The vision of the Judith Nan Joy Integrative Medicine Initiative is to develop a comprehensive program in complementary and alternative medicine involving research, education and patient care at Children's Memorial Hospital. The program was created in 2003 with a seed grant from Judith Joy and the Jack Miller Family Foundation. Its launch was especially well timed to coincide with new advances in research and education related to pediatric-focused complementary and alternative medicine.
The program's goal is to create a new paradigm for pediatric healthcare through the integration of traditional medical therapies with non-traditional techniques and philosophies of healing. To shift the current paradigm of healthcare for children, we focus on high quality research and scholarship, education for the medical community at the regional, national and international levels, and the incorporation of non-traditional healing techniques in the clinical setting.
Research in complementary and alternative medicine
A central mission of the integrative medicine initiative is to examine which complementary and alternative medicine therapies consistently benefit children suffering from many of the conditions treated at Children's Memorial Hospital. It is far from clear exactly which pediatric patients will benefit from the many CAM therapies available. While we recognize that many of the CAM interventions have very low toxicity and few side effects, the lack of risk does not justify their use. We hope to help discover which therapies truly work for our patients and in which circumstances they should be used. Ultimately, good medicine must be useful and recommended based upon evidence and judgment, not on anecdotes or historical use.
To provide rigorous oversight of the research process, the integrative medicine initiative has a dedicated research director and a scientific advisory committee who work in conjunction with the Institutional Review Board to assure that all studies are not only safe but are scientifically valid. Although many non-western treatments do not lend themselves to direct investigation as modern medicine attempts to do, they must nonetheless withstand careful scrutiny and demonstrate consistent and reproducible responses in patients for whom they are prescribed.
A generous supporter
From her own health experience, Judith Joy is a firm believer in integrative medicine. She is such an advocate of the potential benefits of integrative medicine that her family, through the Audrey and Jack Miller Family Foundation, made a significant gift to Children's Memorial Hospital to create the integrative medicine program. The program has been phased in over several years, culminating in the creation of the Judith Nan Joy Integrative Medicine Initiative. The gift was received through the Medical Research Institute Council, an affiliated organization of the hospital that raises funds exclusively for research.
"I am thrilled to be able to support the new integrative medicine initiative at Children's Memorial Hospital because I believe there are many alternative ways to relieve pain and treat illnesses along with traditional medicine, "says Judith Joy. "I have had great success with a variety of complementary therapies, and I am excited about the potential impact this program will have on the many sick children served by Children's Memorial.
The Miller Foundation's generous gift will enable the hospital to better care for patients' emotional and spiritual health in addition to their physical symptoms. When asked about her motivation for making such a generous gift, Joy said, "I believe everyone has the capacity to help in different ways. I was always taught, "Be a giver not a taker," and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to help others financially."
Judith is frequently seen at the program's events supporting one of the things she loves most, empowering others to do their best in making this a better world in which to grow.
To help patients in Integrative medicine, Children's Memorial seeks philanthropic funding to enhance its programs and services. To find out how your support can help the hospital better serve children and families, please contact the Children's Memorial Foundation at 773.880.4237, send an e-mail or give now.
(Excerpts taken from Carousel, the magazine of Children's Memorial Hospital, Spring 2003)