Integrative medicine can be defined as practicing medicine, focusing on a whole person, in a way that selectively incorporates elements of complementary and alternative medicine into comprehensive treatment plans alongside the conventional/ modern methods of diagnosis and treatment. This is a new field of medicine and our aim is to lead and become a centre of excellence in this area. AMDI will greatly benefit as a leading reference clinical centre for evidence-based approach in development of health and management of diseases, as well as a leading research and academic centre in Integrative Medicine.
Integrative Medicine is a new era in regards to research activity history, although the practice has been implemented for decades. Therefore this field provides huge opportunities for research activities in many areas that have hardly been explored, especially to understand and explain the scientific mechanism of actions behind the clinical efficacy of various treatments. Each branch of integrative medicine eg. Herbal medicines, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, etc. will need huge amounts of scientific evidence before they can be confidently implemented in the clinical setting. This can only be gained by quality preclinical and clinical research activities under the supervision of Integrative Medicine experts at AMDI. The cluster aims to begin research activities in the area of herbal medicine, natural products and biomaterials, and traditional healing practices namely traditional massage therapy. We are also planning for the development of the unit in its new premises that will house the laboratory facilities and administrative centre. In vivo and clinical trials will be conducted at the Clinical Research Centre.
Novel academic post graduate programs, the first of its kind in Malaysia, will be implemented in the near future. It is our hope that the cluster will grow in quantity of members as well as in quality of collaborative research.
Integrative Medicine Cluster hopes to achieve the goal of developing and practicing research-intense evidence-based management of cancer in the region.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gurjeet Kaur
Cluster Heads of Integrative Medicine
MD, (USM) M.Med (Path) (USM), MIAC, AM (Mal)
Specialization : Histopathology, Cytology, Gastrointestinal Pathology
Tel : 04-562 2082
Email:gurjeet@amdi.usm.edu.my