Mark Hyman, MD Named Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Institute for Functional Medicine

GIG HARBOR, Wash., June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) has named Mark Hyman, MD as chairman of the board. Dr. Hyman has been a member of the IFM board of directors since 2001, and for the past two years has served as vice-chairman. Joseph Pizzorno, ND, who has been chairman of the board for the past four years, will now serve as vice-chairman. The board changes were announced at the IFM International Symposium on Functional Medicine in Carlsbad, California in late May. Dr. Hyman has been instrumental in raising awareness of functional medicine, and over the past two years he has worked closely with Dean Ornish, MD and others to inform Congress about systems and functional medicine as a new way of approaching public health and the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Dr. Hyman will lead IFM in new initiatives to expand education, research and collaboration in the field of functional medicine.

"I am both honored and excited to assume this position leading the strategic direction for the Institute for Functional Medicine," said Mark Hyman, MD at the time of his appointment as chairman. "Functional medicine is the most effective model for dealing with the burden of chronic illness in our society, both in terms of better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Through increased educational opportunities for healthcare professionals, expanded research and the formation of collaborative partnerships, it is my goal to help IFM promote functional medicine as the standard for 21st century medicine."

By incorporating the latest in genetic science, systems biology and a growing understanding of how environmental and lifestyle factors influence the emergence and progression of disease, the functional medicine model enables physicians and other healthcare professionals to address the underlying causes of disease with proactive, prescriptive, personalized medicine.

About Dr. Mark Hyman

Mark Hyman, MD is chairman of the board of directors and a core member of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine. He is a family physician, a four-time New York Times bestselling author and an internationally-recognized leader in the field of functional medicine. In 2009 Dr. Hyman was honored with the Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Award. Dr. Hyman is the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA and served for nearly 10 years as co-medical director at Canyon Ranch, also in Lenox.

Dr. Hyman completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Medicine and completed postgraduate training in the Family Medicine Program of the University of California at San Francisco. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine.

About The Institute for Functional Medicine

The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization. Through education, research and outreach, IFM prepares physicians and other health professionals to practice in integrated healthcare settings using the common principles, language and tools of functional medicine. IFM is the only organization providing education in functional medicine that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Through IFM's training programs, publications and symposia, health practitioners are learning how functional medicine enables them to provide proactive, personalized care that is effective in preventing, reducing and even reversing chronic disease.

SOURCE The Institute for Functional Medicine