October 28, 2013
Rita Benn, Ph.D., holds appointments as a research investigator (adjunct) in the Department of Family Medicine and assistant research scientist with the Institutes for Research on Women and Gender and Social Research at the University of Michigan (UM). She also functions as the UM Director of the Faculty Scholars Program (FSP) in Integrative Healthcare, a unique interdisciplinary faculty development program and served as the Director of Education for U-M Integrative Medicine (UMIM) for ten years. In that role, she designed academic curricula, course materials, and different competency based evaluation tools and program evaluation processes. In addition to the FSP, Dr. Benn teaches medical students and residents as well as facilitates mindfulness groups for teachers, healthcare professionals, parents, and children. Dr. Benn consults nationally on research programs to evaluate the impact of integrative medicine programs on patients and medical students. Her published research includes investigations on the effects of mindfulness on health and well-being. She has served as a PI and Co-PI on several large scale research and community-based grants over the course of career.
Dr. Benn is on the executive committee for the Consortium for Academic Health Centers in Integrative Medicine, and was active as the chair for the Education work group of this organization. She also serves a reviewer for several academic journals and panels for NIH. Dr. Benn received her PhD from the University of Michigan’s Combined Program in Education and Psychology. She has three grown children and lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and golden retriever.