Harvard The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine 2025

Comprehensive Education and Skills Development for an Integrated Model of Care

The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine will be held on October 30–November 1, 2025. You have the option to attend either online as the course is live streamed or in person in Boston, MA. All sessions will be recorded and made available to all participants to view online, at your convenience, for 60 days following the course.

COURSE OVERVIEW

Mind body approaches such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, cognitive skills, lifestyle interventions and positive psychology now boast an impressive evidence base to support their ability to improve—and in some cases, prevent—stress-related illnesses, ranging from asthma to hypertension, functional bowel diseases and pain syndromes.

Whether you are a physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker or therapist, mind body techniques provide you with evidence-based interventions to enhance patient care and clinical outcomes.

The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine is a comprehensive education program where you learn how to incorporate these skills into your practice. It teaches:

The latest data on stress, stress management, and resilience enhancement, and their impacts on patient health and treatment options

The mind body approaches that form the foundation of modern self-care

When, where, and how you can employ mind body approaches to enhance patient care

Practical skills to guide your patients in the use of self-care techniques

In addition to clinical approaches and integrative models of care, this program provides:

Education on genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and how to leverage recent advances in the neuroimaging of contemplative states

HOW TO BEGIN OR ADVANCE YOUR USE OF MIND BODY MEDICINE

For those who are new to mind body medicine, this program provides comprehensive education to begin using integrated models of care within your practice. For those who have experience in these methods, this program provides updates and workshops to take your skills to the next level.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE

All participants can customize their learning experience. The program offers 48 skills development sessions, focused presentations, and interactive workshops. You can choose the ones that align with your specific goals and clinical interests.

WORLD-RENOWNED FACULTY

This program is taught by leading practitioners and experts in the field of mind body medicine—including Drs. Yvette Cozier, Stephen Post, Adam Rodman, Kasisomayajula Viswanath, and Rochelle Walensky, who are all experts in the scientific research and practical application of mind body medicine.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Define the body’s response to stress, known as allostasis and allostatic load, and the role it plays in the development or exacerbation of medical conditions

Recognize how modifiable lifestyle behaviors synchronized to circadian rhythm builds resiliency

Enrich patient-provider relationship to affect patient outcomes

Develop skills in a variety of meditation methods that elicit the relaxation response

Evaluate the epidemiology of provider burnout and its consequences

Summarize up-to-date meditation-induced brain imaging changes

Develop strategies to lower your risk of provider burnout

Enhance functional expression of empathy to improve clinical performance and personal resiliency

Apply mind-body interventions in the treatment of multiple disease symptomatology

Assess the influence of gut health and diet on mood

Improve your ability to motivate patients towards sustainable behavior change

Deliver a more effective, integrative model of care

Use newfound skills and tools to improve patient outcomes

Identify modifiable risk factors for brain health

Explain mind-body science of depression

Acquire skill in state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral therapies applied to children, adolescents and young adults with a range of emotional and behavioral problems

Identify the components of the Benson-Henry Care Model

Support healthcare change designed to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases

Define the underlying influences of happiness

Formulate a more integrative model of patient care

Experience a variety of healing modalities

Review novel behavioral health interventions designed to influence brain health

Interpret the signs of cognitive decline and depression as a guide towards prevention

Who Should Attend

Education and Skills Development for:

Physicians

Nurse Practitioners

Physician Assistants

Nurses

Psychologists

Social Workers

Counselors

Dietitians

Educators

Health Coaches

Physical Therapists

Occupational Therapists

Residents

Fellows

…and other health professionals who provide direct patient care or patient education in areas of self-management, lifestyle behaviors and mind body medicine.

+ Topics:

Thursday, October 30, 2025

8:00 am to 8:20 am Session 1: Welcome to the Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine Gregory L. Fricchione, MD

8:20 am to 9:20 am Session 2: KEYNOTE: Beyond Individual Happiness: Understanding the Role of “Social” in Health and Well-Being Kasisomayajula Viswanath, PhD

9:20 am to 9:30 am Stretch and Move Break

9:30 am to 10:30 am Session 3: Education and Skills Development Sessions 3A – 3C

3A From Complex PTSD to MD and Back: One Pediatrician’s Story Told Through a Mind-Body Perspective Mark Salvatore, MD

3B Culinary Medicine and Teaching Kitchens for Improving Community Health Jacob Mirsky, MD, FACLM and Elliot Kephart, RD, Chef

3C Mind Body Approaches to Managing Post-Traumatic Stress Zeba Ahmad, PhD

10:30 am to 11:00 am Break

11:00 am to 12:00 pm Session 4: Education and Skills Development Sessions 4A – 4C

4A Mind Body Medicine and the Evolution of Attachment and Cooperation Gregory L. Fricchione, MD

4B Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Cancer: Does Positive Psychology have a Role? Hermioni Amonoo, MD, MPP, MPH

4C A Mind Body Approach to Menopause Mahmooda Qureshi, MD, MSCP, DipABLM

12:00 pm to 1:30 pm Break*

1:00 pm to 1:20 pm Session 5: Optional Sessions Please note: If you would like to attend the tai chi session in person, pre-registration is requested.

OPTIONAL A: Guided Meditation Peg Baim, MS, NP

OPTIONAL B: Experiential – Tai Chi Peter Wayne, PhD

OPTIONAL C: Ways to Use Mind Body Skills with Patients Laura Malloy, LICSW, C-IAYT

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm Session 6: Education and Skills Development Sessions 6A – 6C

6A “Minding” Your Balance: Tai Chi for the Prevention of Falls and Cognitive Decline Peter Wayne, PhD

6B Healing Transformations: How Partnership, Presence, and Patterning Foster Patients’ Personal Integration Katherine Rosa, PhD, FNP-BC

6C Optimizing Health Outcomes for Your Most Vulnerable Patients Giselle Perez, PhD

2:30 pm to 2:40 pm Stretch and Move Break

2:40 pm to 3:40 pm Session 7: Education and Skills Development Sessions 7A – 7C

7A Advanced Meditation and the Third Wave of Meditation Research Matthew Sacchet, PhD

7B Qigong and Tai Chi for Treatment of Depression Albert Yeung, MD

7C Mind Body Practices for Managing Fear and Enhancing Resiliency: Insights from Survivors of Cancer and Mylagic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Daniel Hall, PhD

3:40 pm to 4:00 pm Break

4:00 pm to 5:00 pm Session 8: Education and Skills Development Sessions 8A – 8C

8A Being SMART: Harnessing Resiliency Amidst Uncertainty Elyse R. Park, PhD, MPH

8B Think Like A Sleep Doc: A State-of-the Art Approach to Healthy Sleep Suzanne Bertisch, MD

8C Healthy Aging Lifestyle Interventions to Address Loneliness in OIder Adult Informal Caregivers of People Experiencing Dementia Jane Flanagan, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, ANP-BC, FAAN

5:00 pm to 5:10 pm Stretch and Move Break

5:10 pm to 6:10 pm Session 9: KEYNOTE: Stress and Response in the Black Women’s Health Study Yvette Cozier, DSc

Friday, October 31, 2025

8:00 am to 9:00 am Session 10: KEYNOTE: Thinking About Stress in a Whole New Way: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic Rochelle Walensky, MD and Gregory L. Fricchione, MD

9:00 am to 9:10 am Stretch and Move Break

9:10 am to 10:10 am Session 11: Education and Skills Development Sessions 11A – 11C

11A The Science Underlying Sleep and Meditation John Denninger, MD, PhD

11B Improving Daily Happiness in Older Adult Caregivers with a Remote Virtual and Smartphone-Based Mind/Body Program Felipe Jain, MD

11C Workshop: Tools for Integrating Mind Body Medicine into an Office Visit Peg Baim, MS, NP

10:10 am to 10:30am Break

10:30 am to 11:30am Session 12: Interactive Workshop: How to Teach Meditation and Deepen Your Own Practice Peg Baim, MS, NP, L. Elizabeth Lincoln, MD, and Michael Nathan, MD

11:30 am to 11:40am Stretch and Move Break

11:40 am to 12:40 pm Session 13: Education and Skills Development Sessions 13A – 13C

13A Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Psychedelics Franklin King, MD

13B Mindfulness Training for Healthy Aging: Impact on Memory, Attention, Well-Being, and the Brain Sara Lazar, PhD

13C Biophilic Medicine and the Neuroimmune Benefits of Nature Madeleine A. Becker, MD, MA, FACLP, FAIHM and Ana Ivkovic, MD

12:40 pm to 2:00 pm Break*

1:15 pm to 1:45 pm Session 14: Optional Sessions Please note: If you would like to attend the tai chi session in person, pre-registration is requested.

Optional A: Guided Meditation Ellen Slawsby, PhD

Optional B: Experiential—Tai Chi Barry Friedman

Optional C: Ways to Use Mind Body Skills with Patients Meghan Feldpausch, NP

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm Session 15: Education and Skills Development Sessions 15A – 15C

15A Clearing the Smoke: Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Cannabis Staci Gruber, PhD

15B Yoga: Understanding the Underlying Biomedical Science and Research Sat Bir Khalsa, PhD

15C Music, Spirituality, and Healing Within Black LGBTQIA+ Communities Kei Slaughter, MA, MFA, BMT

3:00 pm to 3:10 pm Stretch and Move Break

3:10 pm to 4:10 pm Session 16: Education and Skills Development Sessions 16A – 16C

16A Heated Yoga for the Treatment of Depression Maren Nyer, PhD

16B Inflammation in the Brain and Body: Depression as a Whole Body Disorder John Matthews, MD

16C Coaching Techniques for a Sustainable Meditation Practice Michael Nathan, MD

4:10 pm to 4:30 pm Break

4:30 pm to 5:30 pm Session 17: KEYNOTE: Pure Unlimited Love: Science and the Seven Paths to Inner Peace Stephen Post, PhD

Saturday, November 1, 2025

8:00 am to 9:00 am Session 18: KEYNOTE: Towards a Medical Superintelligence: The Brave New World of “Reasoning Models” and the Implications for Medical Education and Human-Computer Collaboration Adam Rodman, MD, MPH

9:00 am to 9:10 am Stretch and Move Break

9:10 am to 10:10 am Session 19: Education and Skills Development Sessions 19A – 19C

19A Coaching Your Patients to Get Moving Beth Frates, MD

19B Resilient Youth Aude Henin, PhD

19C Integrating Mind Body Approaches in Primary Care Visits L. Elizabeth “Liz” Lincoln, MD

10:10 am to 10:30 am Break

10:30 am to 11:30 am Session 20: Education and Skills Development Sessions 20A – 20C

20A Beyond the Back: The Art and Science of Chiropractic Care in Whole Person Health Wren Burton, DC

20B It’s All in Your Mind! (and Brain…and Body): Using Mind Body Skills to Improve Resiliency in Pediatric Oncology Patients and Their Families Denise Velazquez, LCSW

20C BHI-Certified Providers Share Tips on How They Put SMART into Practice Miguel Anglada, LICSW; Silvia Ruíz Cala, MD; Kristen Gilmore, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, NE-BC; Irma Torres-Rivera, PhD; and John Denninger, MD, PhD

11:30 am to 11:40 am Stretch and Move Break

11:40 am to 12:40 pm Session 21: Education and Skills Development Sessions 21A – 21C

21A A Salute to Salutogenesis: Creating New Definitions and Delivery of Health Through Patient Care, Technology, and Education Darshan Mehta, MD, MPH

21B Stress and Cardiovascular Disease Ahmed Tawakol, MD

21C Introduction to Wellness: Positivity and Relaxation Training (PART) Tara Jones, MPH; Tom Klisiewicz, CPLP; Rana Chudnofsky, MEd

12:40 pm to 2:00 pm Break*

1:15 pm to 1:45 pm Session 22: Optional Sessions Please note: If you would like to attend the gentle yoga session in person, pre-registration is requested.

Optional A: Guided Meditation Michael Nathan, MD

Optional B:  Experiential: Gentle Yoga Laura Malloy, LICSW, C-IAYT

Optional C: Ways to Use Mind Body Skills with Children Rana Chudnofsky, MEd

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm Session 23: Education and Skills Development Sessions 23A – 23C

23A Treating Addictive Disorders Eden Evins, PhD

23B Mind Body Skills for Managing Pain Ellen Slawsby, PhD

23C A 360-Degree Approach to Study Meditation as a Tool for Mind Body Evolution Balachundhar Subramaniam, MD, MPH, FASA

3:00 pm to 3:10 pm Stretch and Move Break

3:10 pm to 4:10 pm Session 24: Going Forward: What We’ve Learned About Mind Body Medicine and How to Put It into Practice Gregory L. Fricchione, MD, Darshan Mehta, MD, MPH, Elyse R. Park, PhD, MPH, John Denninger, MD, PhD, and Katherine Rosa, PhD, FNP-BC