About Us

James S. Gordon, MD, Founder and Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Family Medicine; Georgetown University School of Medicine; former Chairman of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy; author of Manifesto for a New Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Care, and the soon-to-be-released Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven Stage Journey out of Depression (Penguin, June 2008). Read more about Dr. Gordon

Course Faculty

Susan Blum, MD, MPH, Board Certified, Preventive Medicine; Faculty, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine; Facilitator, Mind-Body Skills Groups in Westchester and Connecticut. Private Practice, White Plains, NY

Afrim Blyta, MD, PhD, Neuropsychiatrist, Head of Department of Neurology, University Clinical Center of Kosova; Faculty member, University School of Prishtina; Co-founder of Institute for Mental Health and Recovery of Kosova; Country co-director of national project of Mind-Body Medicine; National faculty of CMBM since 2001; International faculty of CMBM Washington DC since June 2005; Private Practice in Prishtina, Kosovo

Bob Buckley, LCSW, Consultant in Stress Management, Coping with Change in the Workplace, and The Aftermath of Violence; Critical Incidence Stress Debriefer, giving sessions for Police, Fire and Rescue personnel, private corporations, and the general public; Senior Faculty member, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s national and international trainings. Supervisor for candidates enrolled in the Center’s Certification program

Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC, Clinical Nurse in Holistic Health; Certified Family Nurse Practitioner; Director of Nursing, the Center for Women’s Health, Stamford, CT; Certified by the Psychosynthesis Institute in Imagery and Visualization. Faculty member, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine; Facilitator, Mind-Body Skills Groups, CMBM’s annual professional and advanced training programs

Joel M. Evans, MD, Founder and Director of the Center for Women's Health, Stamford, Connecticut; Assistant Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Heath; author of The Whole Pregnancy Handbook

Kathleen Farah, MD, Mind-Body Skills Groups leader, Integrative Medicine Clinic, Children’s Hospitals and Clinic in Minneapolis; Board certified in family practice and holistic medicine

Debra Lewis Kaplan, LCSW, LMFT, Psychotherapist, Dallas, TX; Faculty member, the Center from Mind-Body Medicine; Diplomat, American Psychotherapy Association

Jerrol Kimmel, RN, MA, Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Mind-Body Skills Group Facilitator; Massage Therapist; Private practice services in counseling and bodywork; Faculty, Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s trainings nationally and internationally

Susan B. Lord, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University School of Medicine; Associate Director of Professional Education and Director of Nutrition Programs for The Center for Mind-Body Medicine

Lilita Matison, MSW, Clinical social worker; Faculty member for The Center for Mind-Body Medicine; Adjunct faculty member at the University of Latvia in Riga.

Lora Matz, MS, LICSW, Psychotherapist; Faculty member at the Center for Spirituality and Healing; University of MN; Course Advisor, CancerGuides® Program offered by The Center for Mind-Body Medicine

Claire Michaels Wheeler, MD, PhD, Physician, Psychologist (Oregon); Founder MindBody Medicine of Portland; Faculty member, School of Community Health, Portland State University. Author of Ten Simple Solutions to Stress, to be released in January 2007

Kelsey Menehan, LCSW-C, Psychotherapist; Senior Faculty, Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s work both nationally and internationally in Kosovo, Gaza, and Israel; Writer, health and mental health topics

Judith Pedersen-Benn, MS, CADC, CHT, Holistic Substance Abuse Counselor; Faculty, The Center for Mind Body Medicine; Mind Body Skills group facilitator; Transformational Learning Consultant

John A. Patterson, MD, MSPH, Family physician, Irvine, KY; Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Past president, the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians

Lynda Richtsmeier Cyr, PhD, LP, Pediatric Psychologist, Integrative Medicine Program, Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota. Facilitator, Mind-Body Skills Groups. Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics/ Core faculty, Behavioral Pediatrics Program, University of Minnesota School of Medicine; Advanced training in biofeedback and hypnosis

Amy Shinal, LCSW, Private psychotherapy practice; Senior Faculty, Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s trainings nationally and internationally; Director of Clinical Services, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine

Jusuf Ulaj, MD, Neuropsychiatrist, Head of Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Kosova; Faculty member, University School of Prishtina; Co-founder, Institute for Mental Health and Recovery of Kosova; National faculty of CMBM since 2001; International faculty of CMBM-Washington DC since June 2005; Co-owner, private practice in Prishtina, Kosovo

Patricia A. Van Kley, PhD, psychologist, private practice; post-doctoral study in Relational/Cultural therapy; study of samatha and vipassana meditation. In her work at a residential facility for adolescent boys she developed and implemented a family therapy program and established exercise and nutrition programs as an integral part of the treatment.