At the end of this program, scholars will be qualified to provide leadership on implementation of MBIs into a healthcare setting using insurance coverage and other innovative payment models. Scholars will also receive a Mindful Healthcare Implementation Certificate. This program focuses on the pragmatic integration of mindfulness and compassion interventions into complex healthcare systems through the lens of implementation science and quality improvement. This track is for those who want to apply the scientific foundation of implementation frameworks and quality improvement methods (e.g., PDSA cycles). The program emphasizes practical application, leadership development, and strategies for overcoming barriers to adoption and scaling.  

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Mindful Healthcare Implementation Certificate, students will:

• Develop a comprehensive implementation plan for mindfulness or compassion-based intervention in a healthcare context.

• Produce a project proposal that includes measurable outcomes and sustainability strategies. 

Foundational Knowledge of the Definition of Implementation Science and Quality Improvement 

• Define Implementation Science as the scientific study of methods to promote the uptake of evidence-based practices into routine healthcare.

• Define Quality Improvement as the scientific study of methods to promote site specific changes into routine healthcare.

• Define the difference between quality improvement and implementation science

Assessing the Landscape of the Health Care Scholars Medical Site and Developing a Basic Quality Improvement or Implementation Plan

• Create an Assessment Inventory Tool to explore the location’s existing mindfulness and compassion programming in the medical setting 

• Recognize the needs of the community, clinicians, administration and patients to implement Mindful and Compassion programs within their organization.

• List what are the drivers and barriers of mindfulness and compassion in one’s health care setting and who are the champions and potential partners in your health system

• Identify 3 reasons why mindfulness and compassion evidence-based practices often fail to be adopted in clinical settings by identifying common barriers and facilitators.

Choose the Implementation Science and Quality Improvement Outcome Measures

• Identify key outcomes to measure during the QI or implementation project: Determine the best type of outcomes: clinical outcomes, implementation outcomes, cost outcomes.

• Get the buy-in from clinicians, administrators, patients, etc—in the implementation process and outcomes.

Addressing factors and barriers involved in implementing mindfulness  and compassion programs into medical settings and how to overcome them.

This is for an individual  who is currently implementing a project and needs mentoring assistance. We will offer individual and/or group mentoring office hours for people to sign up for and this can be selected by participants based on budget.  

Some examples of successful implementations that our team has already provided for other healthcare settings, include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Primary Care, the Marino Center for Integrative Health; Mount Sinai (NYC); Boston Medical Center; Cambridge Health Alliance; and The Mandela Yoga Project.

Please email pgardiner@challiance.org for more information.

For those who have finished foundations and would like to pursue becoming a facilitator for a Mindfulness program 

Scholars will have the opportunity to gain personal experience in an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention of their choice at CMC during the year. Scholars can choose a pathway for attaining MBI certification based on their personal preference and professional goals.

Intensive training at CMC in MBCT or MBC are offered at an all-included discounted price.

Pathways with collaborating partner institutions can also be considered.

First hand training in:

-Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

-Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) 

-Mindful Behavior Change (MBC)

• In order for MBC groups to be led as an insurance-reimbursable modality, at least one group leader should be a licensed clinician in the state where the group is offered.

Training of the next generation

• Advanced Clinical Mindfulness Fellowship
  

Pricing for the Foundations Course

Early Bird Rate ~ April 1, 2026: $699.00
Participant Rate ~ 799.00
Student/Resident rate ~ $ 499.00
Cambridge Health Alliance Rate for faculty or staff ~ $499.00
Late Enrollment Rate ~ $899.00 

Click here to apply 

~

Pricing for Advanced Training Tracks

Implementation and Quality Improvement Science for Mindfulness and Compassion in Healthcare Certificate Program:

Those enrolled in BOTH the Foundations Course and the Certificate Program will get a 20% discount on the cost of the Implementation program course.

Foundations Course + Certificate Program ~ $799 + $ 1,299.00
(20% discount) = Total cost $2,098

Implementation course alone ~ $ 1,299.00

Mentorship Program
Only mentoring ~ $240.00
Early sign up ~ $192 (save 20%)


Mindfulness Group Leadership

Students who sign up for both Foundations and Mindfulness Group Leadership program at the same time will get a 20% discount on the cost of the program course.

Core Curriculum Course + Mindfulness Group Leadership~ $799 + $ 1,279.00
(20% discount) = Total cost $2,078

Mindfulness Group Leadership alone ~ $ 1,279.00

A full refund will be issued, minus a $100 processing fee, for cancellations made up to two weeks before the start date of the training. A 50% refund will be issued for cancellation in the period between two weeks and two working days before the start of the training. No refund is available if cancellation is within 2 working days before the start of the training or once program training materials are received.

• Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Healthcare Settings

• Developing Your Personal Mindfulness Practice

• Identifying Payment Models for Financial Stability

• Types of MBIs

• Communicating MBI Proposal to Upper Leadership

• Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Adaptations for Diverse Populations

• Overview of MBI Clinic Procedure and Clinic Workflows

• Evaluating Your Groups

• Improving Leadership Skills: team building, change management, and interprofessional

• Building Your Support Network: peer scholars, alumni, and faculty

A Mindful Healthcare Scholar is a professional who is interested in learning about how mindfulness and compassion practices can be used in healthcare settings for the care of patients and supporting providers. This program provides scholars the opportunity for skill building and applying what is learned to implement projects in healthcare settings or through scholarly work. A Scholar does not need to have any prior personal experience with techniques related to mindfulness or other mind/body practices, and does not need to be a healthcare clinician.

There are numerous clinical trials showing how evidence-based MBIs can reduce depression, anxiety, stress, blood pressure, cardiovascular risk, and chronic pain. Mindfulness training in healthcare also helps reduce clinicians’ stress and burnout, improve communication, and increase the overall well-being of healthcare providers.

Examples include: 

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)

Mindful Behavior Change, a program studied and created by CMC’s research team.

Integrated Group Medical Visits (IGMV)

Note: Some Scholars may also want to consider implementation of other Mind Body approaches, such as Yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi, which engage mindfulness as one of their mechanisms of action. These and other integrative approaches may be welcome if the Scholar already has knowledge about the use of these interventions, or has access to qualified teachers at their healthcare site.

The Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC), established in 2014, is part of the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) healthcare system, affiliated with Harvard Medical School (HMS). CMC is a research, training, and clinical center, working to integrate evidence-based mindfulness and compassion practices into primary care, mental health, and outpatient healthcare settings. Examples include:

CMC’s MINDFUL-Primary Care (PC) project, which integrated mindfulness into primary care across the CHA healthcare system, has been studied in several clinical trials and has been disseminated to several other healthcare systems. 

The Mindful Mental Health Service, which was founded 8 years ago and has had more than 5,000 healthcare system referrals, now offers a core set of referral-based, insurance reimbursable MBI services for hundreds of patients every year. 

Our team has already provided implementation consultation for other healthcare settings such as Beth Israel Lahey Health Primary Care, the Marino Center for Integrative Health; Boston Medical Center; and The Mandela Yoga Project.

CMC specifically designed Mindful Behavior Change with patient groups that are insurance reimbursable and integrated into the healthcare system. In order for MBC* groups to be led as an insurance-reimbursable modality, at least one group leader should be a licensed clinician in the state where the group is offered.

*If your identified group leader is not trained in an MBI and is interested in becoming trained in MBC, which is specifically designed to be led in clinical settings, please learn more about the MBC Group Leader Training pathway. See below for discounts on Professional Training Packages.

The Mindful Healthcare Scholars program is co-directed by Paula Gardiner, MD, MPH and Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD.

Dr. Gardiner is a family physician, Director of Implementation in Primary care, and an Associate Professor at University of Massachusetts. She is a national leader in the implementation of integrative group medical visits.

Dr. Schuman-Olivier is a psychiatrist and an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He was the Founding Center Director for the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at CHA and is the Director for the CHA Mindful Mental Health Service