Integrative Health and Medicine Research Focuses on Patients' Well-being
University Hospitals Connor Whole Health, one of the largest, most innovative integrative health and medicine (IHM) programs in the United States, is at the forefront of a growing and dynamic field that focuses on patients’ entire wellbeing, combining conventional medicine approaches with evidence-based non-pharmacologic modalities like acupuncture, massage therapy, music therapy, and chiropractic care, to enhance overall health and help patients achieve their goals.
The UH Connor Whole Health research team of physicians and clinician scientists collaborates regularly with physicians and providers across University Hospitals to strengthen the evidence base for integrative therapies and determine how best to apply them in the broader scope of patient care. Their findings guide the implementation of innovative care models to meet clinical needs and maximize outcomes for patients treated for a variety of symptoms and conditions, including anxiety, depression, cancer, chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, long-COVID, sickle cell disease, and infertility.
Interdisciplinary Research with Real-World Impact
UH Connor Whole Health conducts pioneering clinical trials and large-scale observational studies across the health system to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of integrative therapies. These studies not only enhance patient care but also inform healthcare delivery, public policy, and insurance coverage decisions.
Data-Driven, Evidence-Based Innovation
The IHM team specializes in analyzing large clinical datasets and using electronic health records (TriNetX, Allscripts, Epic) to study therapies like music therapy and chiropractic care. Our research has demonstrated the benefits of music therapy for pain in sickle cell disease and expanded to other populations, such as those with COPD and heart failure. These insights support evidence-based practices that address both physical and psychological patient needs.
Our Research Areas
Connecting the Mind and Body through Evidence-Based Integrative Modalities
In a Science@UH podcast episode, UH Connor Whole Health researchers discuss how mind-body approaches such as music therapy can reduce pain, stress, and anxiety among several populations.
BraveNet Research Network Advances Integrative Research
We are leaders in a fast-moving research field, and members of BraveNet, a practice-based research network comprised of 32 IHM sites in the United States and around the world that have joined together to help advance IHM research by providing clinical outcomes and cost-benefit data previously not available to the medical and scientific communities.
Federal Grant Launches Program to Combat Opioid Epidemic
In 2024, UH Cleveland Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine received $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to develop and implement an Emergency Department Alternatives to Opioids (ED-ALTO) program. The program will expand non-opioid modalities (i.e., music therapy and acupuncture) for patients presenting to the Emergency Department with pain. This is the first award SAMHSA has made to University Hospitals, which joins a group of other medical centers funded by SAMHSA to implement ED-ALTO programs.