O Center for East-West Medicine (CEWM) foi fundado em dezembro de 1993 como um dos primeiros centros acadêmicos de medicina integrativa nos Estados Unidos. O CEWM estabeleceu um modelo de cuidado integrativo centrado na pessoa, combinando práticas do Oriente e Ocidente, com ênfase na promoção do bem-estar, prevenção de doenças, tratamento e reabilitação dentro do sistema UCLA Health.
O CEWM oferece serviços clínicos abrangentes, incluindo atendimento consultivo, atenção primária e consultas hospitalares. Além de atender cerca de 40.000 pacientes anualmente, contribui para a formação de profissionais em abordagens não farmacológicas e integrativas como primeira linha de cuidado para populações multiétnicas. Desde 1995, oferece cursos e conferências para estudantes de graduação e medicina, residentes, médicos em prática e outros profissionais de saúde.
A partir de abril de 2021, o CEWM iniciou parceria com o Chinatown Service Center (CSC), uma das maiores organizações asiático-americanas no sul da Califórnia. O CSC atende mais de 35.000 pessoas anualmente, com cerca de 75% de pacientes de origem chinesa e 20% latino-americana. Os objetivos da colaboração incluem:
Tornar os serviços de medicina integrativa acessíveis aos pacientes do CSC;
Transformar o CSC em plataforma de educação médica em competência cultural para comunidades asiáticas-americanas;
Estabelecer um local de pesquisa sobre desigualdades de saúde enfrentadas por imigrantes chineses/asiáticos e latino-americanos.
Apesar dos avanços, a parceria enfrenta desafios significativos, como a falta de financiamento sustentável e suporte salarial para contribuições acadêmicas não clínicas (ensino, desenvolvimento de currículo, coordenação de programas e pesquisa comunitária). Recursos limitados restringem a capacidade de ampliar inovações, avaliar impactos rigorosamente e manter uma equipe interdisciplinar estável. Incertezas políticas e estruturais também ameaçam o planejamento de longo prazo.
Educação Médica:
Early Authentic Clinical Experience (EACE, 2022–2024): Imersão de 10 meses para estudantes de medicina do primeiro ano em clínica integrativa primária em FQHCs.
Discovery Area of Concentration (2023–presente): Imersão de 9 meses para estudantes do terceiro ano em rotações clínicas, pesquisa em disparidades de saúde e desenvolvimento de programas culturalmente sensíveis.
Fellowship e Eletivas (2025–presente): Rotação de fellows e visitantes do CEWM no CSC para desenvolver competências em cuidado comunitário culturalmente informado.
Serviços Clínicos:
Clínica de Ensino em Medicina Integrativa (2022): Atualmente 300 atendimentos/mês, integrando protocolos CEWM com adaptações para o CSC. Equipe com três médicos integrativos e dois acupunturistas licenciados.
Integração em Saúde Mental: Serviços não medicamentosos, incluindo programa de musicoterapia, com expansão futura voltada a crianças e famílias.
Inovação em Saúde Oral: Integração de acupuntura odontológica, com planos para residência odontológica focada em saúde oral integrativa.
Programas Comunitários e Educação em Saúde Pública:
Série de Vídeos de Autocuidado EWM: 27 vídeos com práticas de Tai Chi, acupressão e mindfulness para dor crônica e saúde mental, legendados em breve em chinês.
Cyrus Tang Scholars Program: Treinamento de profissionais de saúde para desenvolver intervenções culturais e não medicamentosas.
Festival “Healing with the Senses” (Maio 2026): Oficinas interativas baseadas nos seis sentidos, storytelling intergeracional e triagem de saúde mental, visando mais de 1.000 participantes.
A parceria CEWM-CSC é um modelo dinâmico de colaboração acadêmica-comunitária em medicina integrativa, baseado em humildade cultural, equidade e cuidado centrado na pessoa. Seu impacto abrange serviços clínicos, formação profissional, promoção de saúde comunitária e equidade em saúde mental. Recomenda-se expandir a integração entre educação, serviço e ciência de implementação para replicar o modelo em outras comunidades de imigrantes.
The Center for East-West Medicine (CEWM) was founded in December 1993 as one of the first academic integrative medicine centers in the United States. CEWM has established a person-centered integrative East-West model of care with an emphasis on wellness promotion, disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation within UCLA Health. With this model, CEWM provides comprehensive clinical services, including consultative care, primary care and inpatient consultative care. In addition to serving close to 40,000 patient visits annually through our four clinics and inpatient consult service, our contribution to the UCLA Health System also includes training clinicians in non-pharmacological and integrative medicine approaches as the first line of care in serving multiethnic patient populations. Since 1995, CEWM has been providing a comprehensive portfolio of integrative medicine courses and conferences for undergraduate students, medicine students, residents, and fellows, practicing physicians (including those from other specialties), as well as other health care providers.
Seeing success at UCLA, CEWM has begun to apply implementation science to extend its reach into underserved communities. Since April 2021, CEWM has partnered with Chinatown Service Center (CSC), one of the largest Asian American organizations in Southern California. CSC provides a range of comprehensive services that include Social Services, Behavioral Health, Medical Services, and a Youth Center, generating 195,000 visits annually. As a successful federally qualified health center (FQHC) for more than 15 years, CSC Health serves more than 35,000 individuals annually with its demographics encompassing ~75% ethnic Chinese and ~20% Hispanic /Latino patients. Our collaboration goals are to: (1) make integrative medicine services available and accessible for its patients and clients, (2) make CSC as a medical education platform for cultural competency on Asian Americans, and (3) establish a research site for health disparities faced by underserved Chinese/Asian and Latinx immigrants.
Below is an experience report showcasing both near- and long-term highlights of the ongoing collaboration.
While the CEWM-CSC partnership has made considerable progress, several challenges remain. Chief among them is the lack of sustainable funding and salary support for non-clinical academic contributions such as teaching, curriculum development, program coordination, and community-engaged research. Despite growing demand, limited resources constrain the ability to scale innovations, evaluate impact rigorously, and retain a stable interdisciplinary workforce.
Additionally, political and structural uncertainties in the healthcare and public funding landscape present ongoing risks to long-term planning. However, the integration of academic medicine with community-based service delivery provides a resilient platform for advancing
Medical Education:
The partnership has enabled the integration of culturally responsive integrative medicine training across the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Key initiatives include:
• Early Authentic Clinical Experience (EACE, 2022–2024): A 10-month community health immersion for first-year medical students, exposing them to integrative primary care in a resource-limited FQHC serving Asian and Latinx populations.
• Discovery Area of Concentration (2023–present): A 9-month immersion for third-year medical students combining clinical rotations, health disparities research, and culturally sensitive program development in Asian American communities.
• Fellowship Training and Electives (2025–present): CEWM fellows and visiting trainees now rotate through the CSC integrative medicine teaching clinic to build competencies in community-based, culturally informed care.
These programs not only enhance the cultural competence of future clinicians but also build a pipeline of practitioners trained to work effectively in underserved and immigrant communities.
Clinical Services:
Since fall 2024, UCLA Department of Medicine and CSC have established a joint clinical service agreement enabling UCLA clinicians to provide care within CSC’s primary care infrastructure. Major accomplishments include:
• Integrative Medicine Teaching Clinic: Launched in 2022, the clinic now delivers 300 visits per month using CEWM’s consultative and treatment protocols adapted to the community setting. Staffed by three integrative physicians and two licensed acupuncturists, it integrates TCM into chronic disease and functional care pathways. There are plans to further integrate East-West Medicine into CSC’s new Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
• Behavioral Health Integration: Joint grants have supported the delivery of culturally congruent, non-drug mental health services, including a music therapy program for common mental disorders. Future collaborations will involve UCLA’s Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health to expand family- and child-centered mental health services and programming.
• Dental-Oral Health Innovation: In partnership with the UCLA School of Dentistry, a CSC dentist completed advanced training in dental acupuncture and now leads East-West oral medicine integration at CSC. With completion of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Teaching Health Center planning grant, plans are underway to launch a general dentistry residency with an emphasis on integrative oral health.
Community Programs and Public Health Education:
Beyond clinical and educational work, the partnership has developed community-facing initiatives to promote self-care and mental wellness in accessible, culturally tailored formats:
• EWM Self-Care Video Series: Developed in collaboration with the LA County Department of Public Health, this 27-video series introduces evidence-based East-West practices—including Tai Chi, acupressure, and mindfulness—for chronic pain and mental health. Videos will soon be subtitled or narrated in Chinese to serve CSC’s patient population.
• Cyrus Tang Scholars Program: This initiative trains early-career health professionals to co-design and pilot culturally sensitive non-drug mental health interventions in partnership with CSC.
• “Healing with the Senses” Festival (May 2026): Celebrating both Mental Health Awareness Month and AAPI Heritage Month, this festival will engage community members in interactive workshops based on the six senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and spirit. Activities will include intergenerational storytelling, hands-on wellness demonstrations, and on-site mental health screenings, targeting a turnout of over 1,000 participants.
The CEWM-CSC partnership represents a dynamic and evolving model of academic-community collaboration in integrative medicine. Rooted in shared values of cultural humility, equity, and person-centered care, the partnership bridges the gap between academic innovation and community need. Its impact extends across clinical services, workforce training, community health promotion, and mental health equity. By aligning education, service, and implementation science, this partnership exemplifies a replicable model for translational, person-centered care in immigrant communities.
