Abstract:

The Future of Ayurveda Education in Europe
Mark Rosenberg, Germany

During the last 20 years, a variety of Ayurveda education schemes have been successfully established in Europe. The European Academy of Ayurveda alone has trained more than 20,000 students in Ayurveda medicine and therapy, among them 500 doctors and medical professionals participating in its university program “Master of Science in Ayurvedic Medicine”.

Presently, we have to face the challenge of further professionalizing these study courses in order to integrate Ayurveda into modern education for medical experts. First of all, it will be necessary to adapt the curricula to the requirements of both educational and healthcare systems, which are currently in place in western countries. These measures include the definition of learning outcomes and an appropriate form to assess the students’ competences, as it is common in the framework of higher education. Moreover, modern technologies will have to be integrated into traditional teaching methods. Whereas an experienced teacher will remain indispensable to bring Ayurvedic knowledge to life and transfer it by a holistic approach, didactics may well include e-learning elements.

But it will not be enough to focus entirely on theoretical knowledge. Sound Ayurveda education rather requires a dense network of clinics, medical practices and institutions where students are able to complete their knowledge by practical skills. In this context, it is also recommendable to promote the exchange of students and faculty members within the framework of international cooperation programs.

In the end, on aspect must not be forgotten: In Ayurveda education, we are always confronted with the challenge to reconcile the call for evidence-based science and the holistic as well as spiritual dimension of Ayurveda. In his lecture, Mark Rosenberg will describe his experiences in establishing state-approved education programs for Ayurveda medicine and complementary therapy in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.