Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP

For the past thirty years, Deepak Chopra, MD, has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution in the West. He knew of the practice from his youth in India but had never practiced it himself. It wasn’t until he was in his thirties and living the unhealthy lifestyle of a stressed, overworked doctor (which included cigarettes and little self-care) that he reached a turning point. He started practicing mediation and it changed his life. Since then, it has become Chopra’s mission to teach meditation to as many people as possible through his books, lectures, podcasts, and apps.

Founder of the Chopra Foundation, a nonprofit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day whole-health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Dr. Chopra is a clinical professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego, and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of more than ninety books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His ninetieth book and national bestseller, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential (Harmony Books), unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. Time magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.”

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Lisa Miller, PhD

Lisa Miller, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University, Teachers College and is Founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program in spirituality and psychology.

Dr. Miller is a foremost scientist on spirituality across the lifespan, with her work published in top research journals including JAMA-Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Her innovative research has focused on quantifiable effects of spirituality in health, resilience and thriving, and an overall sacred and joyful life. Her clinical and consultation work focuses on spiritual awareness and spiritual growth, for individuals, families, groups and organizations.

Dr. Miller is the author of “The Spiritual Child; The New Science of Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving.” Based upon her decade and a half of experience, she offers talks, workshops and consultations on spirituality in healthy development to parents and schools, adult wellness groups, and private and public organizations. She is the Editor of The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality and Co-Editor of the APA journal, Spirituality in Clinical Practice. She has been elected as

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This one-day, virtual, interdisciplinary educational and experiential conference will advance the knowledge and understanding of students, faculty, and community members on the role, scientific evidence, and range of commonly used integrative medicine and wellness practices for healing, providing up to 6 CME credits. Eligible for these credits are physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.

The mission of the conference will be the integration of evidence-based science with clinical and spiritual practices, towards the goal of the development of integrative health and wellness across the lifespan.

Participants will learn a variety of practices and techniques to incorporate into personal and professional health/wellness and learn rigorous ways to investigate the feasibility, safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of integrative modalities. A plenary speaker presentation and panel discussion will frame the conference in a morning session. In the afternoon, experiential and/or didactic breakout groups will be used to offer training and experiences surrounding a variety of integrative health and spiritual practices, such as mindfulness, wellness, digital therapeutics (i.e., virtual reality), cannabis/CBD, yoga, social justice, aging, and traditional healing practices. The day will close with a percussive healing drumming ceremony and, finally, a wine tasting emphasizing wine’s health benefits and risks, for which a tasting flight can be purchased during registration or through which participants can simply enjoy the presentation. We will also offer a mixology class for those who prefer spiritual or non-alcoholic beverages. We will use digital networking features and platforms to ensure that all conference participants are able to meet new people and expand their professional networks.

The conference is co-hosted by the USC Office of Religious & Spiritual Life and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, with generous financial support from the Jerome Stone Family Foundation.

We look forward to your participation.

Heal On,

Jeffrey I. Gold, PhD
IIHW Director & Program Director, USC IIHW 2020 Annual ‘Virtual’ Conference

2020 USC IIHW Virtual Conference Steering Committee

Erin Annick, BA
Conference Coordinator

Lisa McDonald-Reyes, MPH
CME Coordinator

Steven Carrasco, MPH
Conference Committee

Charles Kaplan, PhD
Scientific Oversight Committee

George Salem, PhD
Scientific Oversight Committee

Conference Partners