Gaudet named executive director of Doctor of Whole Health Leadership program

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) announces the appointment of Tracy Gaudet, MD, as the Executive Director of the groundbreaking Doctor of Whole Health Leadership (DWHL) program, noted an SCU press release.

Gaudet brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her new role, where she will oversee the successful development and implementation of this innovative program.

A distinguished board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, Gaudet has achieved national recognition for her outstanding contributions to whole health. During her tenure at the Veterans Health Administration’s National Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, she spearheaded a radical re-envisioning of healthcare delivery, emphasizing a holistic approach.

Gaudet’s achievements include being featured in PBS’s acclaimed special, “The New Medicine,” earning a place among Shape magazine’s “Eleven Women Shaping the World,” and being acknowledged as one of the “Top 25 Women in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare.

She is also a recipient of the Bravewell Leadership Award, the Exemplary Service Award for her contributions to veterans’ health, and the Visionary Award from the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine. Gaudet is the author of “Consciously Female” and “Body, Soul, and Baby.”

As the co-founder of the Cornerstone Collaboration for Societal Change, Gaudet has been instrumental in advancing whole-health principles. Her previous roles include serving as the founding Executive Director of the Whole Health Institute, Executive Director of Duke Integrative Medicine, and Founding Executive Director of the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine. She also co-founded the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health.

The DWHL program, scheduled to launch in October 2024 with a cohort of 15 students, is an intellectually rigorous initiative that integrates advanced whole health concepts, care models, personal self-exploration and leadership development. Over a span of just over two years, students will acquire the skills and knowledge needed to drive system-level change, promoting the adoption of an integrative, whole-health approach to healthcare in the United States.

For more information about the DWHL program, please visit the program page at scuhs.edu/doctoral-degrees/doctor-of-whole-health-leadership.