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MUM signed a memorandum of understanding with St. Martinus University (SMU) Faculty of Medicine in Curacao and with Maharishi University of Latin America and the Caribbean (UMLAC) for the joint medical education program.
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by Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, The Review
October 2014
Plans to offer a medical degree that confers both an accredited MD as well as an MS in Maharishi AyurVeda and integrative medicine moved a landmark step forward in August when Maharishi University of Management (MUM) signed an agreement with two universities in Curacao in the Caribbean.
Students will alternate study at both the Curacao and MUM campuses.
This new program will be the first of its kind, in which study and practice of modern medicine, Maharishi AyurVeda, and other scientific systems of natural medicine are integrated from the first to the last day of the five-year curriculum, said Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, who is the dean of MUM's Maharishi College of Perfect Health.
"If a patient has high blood pressure, the physician will be able to diagnose and treat the condition using both modern and natural approaches," Dr. Schneider said. "Treatment could include medication and/or meditation. Or chronic pain might be treated with surgery, massage, or marma therapy."
MUM signed a memorandum of understanding with St. Martinus University (SMU) Faculty of Medicine in Curacao and with Maharishi University of Latin America and the Caribbean (UMLAC) for the joint medical education program.
At completion of the joint program, SMU will award the MD, UMLAC will award a doctorate (currently being reviewed by Curacao officials), and MUM will award an MS in Maharishi AyurVeda and integrative medicine. There will be one enrollment process, but with multiple degrees conferred.
SMU is a nationally recognized university, and graduates of the program will be able to take the U.S. medical licensure exams and practice in the U.S. Or they can take similar exams in other countries.
For the last two clinical years of medical school, students will rotate through U.S. hospitals, where SMU already has arrangements for student rotations.
"For six years we've been exploring every avenue to develop an integrative medicine medical degree, but it was a daunting task, costing about $30 million in the U.S. to meet American accreditation requirements," Dr. Schneider said. "This joint venture is the best option to move forward immediately."
Sanjay Sharma, the president of SMU, visited this past summer along with the national leader of the Transcendental Meditation organization of Curacao and the president of UMLAC, Carl Camelia. Both were impressed by the Maharishi College of Perfect Health plan and infrastructure. Dr. Schneider then made a site visit to Curacao.
"The arrangements are ideal," Dr. Schneider said. "The next steps are to organize the details for the program. Our goal is to accept new students in winter 2014–15 and to commence this groundbreaking program in the fall of 2015."
© Copyright 2014 Maharishi University of Management
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