As a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.), the concept of whole person care is core to her training. She uses an integrative perspective to optimize health in her Geriatrics practice at UCLA; as well as utilizing her medical knowledge in her Ayurveda practice. She also enjoys maintaining her spiritual and meditation practice, and is a professional Indian classical dancer and tabla player trained by Zakir Hussain.

Colonel Brian Rees, MD

Dr. Rees received his medical degree and master’s degree in public health from Tulane University and is a board-certified family physician. He retired from the US Army Reserve as a colonel after 37 years of commissioned service. A graduate of the US Army War College, Dr. Rees is a veteran of five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and spent eight years in hospital commands. He has also researched and written about the promotion of soldier resilience and resolution of PTSD, most recently as lead author of two published studies about the effects of Transcendental Meditation practice in resolving post-traumatic stress in Congolese refugees. Dr. Rees directs all operations of TM for Veterans, promotes visibility and acceptability of the application of TM for PTSD and resilience, and cultivates, implements and expands partnerships with VSOs, the VA, DoD and others for both TM programs and research.

ramakanth vemuluri

Ramakanth Vemuluri MD, MRCPsych, FAPA, FASAM ABOIM

ramakanth vemuluri

Dr. Ram is a board-certified psychiatrist. After graduating from medical school, he completed his initial psychiatric training in Scotland. Dr. Ram obtained an esteemed membership in the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London. He briefly worked as a consultant psychiatrist in London before moving to America. Dr. Ram completed his residency from the combined program of Creighton University and the University of Nebraska. Dr. Ram is a fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists. Following residency, he went into private practice and had a successful private practice before he moved to Atlanta. Dr. Ram was the first psychiatrist to introduce TMS and ketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression and OCD in Central Alabama. Dr. Ram is board-certified in addiction medicine and has exceptionally high success rates in treating addiction. Dr. Ram is a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Ram has completed a master’s program in Ayurveda and an integrative medicine course. Dr. Ram completed a one-year fellowship in integrative psychiatry, and he is currently board-certified in integrative medicine.

danna park

Danna Park, MD, FAAP, FACP, ABOIM

danna park

Dr. Danna Park specializes in Integrative Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Park received her M.D. degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. She is Board-certified in all three specialties.

Dr. Park is a graduate of the University of Arizona Residential Fellowship in Integrative Medicine. She currently serves as a Clinical Mentor for Integrative Medicine Fellows in training at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Park is the director of Mountain Integrative Medicine, PLLC in Asheville, NC where she provides integrative medicine consultations for adults and children with a variety of medical conditions. Dr. Park has specialized training in integrative cancer care, mind-body medicine, vitamins and supplements, and nutritional approaches for brain-based disorders. Dr. Park works closely with specialists and primary care providers to make sure an integrative plan meets the needs of the patient, addresses the concerns of their physicians and fits within the conventional medical plan in a safe way.

In addition to being a mother of two teen boys, Dr. Park shares a passion for flying airplanes with her husband and is currently fulfilling a lifelong dream of learning to play the harp.

geeta maker clark

Geeta Maker-Clark, MD, ABOIM

geeta maker clark

Dr. Geeta Maker-Clark is the Director of Integrative Nutrition and Advocacy at NorthShore University Health System and Clinical Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Culinary Medicine program at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. Geeta has spent two decades studying integrative medicine, nutritional science, botanical medicine, mind-body medicine, and natural childbirth in health clinics all over the world. She started the Food is Power program on the South Side of Chicago in Chicago Public Schools to empower youth with health literacy, through a curriculum that focuses on decolonized food education, food justice and sovereignty. Geeta was recognized as a national leader in food justice activism with a Castanea Fellowship from 2019-2022 and the Mesa Refuge Michael Pollan Fellowship in Food Journalism in 2021. She believes that food, plants, dance, music, and art are necessary, daily medicines.

Dr. Maker-Clark works with the South Asian domestic violence organization Apna Ghar to teach classes that feature culturally favored foods, and is in partnership with Urban Growers Collective- a Black- and women-led non-profit 11 acre farm in Chicago, having created several food as medicine programs that reach thousands.

Dr. Maker-Clark believes in transforming the way we think about medicine and looks to the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda as well as the modern struggles of her patients as opportunities to heal with the medicines that are all around us. As a woman of color, a community organizer, and integrative physician and leader in the food as medicine movement , her work aims to help communities be well nourished- the heart of healing in our society and country. She maintains her spiritual practice by mantra meditation and as a performing dancer with Ayodele Drum and Dance Company in Chicago.

Amit Shah

Amit Shah, MD

Amit Shah

Dr. Shah is the founder of Palmetto Medical Group and Integra Wellness Center. He is a board certified in Internal Medicine with a special board certification in Integrative Medicine.

His goal is to provide Integrated personalized care with a focus on Prevention and lifestyle modifications with Ayurvedic approach whenever possible.

Dr. Amit Shah has obtained his medical degree from Municipal medical college in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India and was trained at Yale University affiliated residency program at St. Vincent Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He also has obtained special certification by American Board of Integrative Medicine. His passion is in a truly integrative model of care which is being provided by Integra Wellness Center and his medical practice. He balances the application of Ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with modern medical science.

Currently, he is practicing as an Independent Integrative physician at Palmetto Medical Group, located Indian Land, SC which is part of greater Charlotte area. He is also affiliated to MUSC-Lancaster as a consulting medical staff in Palliative Care. He is currently serving as a Medical Director of a community hospice.

His interests include visual arts, creativity, yoga, travel, and community outreach locally as well as internationally. He also is nominated as a Chair of Ayurveda Consortium by incoming president of AAPI.

Aravind Kumar

Aravind Kumar, MS

Aravind Kumar

Aravind Kumar is an Ayurvedic physician specializing in ophthalmic disease. A citizen of the US, after completing high school education in the United States, based on his personal experience with Ayurveda, he opted to learn Ayurvedic medicine and completed undergraduate degree, B.A.M.S (Bachelor of Ayurvedic medicine and Surgery) and postgraduate degree, M.S in Ayurvedic ophthalmology from the School of Ayurveda, Amrita University, in India.

Currently he is pursuing PhD in Physiology and Health from Maharishi International University and works as a Research Coordinator with Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Research and Development Institute, a premier organization that specializes in the Ayurvedic management of ocular disease.

Featured courses

World,Health,Day,Concept:,Human,Hands,Holding,Earth,Global,On

Introduction to Integrative Medicine and Integrative Ayurveda

World,Health,Day,Concept:,Human,Hands,Holding,Earth,Global,On

This course begins with a survey of contemporary trends in health and healthcare, exploring the background and rationale underlying the emergence of Integrative Medicine as a field.

Students learn to practice tools for self-care that will form the basis for integrative patient care. These include principles and practices of mind-body and lifestyle medicine from Ayurveda, meditation, and Yoga. Students learn the basics of coaching patients to implement and sustain such lifestyle change.

The paradigm of consciousness-based health and foundational concepts of Ayurvedic anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment are introduced. Finally, we discuss how modern discoveries of Integrative Medicine and traditional insights into natural health care can be woven into contemporary clinical practice in a science-based, holistic framework called Integrative Ayurveda.

egg avocado salad

Introduction to Nutrition and Diet

egg avocado salad

This course offers in depth knowledge of the scientific basis for healthy eating patterns, from both modern scientific and Integrative Ayurveda vantage points. Students review the scientific literature on the role of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in the diet, and gain a sophisticated understanding of the importance of dietary phytonutrients. The curriculum explores the rationale and evidence for common, popular diets, particularly the anti-inflammatory and Mediterranean diets.

The second part of the course explores how and why Integrative Ayurveda emphasizes the digestive process to facilitate absorption and utilization of nutrients, while minimizing toxic byproducts. Students learn simple protocols for Ayurvedic cooking, when and how to eat, and how to personalize dietary recommendations for an individual mind-body imbalance or mind-body type.

hiker in woods

Lifestyle Medicine

hiker in woods

In this course students expand their understanding and clinical skills in lifestyle medicine, including sleep, exercise, and substance abuse. The course reviews normal sleep patterns as well as common sleep disorders and their management from general Integrative Medicine and Ayurvedic perspectives. Students review the evidence for physical activity as therapy and learn how to create an exercise prescription. We introduce Yoga asanas as traditional movement therapy. From Ayurveda, students learn how to tailor exercise and movement prescriptions to the patient’s mind-body type.

The curriculum presents the evidence for utilizing meditation and other integrative methods for substance abuse. Finally, there is an in-depth discussion of chronobiology, based on both modern and traditional principles, leading to detailed prescriptions for health promotion through daily routine in accordance with chronorhythms.

  • Introduction to Integrative Medicine and Integrative Ayurveda
  • Introduction to Whole Systems of Health
  • Introduction to Mind-Body Medicine
  • Introduction to Nutrition and Diet
  • Integrative Medicine Business and Legal Issues
  • Lifestyle Medicine
  • Environmental Health
  • Five Sense Therapies
  • Botanical Dietary Supplements
  • Integrative Approaches to the Musculoskeletal System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Cardiovascular and Renal Systems
  • Integrative Approaches to the Gastrointestinal System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Respiratory System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Articular System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Endocrine and Reproductive Systems
  • Integrative Approaches to the Immune and Hematologic Systems
  • Integrative Approaches to the Nervous System, Mental Health, and Skin
  • Integrative Approaches to Obstetrics and Pediatrics
  • Integrative Approaches to Aging and Longevity
  • Integrative Approaches to Palliative and End of Life Care
  • Research and Scholarly Activity
  • Clinical Webinars
  • Residential Clinical Weeks

Cost & Aid, 2025-26

Entrance requirements

  • Hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any field with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
  • Apply for admission.
  • Completion of the MIU admissions process, including the submission of official transcripts, a recommendation, and an admissions interview.
  • Applicants must be licensed health care providers, defined as:
    • physicians (MD, DO)
    • advanced practice registered nurses (APRN, NP, CNM, CNS, CRNS)
    • physician assistants (PA)
    • naturopathic physicians (ND, NMD)
    • doctors of pharmacy/pharmacists (PharmD)
    • dentists (DDS, DMD)
    • chiropractors (DC)
    • doctors of Chinese medicine(DACM, DAOM)

English language verification

International applicants must submit official English proficiency test scores within the past 2 years of at least 110 on Duolingo, 6.5 on IELTS Academic, 90 on TOEFL iBT or 58 on PTE.

Before your first class

All MIU students practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique. If you have not learned it yet:

  • Once accepted as a US student, the cost of TM instruction is covered through a grant offered by MIU
  • Applicants are encouraged to learn before beginning the program or within the program’s first month during the self-care module.
  • Contact your admissions counselor for details
  • Find information on the TM technique or search for a TM teacher at TM.org

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