As the Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Wisconsin–Madison nears its fifth anniversary, a new $2 million grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation is strengthening the center’s long-term stability.
Greta Kuphal, MD, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The funding builds on a landmark $5 million gift that established the Osher Center in 2022. That earlier investment provided infrastructure and elevated visibility. This additional support reinforces its financial footing and helps ensure that existing work can continue.
“This additional $2 million helps solidify what we already have,” said Greta Kuphal, MD, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health. “It gives us a stronger foundation for the work we’re committed to and allows us to focus on continued strategic growth.”
Sharpening Focus Through Strategic Planning
Housed in the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, the Osher Center is engaged in a formal strategic planning process supported by UW’s Office of Strategic Consulting. One result of that work is the creation of three associate director roles designed to strengthen coordination across the center’s core missions.
“We’re being very intentional right now about focus,” Kuphal said. “These roles help us coordinate research, education, and clinical innovation more effectively.”
The planning process is also helping clarify where future growth may be possible — and where additional funding will be needed to pursue it responsibly.
Deepening Community Connections
Even without major expansion, the Osher Center remains active across community, clinical, and educational efforts with an emphasis on equity, cultural respect, and mutual learning.
Current initiatives include working with community health workers at the Allied Wellness Center to reimagine the Department of Veterans Affairs Whole Health peer support group model to make it relevant to the Allied community, as well as partnering with the Center for Black Excellence and Culture to study the effects of African dance on the health of pregnant women. The Osher Center has also piloted Spanish-language mindfulness programming and provides integrative health consultation services at Access Wingra Community Health Center.
“Some of our most meaningful work has been with community partners, where learning is truly bidirectional,” Kuphal said.
Clinical, Educational, and National Leadership
Clinically, the Osher Center continues to expand group medical visits and integrative approaches for conditions such as chronic pain and tobacco abuse, as well as to strengthen partnerships and offerings with other departments, including gastroenterology and oncology. Educationally, it plays a national leadership role in setting standards for integrative health education, with a focus on diversity, equity, and respectful engagement with culturally rooted practices.
That leadership extends through the Osher Collaborative, which connects ten Osher Centers in the US along with one in Sweden. Kuphal currently serves on the collaborative’s executive committee.
“It’s truly a powerful collaborative of some of the most prestigious academic integrative health programs in the country — we learn so much from other centers, and we also contribute significantly with our own expertise,” she said.
Looking Ahead: Milestones and Momentum
The coming year will be especially significant. The Osher Center will help commemorate 25 years of integrative health at UW and will host the Osher Collaborative’s annual meeting this fall. Plans include a celebratory reception; engagement with university and health system leadership, donors, and partners; and an opportunity to highlight UW’s integrative health work for a national audience.
“Hosting the Osher Collaborative during our 25th anniversary year is a real milestone,” Kuphal said. “It’s a chance to highlight UW–Madison’s leadership in integrative health.”
Looking ahead, the Osher Center’s vision is intentionally framed with care and humility.
“My hope is that we continue to be a strong, coordinated center that supports whole health within the health system and the community,” Kuphal said. “If we can be a nucleus for collaboration around promoting whole person health — not just finding and treating disease — that would be a meaningful measure of success.”
For now, the new grant ensures that the Osher Center can continue its work steadily and thoughtfully, supported by a solid foundation.
Published: May 2026