Integrative Medicine

Faculty Bio's

Rita Benn, Ph.D.
Dr. Benn coordinates a year long interdisciplinary Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare, assists faculty across professional schools in the design, implementation and evaluation of coursework,  and plans academic graduate programs and continuing education workshops for physicians and health care professionals. Dr. Benn also implements mind-body stress reduction courses for students, professionals and the community. Dr. Benn recently completed her tenure as the Co-chair of the Education Work group for the Consortium of Academic Health Center and has published educational guides and articles in the area of integrative medical education. Dr. Benn’s research focuses on examining the effects of mind-body practices, energy healing and spirituality on health and well-being in women and children. Dr. Benn has a strong interest in positive organizational learning and in assessing attitude and system change resulting from exposure to educational innovations in integrative medicine. Dr. Benn frequently serves as a scientific reviewer on panels convened by NCCAM and other NIH institutes. Dr. Benn received her PhD from the University of Michigan's Combined Program in Education and Psychology, and practiced as a clinical child and school psychologist. She holds research faculty appointments in the UM Department of Family Medicine and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.

Andrew Heyman, M.D., M.H.S.A.
Dr. Heyman was the first integrative medicine fellow at the University of Michigan.  He has been involved in the field of integrative medicine for the past 15 years, first as a certified shiatsu practitioner.  He received formal training in Five element Shiatsu from the Meridian Institute in Pennsylvania and continued to practice professionally for several years.  He has worked with Jim Gordon, MD at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine exploring the intersection between public health, at risk groups, and alternative therapies.  Dr. Heyman eventually went on to receive a Masters in Health Services Administration at the University of Michigan School of Public Health where he continued to consult on public health projects related to CAM therapies.  Upon graduation, he became the administrator for the University of Michigan Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center where he was directly involved in the planning and development of the new Integrative Medicine Clinic.  He also played roles in the areas of research and education and helped to establish the Program in Integrative Medicine, an expansion of the original research center.  Dr. Heyman has been an invited speaker around the country, most notably to the CDC, on Integrative Medicine topics.  He has clinical interests in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Osteopathic manipulative medicine as well as health outcomes research. 

Amy Locke, M.D.
Dr. Locke attended the University of Michigan Medical School, where she also completed a residency in Family Medicine in 2002. She served as Chief Resident in her last year. She has had a long interest in Integrative Medicine and became board certified in Holistic Medicine in 2006. She is also board certified in Family Medicine. Her special clinical interests include nutrition, preventive medicine, and the care of kids and adolescents. She provides holistic care to individuals and families, including babies, elders and prenatal care. She cares for hospitalized patients at Chelsea Community Hospital and attends deliveries at the University of Michigan Hospitals. She also works with adolescents at The Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She has been with the Department of Family Medicine as faculty since 2002.

Eric Skye, M.D.
Dr. Eric Skye is the Associate Chair for Educational Programs and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine. He attended Dartmouth Medical School, after completing his residency, was awarded a faculty development fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His research interest is the study of student learning outcomes and teaching effectiveness. His clinical interests include family medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics, and preventive medicine. Dr. Skye is board certified in Family Medicine. He has been with the Department of Family Medicine since July 1999 and currently practices at the Chelsea Health Center.

Suzanna Zick, N.D.
Dr. Suzanna M. Zick received her bachelor degree in biology and anthropology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She then pursued a master’s degree in medical anthropology from Michigan State University before moving to Portland, Oregon where she received her naturopathic degree from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. Dr. Zick also received a Masters of Public Health in epidemiology from the University of Michigan. She started practicing naturopathy in Ann Arbor in 1997 before helping to found the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center at the University of Michigan. Currently Dr. Zick is a Research Investigator in the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Zick’s research interests include epidemiological, preclinical and clinical trials investigating botanical medicines for cancer prevention, control and treatment. She was a co-principal investigator on a recently completed clinical trial examining the effects of hawthorn for individuals with congestive heart failure, and she is currently examining the effect of several doses of ginger on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. In addition, she is investigating ginger as a possible agent to prevent colorectal cancer and to treat chemotherapy resistant ovarian cancer. She has recently completed work on a retrospective cohort trial in Ontarian breast cancer survivors looking at the effect on quality of life and tumor reoccurrence in women using an herbal compound called Essiac. Dr. Zick is also beginning to examine the ability of quercetin to treat mild to moderate asthma in children.