Meet the IMCS Director
Patrick J. Mansky, M.D.
Patrick J. Mansky, M.D., is Director of the new Integrative Medicine Consult Service (IMCS) at the NIH Clinical Center. Dr. Mansky received his medical degree from Witten/Herdecke University Medical School, Witten, Germany, where his interest in CAM began (one of its teaching hospitals combined aspects of anthroposophical, psychosomatic, and naturopathic medicine). Dr. Mansky completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in immunogenetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and received combined residency training in pediatrics and internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland.
Dr. Mansky joined NIH in 1997 as a clinical and research fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology and medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute. He came to NCCAM in 2001 as a staff clinician and clinical investigator in the intramural oncology program. His research focuses on CAM approaches in the care and treatment of cancer patients and cancer survivors.
What will be at the top of your list when you start as Director of the IMCS?
I will be familiarizing myself with the expectations and needs of the Clinical Center and the other NIH institutes and centers (ICs) with respect to CAM and integrative medicine. I will also be learning more about current CAM offerings at the Clinical Center. Establishing a credentialing procedure for some NIH health care practitioners who have CAM training and expertise and wish to practice CAM is another priority.
What is your vision for the IMCS?
The IMCS will be developing programs and services to meet the clinical, educational, and research needs of NIH staff, patients, and their families. At first, it will use CAM approaches that are already available at NIH. It may eventually add other approaches based on need, the evidence base, and, in keeping with NIH's mission, research questions. I see the consultations provided both as a clinical service function and as research on outcomes and the integrative approach. This should help advance medical knowledge and improve patient care. Collaboration (e.g., in practice, among practitioners, and among the ICs) will be important.
Training and education are two key areas. What are some examples of things you plan to do?
The IMCS will develop educational programs on CAM and integrative medicine for NIH staff, patients, and their families. This will be done in collaboration with the Clinical Center departments and with the NIH ICs. The IMCS will also reach out to national and international experts in the field and to patient advocacy groups. Examples of activities could include lectures, seminars, workshops, and conferences.
