President's Message: Changes at the AANP and in the Health Industry Landscape

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

It’s a busy time at the AANP (as always) and has been particularly busy for me with the leadership changes on the horizon. Many wheels are turning and progress is being made. Let me bring you up to date on a few key events and activities.


Executive Director Transition Planning

Last month I reported on the Executive Director Transition Team and our first steps. I’m happy to report we’ve made significant progress and are moving ahead at a steady pace. Most of the past month we’ve been involved in talking with experts, reviewing and discussing the future needs and goals of the association, and visualizing what personal and professional attributes are most important in our next ED. After reviewing multiple executive search firms and holding in-depth interviews with our top three contenders, I’m pleased to report that after Board approval and legal review, we have contracted with Association Strategies, Inc. (ASI), of Alexandria, Virginia, to work with us in our search.

ASI fits the needs of the AANP quite well. They have significant experience in both the non-profit world and health industry. ASI is a woman-owned and -managed organization with 25 years of service and hundreds of associations served. Their systematic approach includes an organizational assessment, a rigorous nationwide search and screening process, transition planning, and follow-through after the hire of our next ED. They have high satisfaction rate and good credibility in their industry. If you want to know more about them, here is their website: http://www.assnstrategies.com/

The AANP has selected Association Strategies, Inc., to aid in the search for the next Executive Director.

Now this process is going to speed up! It takes at least three months and more typically close to six months for a process like this to come to fruition. The latter time is more likely, given that the search will be in process over the holidays. Karen Howard has been as busy as ever, perhaps even more so recently, as she approaches the end of her tenure at the close of November. Terri Deerr will be stepping in as Interim ED December 1st. We hope to have identified and hired our new ED by the end of March.

We’ve received feedback from many of you and welcome your input. Please watch your e-mailboxes over the coming weeks as we will be surveying the AANP community to find out your wishes, vision and feedback. We’ll be talking with national and state leaders past and present, NDs across the country, teachers, staff and others intimately connected with the naturopathic community. If you have any ideas or feedback that you think would help us be most successful, please send it to me at Carl@SFnatmed.com. We will listen to all voices. If you want to apply for the position, you can contact me directly and I will connect you with ASI once our search is actively underway.

Trends Affecting Naturopathic Medicine

It has been interesting to observe some of the societal trends that have an impact on our profession recently. First, I’m certain most of you have observed some of the negative studies released in the past few weeks on vitamins and health, including the Iowa Health Study on middle-aged women, and another about associations between Vitamin E and prostate cancer risk. Since a majority of our doctors have in-office pharmacies and almost all recommend nutritional supplements as part of their treatment protocols, the public perceptions of health risks associated with vitamin use present us with challenges and opportunities. It is incumbent upon our profession to consider these studies carefully and respond intelligently and effectively. The AANP has issued a press release to this effect and I look forward to the analyses of the strengths and weaknesses of these studies in the coming weeks.

The American Medical Association (AMA) and its affiliates continue to attack and oppose expansion of practice scope and titles for a number of health professions, naturopathic physicians included. In recent weeks we have seen the news about the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP) opposing "any expansion of naturopaths' scope of practice that is not strictly supported by their training, such as extending them liberal prescribing authority or permitting them to perform work/school physical exams or surgery." And in no case, said the delegates, should these individuals be granted "primary care physician" status. The AMA opposes use of the term "doctor" for any doctorate-level provider who is not a medical doctor (MD). I recently submitted a letter to the New York Times editor on this topic.

The AANP is working with others within our profession to craft thoughtful responses to the AAFP and AMA. With our partners such as the Coalition for Patient Rights, we are keeping an open dialogue and working to educate and inform these groups about our training, practice and professionalism. There are many misconceptions to correct, and this kind of "turf protection" argument doesn’t serve our professions or the public in this time of need for better health care. I for one believe that all health-care professions are first about doing good and working with people to improve their health. It’s a shame we can’t work together better, with good communication and mutual respect. We as NDs need to lead from the high road as we work to change this dynamic.

President's Message: Convention Notes and the Search for a New Executive Director

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

AANP President Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc, and President-Elect Michael Cronin, ND, with their
wives Michele Hangee-Bauer and Kyle Cronin, ND, respectively.

It’s been two months since my last President’s blog and there has been a lot of water under the bridge since.

The 26th AANP Convention at the Arizona Biltmore has come and gone and was a success by all measures. I had a great number of people come up to me and tell me that this was the best conference they could recall, from the quality of the sessions to the results of the elections and annual awards. Everyone seemed to enjoy him- or herself at our favorite convention venue.

There are many congratulations in order. Dr. Michelle Simon is our newly-elected Board member, with Drs. Kasra Pournadeali and Dr. Michael Reece re-elected to second Board terms. Dr. Joe Pizzorno will succeed Dr. Corey Resnick as our next Treasurer, and Dr. Bruce Milliman was elected the next Speaker of the House of Delegates. And, as you all know, Dr. Michael Cronin will be succeeding me as your next AANP President in January.

Thank you to all who ran for Board or House leadership positions, congratulations to all who were elected, and thank you to all who have served and will be moving on to more challenges and opportunities, particularly Board member Dr. Trevor Holly Cates and House Speaker Dr. Helen Healy.

Our 2011 awardees were met with great appreciation and applause by attendees at the annual awards banquet. Dr. Shiva Barton is our 2011 Physician of the Year, Dr. Louise Edwards received the Vis Award, Dr. Bill Benda received the new Champion Award, and Dr. David Field received the President’s Award. Emerson Ecologics was named AANP Corporation of the Year and Dr. Ryan Bradley and Joshua Goldenberg, ND candidate, received research accolades. These awardees have all demonstrated great dedication to the naturopathic profession and have accomplished great things, some over a lifetime of service. They are examples to us all and we thank them and congratulate them from the depths of our hearts.

Just a few days before the start of the convention, Karen Howard called to inform me that after nine years as AANP Executive Director, she has decided to retire and move on. The announcement was later made to the Board, House of Delegates and the convention attendees at our annual meeting. Karen’s decision has reverberated through our community and set a tone at the convention that was reflective of her many accomplishments, her impact on the naturopathic profession, and the mixed emotions in the community with her moving on.

Karen joined the AANP during a time of great change and has been an instrumental force in our move to Washington, D.C., and our greatly increased federal presence. She has overseen many developments in our organization that we take for granted today, including development of practice development resources, the state alliance, our website, strategic coalitions with groups aligned to our purposes, and of course our annual DC FLI.

Her fiscal prowess has been exceptional. When she started as Executive Director, the AANP had a $276,000 deficit. As of the end of 2011, we have a positive balance of $402,000. We owe much of our prosperity and fiscal good health to her steady hand.

Karen has offered to stay on as Executive Director while we begin our search for her successor, and there will be plenty more to say before she completes her work with the AANP. I plan to devote one of my next blogs to Karen and the impact she has had on the AANP and the naturopathic profession, so stay tuned!

With Karen’s announcement, I immediately activated our succession planning process and appointed an Executive Director Transition Team (EDTT) consisting of Dr. Michael Cronin, Dr. Joe Pizzorno, Dr. Keri Marshall, Dr. Lise Alschuler, Dr. Harry Swope, David Matteson, and me. The EDTT has been meeting weekly to establish a rational process for succession. Our first steps have been to assess strategically the current state of the association, the needs and goals of the organization over the next five years, and the assets and profile of an ideal executive to fit our needs now and in the near-term future. We anticipate completing our assessment and posting a job description in October, and hope to begin the interview process soon afterwards.

We will do our best to keep in good communication with you as we move through this process, and appreciate the community feedback we have already received. This is some of the most important work we will do as an association over the next three to six months and the choices we make will affect the progress and goals of the AANP over the next five to ten years. The better the job we do now, the better we will meet our common goals. If you have any ideas or feedback that you think would help us be most successful, please send it to me at Carl@SFnatmed.com.

We plan to keep you up-to-date with these monthly blogs and in other venues as needed or appropriate.

President's Message: Thanking and Honoring Karen Howard

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

Exiting Executive Director Karen Howard poses with AANP President Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc (left),
and Bill Benda, MD, FACEP, FAAEM (right), at the 2010 AANP Convention.

It is a time of great change for the AANP and perhaps the most significant is that Karen Howard, our Executive Director for the past nine years, will be moving on at the end of November. Karen has left a huge mark on the AANP and the naturopathic profession and she will be missed. As I pondered what fitting words to say to mark this occasion, I turned to other AANP Past-Presidents to ask them what they would like for us to remember about Karen as we thank her and honor her work. So, without further ado...

From Michael Traub, ND, DHANP, FABNO (AANP President 2002-03):
Today I was telling a new Bastyr grad the story of how the AANP moved its headquarters across the country shortly before I became AANP President. We left all our staff behind in Seattle and put ourselves in the hands of a professional association management firm outside of Washington, D.C. Although initially we made some improvements in the professionalism of the AANP, in less than a year, the executive director (ED) that the management firm had hired for us resigned. Little by little, the remainder of the staff they had assigned to us dwindled and we found ourselves in debt by half a million dollars. It was in this context that the AANP decided to break our contract with the management firm and return to being a self-managed organization.

After several months of essentially serving both as President and de facto ED, I needed to hire a new ED and I hired Karen Howard. It was a complicated operation to extricate the heart, soul, membership and financial records and bank accounts from this cancerous relationship that had developed between the AANP and the management firm, and it was Karen’s first task as ED. It took several months, but the operation was successful, we rebuilt the AANP from the ashes, and in a year's time of severe financial austerity, we turned around our $500K deficit to a $250K net profit.

Karen Howard deserves most of the credit for saving the AANP in its darkest hour. She also deserves most of the credit for all the progress the AANP has made since that time.

From Nancy Dunne, ND, MA (AANP President 2004-05):
Karen Howard came to us a powerful and skillful woman. From Day One, we have challenged her, and she has challenged us. And she has lead us throughout the single most fruitful and effective era of achievement and maturity our profession has yet known.

Karen's fiscal acumen, political savvy and extensive, beyond-the-fold relationships have embedded in our institutions, as well as in our expectations, a level of sophistication and professionalism that is precisely what we have needed and had not heretofore owned. She has not become everyone’s friend—that’s normal. She has sown many seeds and not all have taken—that’s natural. She has stabilized and massively enhanced our economic position; she has established naturopathic physicians as a presence on Capitol Hill with consistency and wit; she has created leadership training and opportunities for inclusion and advancement that honor and engage each successive generation of new doctors. She has stabilized our rocky foundations and given us a resilient ground from which we can continue to grow. She has changed us, for so much the better, and she has allowed herself to be changed and grow as well. Karen Howard exemplifies passion and mature discernment, unflinching self-assessment and integrity. We are so much better for what she has done.

From Jane Guiltinan, ND (AANP President 2006-07)
I’d like to thank Karen for her outstanding stewardship of the AANP over the last nine years. What did Karen accomplish? Here are a few achievements:

• When she was hired, we were on the verge of bankruptcy; now we’re financially solvent with a solid revenue base and reserves in the bank.
• Membership has grown significantly and the vast majority of members are very satisfied with the direction the AANP has taken during Karen’s tenure.
• Six states and territories have gained legal recognition for naturopathic doctors.
• The DC FLI has become a signature event on Capitol Hill, with many important impacts.
• The convention continues to be brilliant.  Our smaller state associations are stronger and more organized.
• Partnerships and collaborations with external groups have flourished and resulted in increased awareness of naturopathic medicine.

All these things are great accomplishments and deserve appreciation and thanks. Most of all though I thank and honor Karen for her passion and dedication to help us achieve our dreams. She believed in us, embraced our vision, and worked tirelessly on our behalf every single day. She did this because she believes with all her heart and soul that naturopathic medicine can improve the health of families, communities and the planet. She believes that the principles of naturopathic medicine can help create a better world for her own children, grandchildren and their children.

Thank you Karen for walking with us these last years. Your legacy is stellar. Namaste, dear friend. I bow to the divine in you, with great love, appreciation, gratitude and best wishes for your next journey.

From Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO (AANP President 2008-09):
The AANP will be forever indebted to Karen Howard. Karen’s passionate embrace of naturopathic medicine motivated an incredible stewardship of the AANP at a critical time in the organization’s history.

From the outset, Karen saw how the principles of naturopathic medicine could be used to guide the organization from the brink of disaster to tremendous success. She identified the root causes of the financial challenges, she rallied the innate healing powers of the organization by mobilizing and organizing members into political action. Karen removed obstacles to our success by creating collaborative relationships with like-minded organizations. She used the healing powers of Nature to set recurrent inspirational themes for our increasingly successful conferences. All of this resulted in AANP stability and growth during a time period in which most other non-profit associations were struggling and even collapsing.

Karen is leaving the AANP in much, much better shape than she found it in. Over the past several years, the AANP has become a strong, vital force in health care and a resource and source of inspiration for its members.

I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to have worked so closely with Karen throughout her tenure at the AANP. She is a strong woman, a visionary, highly intelligent and someone who leaves her heart on the table in every endeavor that matters. I have learned much from Karen and I am personally grateful for her amazing dedication to the AANP and to naturopathic medicine. The world is in desperate need of visionary leaders. The AANP benefited from one such leader, in the person of Karen Howard, and we are so much better for it.

From Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc (Current AANP President 2010-11):
What more can I add? I  have worked closely with Karen for the past four years as a board member, President-Elect and as President. I will be departing on her heels once my term ends December 31st. Over this period I have worked closely with and have gotten to know Karen quite well.

I continue to be amazed at how much she can hold in her head as she does the work of three people. She has worked not only with the AANP but with the Naturopathic Coordinating Counsel, Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, and has been our link to such organizations at the Coalition for Patient Rights and National Foundation of Women Legislators to name just a few.

Under her leadership and guidance, we have grown from a small, new presence in Washington, D.C., to a known organization and profession who's footprint appears much larger than we truly are. She has helped us grow up, and we are forever in her debt.

So, Karen, thank you so much for everything you have done and for your many accomplishments, and personally for all of the guidance and support you have given me. We will miss you and wish you much happiness and success in whatever the future holds for you. You will always be a part of the naturopathic community.