The Harvard Medical School Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies began in 1995 as the Center for Alternative Medicine Research and Education at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The Council of Academic Deans of Harvard Medical School established the Division in 2000. In 2001, a generous gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation led to the establishment of the Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center, which operates in concert with the Division. In early 2002, administration of the Division and Research Center moved from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to Harvard Medical School.
The Division and the Osher Research Center have been, and continue to be, focused on the study of scientific and clinical dimensions of complementary and integrative therapies, as well as their legal, ethical, and economic implications. Under the direction of David Eisenberg, MD, the Division has produced significant research and educational programs, including more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and a range of studies relating to complementary and integrative medicine safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and policy.
The Osher Research Center at Harvard Medical School is the second of three research and educational centers established by the Bernard Osher Foundation for the study of integrative medicine. The first, established in 1997, is at the University of California, San Francisco. A third Center was established at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in 2005. Each year, the directors and principal faculty from the three Centers meet to design and discuss collaborative projects and prioritize research strategies involving complementary and integrative medical approaches.
Harvard Medical School, through its Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, is one of the charter members of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine (CAHCIM). This organization, headquartered in Minneapolis represents upwards of 40 medical schools with established research, educational and clinical programs focusing on complementary and integrative medical therapies.