Where We Began
Healthy Us®, founded in 2018, is led by two highly-accomplished thought leaders and philanthropists in the field of Integrative Medicine whose earlier work in The Bravewell Collaborative brought the practice of Integrative Medicine mainstream within the clinical and academic world across America.
Where We are Now
Having successfully elevated Integrative Medicine to include a national network of educators and practitioners, Christy Mack and Ann Lovell are now fostering consumer initiatives under the banner of “health and well-being.” The overarching objective for The Healthy Us Collaborative and all of its endeavors is to build public awareness and adoption of Whole Health. Its first, signature initiative, TakeCare, invites people to take care of their Whole Health: Mind, Body, Spirit, and Community. Through powerful storytelling, education, community support, and tools and resources, TakeCare inspires a Whole Health movement for all.
About The Bravewell Collaborative
The Bravewell Collaborative was a community of leading philanthropists who worked together from 2001 to 2015. They partnered with physicians, researchers, and educators who successfully transformed the healthcare system by fast-tracking Integrative Medicine into mainstream medicine. The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health was formed in 2005 with Bravewell’s support, which began with seven academic medical centers and is now 76 and growing.
Bravewell’s influence and support contributed to numerous other initiatives, elevating Integrative Medicine within America’s healthcare system. Bravewell’s successes now serve as a springboard for The Healthy Us Collaborative’s consumer-facing programs to promote health and well-being.
Key Contributions by The Bravewell Collaborative
- The Academic Consortium for Integrative Health & Medicine: Established strong communities of practice that have furthered the advancement and adoption of Integrative Medicine by developing models of care, facilitating the incorporation of Integrative Medicine into all levels of medical education, supporting high-quality research, and influencing local, state, and national health policy.
- The Bravewell Clinical Network: The Integrative Medicine Centers of Excellence that shared best practices and lessons learned in Whole Health.
- BraveNet: A practice-based research network, created by the Clinical Network, is comprised of 19 Integrative Medicine centers based at many of the nation’s leading hospitals and medical centers.
- IOM Summit: The Institute of Medicine at the National Academies convened a Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public, which was co-created and funded by Bravewell in 2009. It explored the science and practice of Integrative Medicine and the ways it could help improve the health of the nation. It was the largest attended summit in the history of the IOM (now called the National Academies of Medicine).
- Patients Receiving Integrative Medicine Interventions Effectiveness Registry (PRIMIER): The first nationwide registry focused on evaluating patient-reported outcomes using an Integrative Medicine approach to care.
- The Leadership Program in Health and Well-Being at Duke University: A year-long program that cultivates health care leaders with the knowledge and skills to expand an integrative health culture across health care and beyond.
- The Bravewell Story: “How a Small Community of Philanthropists Made a Big Difference in Healthcare,” traces the 14-year history of this organization and how it addressed important issues in healthcare.
Christy Mack
Co Founder and Chair
Ann Lovell
Co Founder and Honorary Board Member