Brian M. Berman, M.D.
Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Director, The Center for Integrative Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Dr. Brian Berman is a tenured Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Integrative Medicine.  Trained in family medicine and pain management as well as complementary medical approaches such as traditional Chinese medicine, Dr. Berman has dedicated his career to evaluating the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of complementary and integrative medicine.  In 1991 he founded the first U.S. academic medical center-based program for integrative medicine with programs in education, research, and clinical care.

Dr. Berman is one of the most highly funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers in the area of integrative and complementary medicine, receiving over $30 million over the past 14 years.  He is currently principal investigator of two NIH specialized center grants  for the study of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).  One of the centers is focused on the treatment of arthritis and related disorders and the other is an international collaborative center with Hong Kong and is focused on irritable bowel syndrome.  These center grants build on 10 years of work from his two previous NIH center grants and a NIH international center planning grant that has built collaborations with leading institutions in Hong Kong, Australia and the U.S..  In 2004, Dr. Berman's landmark study showing acupuncture to be a safe and effective therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee was published as the lead article in the Annals of Internal Medicine.  Subsequently, it was the focus of 23 million media stories worldwide.  His research publications  include 3 books and over 150 articles in leading medical journals focused on traditional Chinese therapies, such as acupuncture, herbs and Qi Gong, mind/body therapies, and integrative medicine approaches for a wide range of chronic health disorders. 

For the past 23 years, Dr. Berman has practiced integrative medicine and has introduced this approach into the University of Maryland medical system.  He has also introduced core curriculum and elective courses on integrative medicine into the School of Medicine and established both research and clinical fellowships in this field.

A pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, Dr. Berman was honored with the prestigious Bravewell Leadership Award for Integrative Medicine in 2005.  The award "celebrates and supports visionaries who have committed their medical careers to transforming healthcare in America and ushering in a new practice of medicine." He was chair of the ad hoc advisory committee to the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine when it opened in 1992, as well as the report to the NIH on alternative medicine.  Subsequently, he served on their advisory committee for 6 years.  Dr. Berman also helped found and now serves as field coordinator for the complementary medicine field of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization dedicated to evaluating all medical practices.  He was a panel member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine's report on complementary medicine, published in 2005, and was the first chair of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, which grew form 7 to 29 North American universities over his tenure.

See also:  School of Medicine Faculty Bio

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