About the Society
The European Society of Integrative Medicine e.V. (ESIM) is an international European association with the aim to facilitate the advancement of science, research, education and further training, to support best and evidence based medical care and to provide advice on policy in the realm of Integrative Medicine (defined as interaction between conventional and complementary medicine based on evidence-based results). It was founded in April 2011. Founding members were Dr Anne Berghöfer, Prof. Benno Brinkhaus, Prof. Gustav Dobos, Prof. Thomas Keil, Prof. Andreas Michalsen, Dr Michael Teut, and Prof. Stefan N. Willich, who was also the first President from 2011 until 2019.
This includes holding international scientific events: Starting in 2008 the annual European Congress for Integrative Medicine (ECIM) and starting in 2017 the World Congress Integrative Medicine and Health (WCIMH, anticipated every four years). In addition, ESIM is conducting dialogue with professional health care and public health associations and institutions.
ESIM is a non-profit organisation for the benefit of patients, populations, and health care systems. It is committed to independent scientific information and opinions and to political neutrality. The society includes full members, institutional members, sponsoring members, and honorary members.
The society is part of a global movement to orient care, and the education, research and policy that support it, towards a model that draws on biomedical, complementary and traditional medicine practices and respects multiple philosophies.
All natural and legal persons whose professional activities are compatible with the objectives of ESIM may become full members of the society. In addition, legal entities of Integrative Medicine, whose professional activity is compatible with the objectives of ESIM can become full members including national societies of Integrative Medicine. Due to the international character of the ESIM, its members are active in many countries.
The ESIM bodies are
- Executive Board
- Expanded Executive Board
- General Assembly of Members