Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We are writing with an update on key personnel shifts and exciting news from the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (AIHM).
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce Tabatha Parker, ND (Associate Fellowship Director), as Interim Executive Director for AIHM effective May 1. We are confident Dr. Parker will provide strong leadership during this time of transition following the departure of Tracy Petrillo. We are grateful for Tracy’s contributions and wish her well in her future endeavors.
 Tabatha Parker, ND |
We would like to thank Dr. Parker for her professional commitment to the Academy’s mission and vision over the past four years. Dr. Parker served as the Director of Education at the Academy prior to her most recent role with the Fellowship. Dr. Parker co-founded and was Executive Director of Natural Doctors International (NDI), the first and oldest naturopathic global health organization. |
In 2012, she became the first naturopathic physician to graduate as a Faculty Development Scholar from Dr. Ellen Beck’s UCSD program, Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved. Currently, as president of NDI, she’s led the organization to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which in collaboration with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health and universities like UNAN, will support the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023. Parker was founding co-chair of the Master of Science in Global Health at National University of Natural Medicine, faculty at Bastyr University, co-secretary general of the World Naturopathic Federation, and is co-chair of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians Global Health Committee.
In 2015, Parker received the Physician of the Year award from the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), an honorary naturopathic degree from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and was given the highest honor in naturopathy, “Magister Natura” from Spain for her work advancing the naturopathic profession globally, as well as being named Visionary of the Year by Utne Reader in 2011.
Fellowship Achievements
In addition, we are delighted to inform you that the Academy’s two-year fellowship program has made tremendous achievements under the leadership of Erika Cappelluti, MD, PhD (Fellowship Director); Tabatha Parker, ND (Associate Fellowship Director); and Darshan Mehta, MD (Associate Director of Student Affairs). The team augmented and diversified the core faculty to include 70 individuals across 10 disciplines who are affiliated with 30 academic institutions. In January 2018, the Academy successfully graduated its first cohort of 29 Fellows. The Academy Fellowship Program is recognized as one of the top programs in the world with over 150 fellows enrolled to date. The Fellowship has clinical academic affiliations with the Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine; Guarneri Integrative Health, Inc.; University of California at San Diego; and the University of California at San Francisco Osher Center for Integrative Medicine (starting in 2019).
Annual Conference
The Academy will be hosting its Annual Conference September 22 to 26 in San Diego, California, which promises to provide the most robust content in its history. The four-day conference will feature integrative approaches to cardiovascular disease, non-pharmacological pain management, natural approaches to mental health, and advances in biofield, spirituality, and consciousness. Conference topics will explore manual medicine, gut health, the microbiome, genomics, cardiology, neurology, integrative cancer treatments, brain health, Ayurveda, immunology, environmental medicine, advocacy and policy, and treating the underserved. We have assembled a star-studded faculty including Gladys Taylor McGarey, Mimi Guarneri, Mark Houston, Rosalyn Bruyere, Robert Bonakdar, Joe Pizzorno, Sara Gottfried, Bob Johansen, John Weeks, Len Wisneski, Larry Dossey, Dale Bredesen, Barbara Dossey, and many other experts in the field of Integrative Health. We hope you will join us for our event.
Journal Access
Academy members now have free access to three of the premier journals in Integrative Health and Medicine. We have partnered with Innovision publications to provide Academy members with free access to Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal (IMCJ), Mind-Body Medicine, and Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Mimi Guarneri, MD (AIHM President); Darshan Mehta, MD (Associate Director Student Affairs); and Brad Jacobs, MD (AIHM Chairman), will serve as their Associate Editors, respectively. Members of the Academy and the health professional community at large are encouraged to submit their research and clinical practice articles to the appropriate journal. Become a member of the Academy to enjoy these and many other benefits!
Integrative Health Policy Consortium
We have expanded our partnership with the Integrative Health Policy Consortium (IHPC) to engage our members in advocacy and legislative issues. This reciprocal relationship will ensure that the Academy’s community and members can effectively participate in creating change and advocate for the inclusion of ALL healing professions as we create a new paradigm for health and healing!
Focused on the Future
As the Academy moves into our next chapter of growth, we look forward to fostering alliances with organizations and individuals to create a community that recognizes the need to disrupt the current health paradigm. Together we can create a healthcare system that is focused on health and healing, is sustainable, affordable, and whole-person based. Join us in San Diego in September to become a part of the new paradigm!
Sincerely,
Brad Jacobs (Chair)
Mimi Guarneri (President)
Lucia Thornton (Secretary)
Bill Meeker (Treasurer)
Dan Asimus (Vice President)
Rauni Prittinen King (Board member)
Danny Friedland (Past-Chair)
The Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine is an interprofessional association of integrative clinicians who embrace a person-centered, team-based approach to health care. We provide community through regional chapters and online social engagement, and transformational educational programs through conferences, fellowship training, e-learning modules, and forthcoming certification programs, to connect a global network of practitioners, and provide valuable resources and toolkits for our community.