Final Convention Thoughts and Planning for the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

The next Board meeting will take place this November at Bastyr University in Washington.

It’s hard to believe it’s September already! After a very busy summer leading up to the AANP convention in Portland, it’s been nice to wind down and catch our breaths before moving into Fall.

For those of you who joined us in Portland, it was a fun and busy week. Great presentations, great food, great friends - our 25th convention/celebration met all of our goals as we looked back on what we’ve accomplished and look forward to our future. Some of the highlights spots for me were:

• Hearing Dr. Jim Sensenig, our 1st AANP President, speak to our community at the banquet.
• Learning from Dr. Steve Austin about nutrition updates.
• Laughing with Jacob Schor, ND, and Rena Bloom, ND, in their Gelotology presentation.
• Celebrating with a few hundred of my closest friends and colleagues.
• Reflecting on our history with Dr. Jared Zeff and Dr. Joe Pizzorno.
• Getting a glimpse of the big picture from Josephine Briggs, MD, Director of NCCAM.

There were many moments like these for all of us. As usual, I returned home reinvigorated, refreshed and ready to apply the lessons I learned in my practice.

Results of our elections were announced and I am pleased to welcome Dr. Michael Cronin as our next President-Elect and Dr. Joe Pizzorno, Dr. Holly Lucille, Dr. Keri Marshall, Dr. Cindy Breed, and Carrie Runde, ND (Cand.) as our new Board members. Their terms begin January 1, 2011. I am extremely impressed with the knowledge, professionalism and experience these doctors bring to the AANP Board, and look forward to working with all of them over the next few years.

As you know we had the first competitive elections for President-Elect in the AANP’s history and were fortunate to be able to choose between two well-qualified candidates, Dr. Michael Cronin and Dr. Tim Birdsall. I want to congratulate Mike for his campaign and election and will work closely with him as he takes on a greater leadership role, and I want to acknowledge and thank Tim for his service to the profession and his leadership over the years. We are fortunate to have these doctors representing naturopathic medicine and serving our profession in the many ways they do.

Our outgoing Board members Bill Benda, MD; Tabatha Parker, ND; Michelle Clark, ND; Sara Thyr, ND; and Lise Alschuler, ND, have given so much to the AANP and the naturopathic profession during their time on the Board, their accomplishments are too numerous to mention here. Dr. Benda is a bridge-builder who sees the big picture of where we need to move forward and reminds us of how to live this in our daily lives. He has truly been the soul of our Board. Dr. Parker reminds us of the global impact of our medicine and the opportunities we have to affect true healthcare change; she has been our visionary. Dr. Clark is our expert on state licensing and political trends; she has guided us in politics and policy. Dr. Thyr has organized and guided the educational offerings at our conventions and has thus served as our teacher. And finally, Dr. Lise Alschuler has been the heart of our Board. Through her term as President and all of the various roles she’s played, Lise has been steady, reliable, dedicated, and impassioned to see the naturopathic profession become a credible piece of the health care system. We have been so fortunate to have these people step up for naturopathic medicine. They will be sorely missed and we wish all of them well in their future endeavors. Please thank them for all of their hard work and dedication the next time you see them.

Now that the dust has settled, we get back to work. This Fall, the Board and staff will focus on the AANP work plan and budget for 2011-2012, evaluating and improving internal processes as we prepare for 2012. The work plan and budget are key areas where the Board and staff work together to plan for and prioritize our near-term goals. The Board sets the strategic vision and goals, emphasizing areas to focus our intention upon. The staff takes this input and translates it into action steps with budget allotments. There is much back-and-forth in this process, and it is some of the most important work we do in our annual planning process. Our next Board meeting will be at Bastyr campus on November 13-14th.

AANP's Greatest Hits, Volume 25

By Bill Benda, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

The pre-Gala reception at the AANP's 25th Anniversary Convention in Portland, Oregon. Photo by Daniel Atlas.

Well, time for another blog submission and mental search for inspiration and hopefully somewhat coherent dialogue. But this time I find the task quite easy, as I get to talk about a few of my favorite people in lieu of philosophy or politics.

This year’s Saturday AANP Gala in Portland was visibly different than those of prior years, notable for the recognition of both past presidents and past recipients of the Physician of the Year award – twice the stage was filled with these luminaries of naturopathic history. It is the organization’s 25th anniversary, after all. But time constraints also necessitated curtailing of the usual recognition of another batch of unsung heroes who have contributed immeasurable time and energy for the benefit of everyone reading this page – those AANP board members whose terms come to a close on December 31st. Given I did not get to stand and applaud for each at the Gala event, I’ve taken blog liberty to remedy this oversight. So without further ado, the envelopes please . . .

I’ll start with Lise Alschuler, as I get to save time by not having to list all of her quite visible achievements, challenges, and contributions as President-Elect, President, and Past-President of the AANP. What has been invisible and underappreciated by our membership is the fact that Lise carried this organization through its transition from what it was to what it is to become, much like a mother carries a pregnancy to term, and likely with the same feelings of unwieldiness and fatigue and “I’m ready to deliver this thing.” Carl Hangee-Bauer gets to birth this new baby, not a comfortable process in itself, but Lise was the lifeblood that ensured its healthy development in the womb.

Sara Thyr was shepherd to the flock of submissions, abstracts, speakers, scheduling, conflicts, and God knows what other machinations that are required to put on the annual conference each year. I personally have attended countless conferences of countless organizations over the years, and the AANP annual event has never had close competition as the premier event of the year, and Sara is the reason why. Plus she had the wisdom to move to the central coast of California.

Michelle Clark has been our Alliance chair and policy wonk, I believe, since she was born. For those of you who have engaged in the parallel universe of politics, her contributions will become clear once you contemplate the mishmash of licensed states and unlicensed states and state medical boards and legislative bodies and 15 different scopes of practice in 15 different jurisdictions and Boyd Landrys and health freedom movements all flavored with the occasional (OK, frequent) last minute disaster.

Which brings me to Tabby Parker, leaving the board after her first term to have her second child. As founder of Natural Doctors International, Tabby has chosen to spend her very lengthy days caring for the underserved on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua, all the while hosting endless teams of naturopathic physicians and students trekking down to learn and serve alongside her. Tabby has been, for me, the heart and conscience of our board, and she will be missed deeply.

I am leaving the board as well, and I can say it is with mixed longing and relief that these four years are coming to a close. I’m more than certain that all five of us share these contradictory feelings. But as those of you who attended the Gala did not have adequate opportunity to see these people stand in recognition and hold the eternal-flame-recognizing-our-past-and-welcoming-our-future-before-the-band-starts-candles, I ask you to take a moment to silently thank Lise and Sara and Michelle and Tabby. Or better yet, drop them a line and thank them personally. Your lives, and your patients’ lives, are better for their service.

Honoring the Past While Present in the Moment: The 2010 AANP 25th Anniversary Convention

By Karen Howard
AANP Executive Director

AANP President Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc, Executive Director Karen Howard and Board Member Bill Benda, MD, FACEP, FAAEM. Photo by Michele Hangee-Bauer.

AANP’s 25th Anniversary Celebration and Convention was everything we hoped it would be! Creative and collegial, celebratory and cerebral, composed and complete. Celebrating the Foundation of Naturopathic Medicine included the inspiration of Dr. Jared Zeff and the profound insight of Dr. Joe Pizzorno. Sandwiched in between, we were honored to hear from Dr. Josephine Briggs, Director of NCCAM. And I leave it to you, the doctors, to comment on the continuing education offered by your peers. They work hard to give you their best and enhance the care you provide to patients all over the country.  Click here to view and purchase photographs from this year's convention!

Honoring the past, while present in the moment, for the sake of generations to come – this is the heart of a naturopathic gathering with the force of the AANP Convention. Thank you to Dr. Jared Skowron and ITI for initiating our Legacy Program with the creating of a 22 minute video. It features our Past Presidents and Executive Directors, and it documents the history of the AANP’s 25 years with sincere reflection and humor.

Special recognition to our 2010 Awardees!

NDNR, Corporation of the Year, for giving voice to the entire naturopathic community in a publication known for excellence.

Dr. Susan DeLaney, recipient of The President’s Award, whose presence in her state work and her mentorship deeply reflects the principles of naturopathic medicine.

Dr. Steven Bailey, recipient of The VIS Award, our award created to honor the spirit of Dr. William Mitchell, for his work as teacher and his embodiment of The Vis Medicatrix Naturae.

Dr. Christine Girard, Physician of the Year, whose visionary work will continue to inspire for years to come, especially for the students to whom she dedicated her award.

The special moments at the convention are too numerous to document. But my special thanks to all our corporate partners who enable us to gather and support us throughout the year. Please know these companies hold your expertise and commitment to quality with the deepest respect. I offer my gratitude to The Foundations Project for their incredible timeline detailing naturopathic history. My thanks to those who took extra time to participate in the Naturopathic Coordinating Council Summit held prior to the start of the Convention. Thank you to the numerous volunteers who support the work of the AANP and all of the naturopathic agencies. For those of you who are unaware, meeting after meeting after meeting compete with continuing education every day of the convention. Our volunteers support the furtherance of our mission at the sacrifice of their individual needs.

We indeed face many challenges, and collectively we will boldly face them. The next 25 years offer much in the way of possibility. Let us step up to the challenges we face and recommit to this organization. The AANP is yours to own and cherish, so give it the support it needs to transform the world!

AANP President’s Annual Meeting Message 2010

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

The Oregon Convention Center.  Photo by Matthew Santoro, AANP Communications and Media Associate.

The following are my remarks from the 2010 AANP Annual Meeting in Portland, OR, on Wednesday, August 11, 2010.

On behalf of the AANP Board of Directors, I am honored to welcome you to Portland and the AANP’s 25th Anniversary convention and thank you for your dedication to the naturopathic profession.

The AANP is a member-driven organization. There are many people whose work comes together under the banner of the AANP. We are fortunate to have a dedicated executive director in Karen Howard whose love for this profession runs deep as well as her dedicated staff who gets things done. The AANP Board of Directors works on a daily basis to understand the forces impacting our profession and develop strategies to be proactive and grow the legitimacy of naturopathic medicine. Everything the board does is filtered through the question: How does this benefit our membership? This House of Delegates comes together on an annual basis to amend our bylaws; adopt official Code of Ethics, definitions, standards, and position papers; hear reports from AANP officers and leadership; advise or recommend action to the Board of Directors by means of house resolutions; represent our constituents and communicate to them AANP information and actions; and provide leadership and participate as members in committees and taskforces. And you, our members, contribute in so many ways, from your volunteer work on both the state and national levels, educating the public and patients about naturopathic medicine, and, most importantly, providing your patients with the best care naturopathic medicine has to offer.

The Board of Directors has just completed two days of meetings where we took time to improve our internal communications, get updated on the business and challenges facing the association, and discuss our strategic vision to inform the 2011-2012 workplan. Some of the key areas of board interest include promotion of state licensing and increased scope of practice, sustaining and expanding our presence on the federal level, fostering naturopathic outcome studies and scientific affairs, developing strategic coalitions with other groups and associations, and developing programs and strategies to improve the success of our ND graduates.

Thoughts Ahead of the 2010 Convention and Elections

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

The days of summer are filled as we approach our annual convention and elect our newest AANP leaders.

As I write this, the AANP convention in Portland is only 3 weeks away! All over the country and especially in Washington, D.C., preparations are underway to make this one of our best gatherings to date. As I’m sure you all know, this year we mark our 25th anniversary as an organization and we plan to celebrate in a big way as we look back at the accomplishments the AANP has made and, more importantly, look to the future and imagine what we can accomplish in the next 25 years.

In the days before the convention opens, leaders from the naturopathic profession will gather in Portland to focus on business and planning. The AANP Board has a two-day meeting planned including a one-day board retreat to focus on how to increase our effectiveness as a team. The House of Delegates will meet and consider a variety of topics including ethics and standards of care. The Naturopathic Coordinating Council, a summit of leaders from across our profession, will come together at NCNM to develop a strategic vision for the viability, sustainability, and success of the naturopathic medical profession in the context of global health and wellbeing. These are but a few of the meetings held in advance of the big event.

On Wednesday, August 11th, the fun begins as our tribe comes together for four days of education, reconnection, and celebration. The quality of the continuing education sessions is outstanding, with many of our favorite speakers and teachers presenting, including Dr. Steve Austin, Dr. Jared Zeff, Dr. Joe Pizzorno, Dr. Michael Traub, Dr. Lise Alschuler, Dr. Dickson Thom, and a host of others who are very popular with our convention attendees. Personally I’m really looking forward to Drs. Schor and Bloom’s session on gelotology and hope my busy schedule allows me to attend as many sessions as possible.

As great as our sessions are, the reconnections we make each year (seeing old friends and making new ones) and the alumni events and receptions are what reinvigorate and inspire me the most. We are a relatively small profession, which makes it possible to know many of our peers on a very personal level. The friendship and intimacy we have as a group is very special and becomes especially evident when we come together.

There will also be more time for fun with a family picnic planned for Friday afternoon and, of course, our gala awards banquet and dance on Saturday night. We have quite an evening planned, where we will honor our leaders and pioneers as well as look forward to the potential this profession has in improving the health of our patients, the nation, and the world. This is an event not to be missed! As the Beatles would say, “A splendid time is guaranteed for all.” I hope to see you all there.

On July 24th, our voting opens for our next President-Elect as well as new board members. The AANP is a member-driven organization. We elect our leaders to represent our interests, and the officers and board members of the AANP consider this with every discussion and decision we make. We are here to serve you and to meet your needs as best we can, and your input into the elections process and your vote are crucially important in choosing our leaders and the direction the AANP takes.

I am very impressed by our list of candidates this year. All have demonstrated leadership and a desire to serve. We have two of our finest running for President-Elect: Dr. Tim Birdsall and Dr. Michael Cronin. Both have extensive leadership experience, are committed to the profession and the AANP, and have a clear vision as to how to move this profession forward. Please take the time to read the candidates statements and the responses to the weekly “Meet the Candidates” emails you’ve been receiving so you can choose who best fits your vision for the AANP.

And most importantly, VOTE. The voting is easy, will be online this year, and will close August 6th. Make your voice be heard!

I look forward to seeing you all in Portland at what promises to be a memorable event!

The Lack of Conference Childcare: A Barrier to Professional Development

By Nancy Dunne, MA, ND


Photo by {just jennifer} via Flickr, used under the Creative Commons License.

Kids need to move; they’ve got to ask their questions and have their snacks, now. Babies will cry and adults are hard-wired and emotionally programmed to stop what we are doing and attend to the sound. Their needs are real, relentless and never mix gracefully with a professional learning environment. We need childcare at our convention.

Cementing connections and active networking are vital components of career development, especially for young professionals. Although NDs are a diverse group, it’s safe to say a majority of new graduates are in their peak child-bearing and early child- rearing years. And so, each year as the AANP convention rolls around, many of us are facing again the difficult question of how to balance participation in our premier unifying celebration and CE opportunity with the needs of our children. I don’t want my colleagues for whom this is a current personal dilemma to face this hard choice alone, any longer.

We pride ourselves on our inclusiveness, our sense of family. I am here to tell you that we do not always walk our talk. I started medical school in 1984 with a two year old daughter. When I raised my hand during orientation to ask “What about child care facilities?” I was naively stunned to learn my school had absolutely no institutional provision to assist young parents. In that moment I made my new best friend, a classmate whose daughter was three. Nearly 30 years later this cherished, brilliant doctor and I have each made significant contributions to and with naturopathic medicine. We also remain acutely aware of the profound risks we took with our children’s development, and the literally sickening cost we paid, in order to become naturopathic physicians. She and I regularly reaffirm that it was our bonding and mutual support that got us through what was frankly an ordeal as young parents.

Our non-parent classmates, our teachers and the leadership of the profession at the time were unable to grasp and meaningfully empathize with our experience. We brought our kids to class when we had to; naturally, they were never happy to sit and be quiet. We did not learn optimally. Classmates and teachers did their best to accommodate our situation, but never once was it comfortable experience and at times we endured direct verbal criticism. This was in the 1980s, in a profession that was rapidly becoming majority female. Twenty-eight years later we have barely advanced in this arena. I want to change that, now.

Our schools are where we learn what it means to be a naturopath; it is where we are enculturated. It’s where I learned that reciting the prettiest ideals is no guarantee they will be lived out, unless there is also a meaningful commitment of resources and behavioral follow through. I am no longer affiliated with a school, but I am an AANP member. As such, I am asking you to join me in examining this issue. I am asking you to be part of the healing by putting your money where (I hope, I believe) your mouth is. Providing child care resources in support of whole family health for our colleagues who need it should be a fundamental value that we all make real, by making it a collective funding priority.

When I was AANP president, people regularly complained to me about kids being a bother at the convention. When I encouraged them to speak up with functional solutions, 100% of them replied with some version of ”They chose to have kids. Let them deal with it.” That attitude is both disappointing, and incorrect. This is a personal, career-development issue. It is also an aspect of the maturation of a profession. People combining parenting with their professional career is an established reality in our cultures and economy. Dual-priority parents bring uniquely valuable assets to the practitioner and patient communities. Their requests for child care provisions are not the complaints of irresponsible whiners. Accommodating family needs in professional environments is about removing barriers that represent an insupportable, regressive position that is also primarily gender-specific.

It is rare for professional women with children to have spouses who are available 24/7 for the kids. Generally speaking professional women marry professional men far more often than the reverse--according to a 2003 University of California, Berkeley, study, the figure for women was 61% compared to just 27% for men. Despite advances, in our culture women still provide the majority of direct care, or pay for others to care for their children. The barriers to career development related to child-rearing disproportionately affect women. The naturopathic profession, especially for those graduating since 1990, is predominately female.

Not attending the AANP conference is a loss for both the docs who stay home, and for those of us who miss the social, spiritual and learning opportunities these colleagues are not available to be part of, to add to, to solely author, at the convention. We are all poorer for their absence. When they bring their children and have to tote them around, strain to shush and contain them during lectures, when parents miss out on the shared learning experiences that meld and elaborate our practices, we all lose.

For most NDs, paying for a companion, a friend or relative, to come along to take care of the children just isn't a realistic option. But how much responsibility should the AANP assume? We have provided on-site nursing rooms with lecture sound piped in. Some associations provide a list of local providers on their conference Web sites. But when offered, this rather arms-length provision has not been satisfactory for our member parents. Our standards and preferences being what they are, we require child care services congruent with our wholism and our practice philosophy.

We have to make hard decisions about how to use limited time and resources. The 2010 AANP convention is recognizing the importance of our family members with a family picnic on Friday after sessions. It is at a great park/courtyard right near the convention center. We will have picnic foods, a band and kid-focused fun. Knowing that so many docs live local to Portland, we wanted to plan something that they could bring their families to. This is the AANP putting our money where our mouth is, acknowledging the heart-centers of our lives with a family specific moment.

To carry this value through to its full integrity requires a community-wide commitment to institute this value where it belongs. We must establish childcare as a regular feature in all of our institutions, including at the annual national convention. We do this by committing as a community to fund it as if it were as important as every other element we expect as a matter of course to be available to us.

Think about it. Next week I’ll fill you in on the practical liability and cost details that we have to work with. There will be a survey made during the convention to poll your personal decision regarding what level of commitment you will make to provide for our families at the AANP convention. Meanwhile, I welcome all your feedback and creativity for identifying funding sources to make this a foundational element of the naturopathic community.

Remembering Daniel Leek

By Christine Girard, ND
AANP 2010 Physician of the Year

Daniel Leek, SCNM second year medical student. Photo courtesy of SCNM.

The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine mourns the loss of Daniel Leek, a second year medical student, in a tragic car crash that occurred Thanksgiving morning.

Dan grew up in Rockford, IL, and attended Southern Illinois University – Carbondale where he received three Bachelor’s of Arts Degrees: in psychology, physiology and biochemistry. He started his professional life as a senior research associate at the University of Chicago, conducting research in muscle physiology and molecular biology.

Dan started SCNM in the fall 2008 and made an immediate impression with his exuberance for experiential learning and his passion for research. Dan worked closely with Drs. Langland and Waters on research projects both at SCNM and at the ASU Biodesign Institute. He is an author on a recently submitted article, “Quantitative evaluation of the broad-spectrum anti-microbial activity of colloidal silver.”

In August 2010, Dan had the opportunity to speak before researchers and clinicians at the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians conference. He presented “The Regulation of Inflammatory Gene Expression by Immunostimulatory Botanicals” – and won the student research award which was presented at the formal awards ceremony that concludes the conference. He also presented research findings at the September 2010 SCNM Board of Trustees meeting – and wowed the Board members. Dr. Schwalm, the president of the Board, when informed of Dan’s passing extended his and the Board’s deepest sympathies for the loss our community has sustained.

Dan’s ultimate goal was to pursue a career in research, through an NIH post-doctoral fellowship, to expand knowledge in the area of naturopathic medicine.

Those who knew Dan, knew that he was a spiritual guy – and a guy with a big brain for big teachings whether the Bible, the Upanishads, Ram Dass, or quantum mechanics. Many of the stories about Dan involve hours-long conversations. He loved to talk about where we might go with a topic, be it spiritual or scientific.

Dan paraphrased Ram Dass by saying, “Moments of suffering in life are the fuel for bliss if interpreted spiritually.” Dan would want everyone to remember that.

Dan is well respected and well loved. He remains with us as an integral part of the fabric of the SCNM community. Memory Eternal!

Getting Ready To Celebrate The Foundation of Medicine

By Sara Thyr, ND

Photo by gregoryjameswalsh, via Flickr, used under the Creative Commons license.

This is the time of year when I am knee deep in reviewing abstracts. This is one of the most time-consuming yet inspiring jobs that one can volunteer for. (Luckily, it’s fairly short-lived.)

The deadline for abstracts was January 15. And, of course, at least half of what we have to review came in at the deadline. I appreciate that. I’m a deadline girl. But I know that made our convention organizers work like crazy to get those out to the committee.

It is really difficult to select one over another. I am amazed at the diversity of presenters and topics. So many of them catch my eye and make me very excited to see their presentations in August.

The AANP has been working to continue to increase practice development assistance for members, and there have been several excellent submissions so far that will fall into that category. There are also some great talks on pediatrics, women’s health, and mind-body medicine, and even cannabis.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the AANP, so we’ve selected the theme of “Celebrating the Foundation of our Medicine” and it is wonderful to see how many people are submitting talks that will fit into that theme, reflecting on the roots of our medicine and the recognition of the modalities that have been used by our forebearers.

Submissions have come in from all over the globe, and from presenters of many different disciplines. Of course, most of our abstracts come from the naturopathic community, but we also have submissions from medical doctors, and several other disciplines, such as chiropractors, business specialists, and mind-body medicine researchers and practitioners.

We are working very hard to make sure that there is no corporate bias in the continuing education program at our convention. It is more transparent to all committee members when a presenter has ties to any company. We have eliminated corporate sponsored research, striving to make sure that our attendees' continuing education is from the highest quality education sources.

The committee is as well-rounded as its ever been, with members from nearly all of the different naturopathic medical schools. We have also asked that people on the committee not submit abstracts for presentations this year, hoping that this will free the other committee members to be as frank as possible as we discuss every abstract submission. Our consensus will be what our attendees will most appreciate.

As I review what all of these professionals have written, I feel so blessed to be a part of this diverse, passionate and brilliant community. I hope to see you in August as we benefit from the fruits of their labor.