A $5.5 million gift to establish the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UVM will expand access to complementary therapies for UVM Cancer Center patients.

Cancer and its treatment often come with significant challenges that require additional support beyond traditional medical approaches. Integrative therapies refer to the use of complementary therapies in collaboration with conventional cancer treatment to enhance wellness, improve quality of life, and relieve symptoms and side effects of conventional treatments.

UVM has been at the forefront of integrative oncology and currently provides massage, acupuncture, yoga, mindfulness, wellness programs and other complementary therapies to cancer patients and survivors. These therapies have a proven track record for controlling pain, fatigue and other side effects, while improving psychological outlook and quality of life, and will be expanded under the new Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.