Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute opens new home at UCI
Innovative design promotes wellness, enables expansion of clinical, teaching and research efforts
October 11, 2022
The Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute opens its new clinical location on the UCI campus in Irvine. Photos by Steve Zylius / UCI
Irvine, Calif. — The Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute has a sparkling new home on the University of California, Irvine campus that will significantly expand its clinical, teaching and research efforts to advance evidence-informed, whole-person care.
The official opening to patients will take place Monday, Oct. 17.
Embedded within the new Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences’ 110,000-square-foot complex at the corner of California Avenue and Michael Drake Drive, the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute provides team-based, whole-person clinical care, as well as space for innovative student instruction, multidisciplinary and collaborative research, and community education.
The institute's new flagship clinical center significantly increases access to integrative health services. Encompassing 21,432 square feet, the facility includes:
- 42 rooms for examination, treatment and consultation
- Lab facilities
- Infusion services
- Pharmacy services
- Mussallem Nutritional Education Center
- Intensive cardiac rehabilitation services
- Palmer Family Research and Conference Room
Nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, yoga and group medical classes will be offered, and local community members will be able to attend yoga, tai chi, nutritional cooking classes, educational lectures and integrative health events.
“Patients are increasingly choosing the Samueli Institute to support their individual health journeys because they trust the evidence-informed, whole-health services our expert providers offer," said Dr. Shaista Malik, executive director of the institute. "As an academic institution, we are laser-focused on producing scientific evidence that increases our understanding of how integrative treatments improve outcomes, who benefits and in what circumstances.”
From its exterior landscaping and interior design to its soothing color schemes, tones and textures, the institute's new home promotes wellness by incorporating elements that recognize the instinctive human connection to nature. It features two living-plant walls that produce oxygen and are sustained by built-in self-irrigation systems.
“The new center is the brick-and-mortar realization of our vision to make integrative care the national standard of care for all people,” said Susan Samueli, co-chair of the Samueli Foundation’s board of directors. “Every person should feel hopeful, seen and heard as an individual when they’re engaging with the healthcare system, and the new center’s design and approach to care achieves that goal.
"We are proud to support UCI as it strives to be the national leader in whole-person health research, education and patient care. Seeing the new clinic open is truly a dream come true, knowing how many people in Orange County will benefit from this world-class care in a world-class facility.”
Student education will be enhanced through participation in multidisciplinary clinical rotations with colleagues from medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health.
Scientists and scholars from diverse schools and programs — supported by the institute’s research team — will have a core research space to conduct collaborative, groundbreaking investigations that deepen understanding of whole-person health.
The newly constructed Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences opened to students for fall-quarter classes in September. The core research area is scheduled to open later this year. Community activities will be available throughout 2023.
“Patients recognize that UCI Health is leading the way with innovative, evidence-based care, and their response to our whole-person approach has been outstanding,” said Chad Lefteris, chief executive office of UCI Health. “This new building on the Irvine campus is truly extraordinary. It is the crown jewel of a growing network of community locations available throughout Orange County, making these unique services more easily accessible.”
Samueli family’s enduring support
Susan and Henry Samueli’s abiding interest in health and wellness is reflected in their $5.7 million gift in 2000 to establish UCI’s Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. Its purpose was to explore the frontiers of complementary and integrative medicine.
In 2017, the Samuelis pledged $200 million to support a first-of-its-kind college of health sciences at UCI that is focused on interdisciplinary, integrative health. This enabled the center’s expansion to become the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. The far-reaching donation — the seventh largest to a single public university at the time — positioned UCI to become the preeminent national and international academic institution for pioneering, multidisciplinary research and developing education and healthcare practices for whole-person care.
About UCI Health: UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 459-bed acute-care hospital, listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 22 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, as well as behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. It is the primary teaching hospital for the UCI School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About UCI’s Brilliant Future campaign:Publicly launched on Oct. 4, 2019, the Brilliant Future campaign aims to raise awareness and support for UCI. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UCI seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute plays a vital role in the success of the campaign. Learn more by visiting https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/susan-samueli-integrative-health-institute-2.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
