Comprehensive Cancer Care Conference 1999 Speaker Bios
Jeanne Achterberg, PhD, has received international recognition for her pioneering research in medicine and psychology. A faculty member for 11 years at Southwestern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, she is currently a Professor of Psychology at Saybrook Institute, San Francisco. She co-chaired the Mind/Body Interventions Ad Hoc Advisory Panel and the Research Technologies Conference for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine, and she is a research consultant and advisor to foundations and government agencies. She has authored over 100 papers and five books, including Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine and Woman as Healer. Her most recent book, Rituals of Healing, is a primer on the use of creative therapies for health and medicine. Dr. Achterberg is a former President of the Association of Transpersonal Psychology and is now Senior Editor for the Journal of Alternative Therapies.
Carolyn R. Aldigé is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Research Foundation of America (CRFA), which has provided more than $25 million in support of its mission: cancer prevention through scientific research, education and early detection. Ms. Aldigé is also President of the National Coalition for Cancer Research. She has helped to develop such programs as the Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness Campaign, Project Awareness, ¡Celebremos la Vida!, Buddy Check 9 and Dr.Health’nstein’s Body Fun, an award-winning interactive multimedia CD-ROM game promoting healthy habits for elementary-school-age children. Ms. Aldigé spearheaded a drive to raise funds for the GW Mammovan, the first mobile mammography facility in the nation’s capital. A magna cum laude graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, she is a 1997 recipient of the College’s Alumnae Achievement Award. Her professional career includes ten years as a medical researcher in endocrinology at both Cornell University Medical Center and Georgetown University Medical Center.
Anne Alexander is the Vice President of Rodale Press and the Editor-in-Chief of Prevention magazine, America’s largest health magazine with a readership of over 11 million. Prior to joining Prevention in August 1997, Ms. Alexander was Editor-in-Chief of Natural Health magazine, where in two years she doubled newsstand sales and increased circulation by 100,000. Ms. Alexander has previously served as Senior Editor at Walking and as Associate Editor at Vogue and then Self. She has written extensively on health and fitness for The New York Times, Women’s Sports and Fitness, Shape, Vogue, and Self. Since joining Prevention, Ms. Alexander has extended the magazine’s editorial expertise to include the best of alternative medicine, including herbs, natural ways to prevent or treat health problems, and mind/body medicine.
Robert C. Atkins, MD, is the Founder and Medical Director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine. A 1951 graduate of the University of Michigan, he received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical School in 1955 and went on to specialize in cardiology. Along with seeing patients daily, Dr. Atkins continues to champion the natural healing arts as a rational, effective alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and surgery for many debilitating illnesses. He is the author of several books, including Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, the original Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution, and his newest book, Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution: Nature’s Answers to Drugs, which advocates the use of nutrients as medical tools. He is the recipient of the World Organization of Alternative Medicine’s Recognition of Achievement Award and was the National Health Federation’s Man of the Year. Dr. Atkins is also Co-Founder and Past President of the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine.
Rudolph Bauer, PhD, is a diplomate in clinical psychology and holds consultant status in the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He is Director of the Gestalt Psychotherapy Training Center of Washington, DC, and Co-Director of the Washington Center for Meditation Studies. He has studied Eastern philosophy within both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and is one of the premier meditation teachers in the Washington, DC area.
Berkley Bedell, a successful small businessman and former six-term Congressman from Iowa, is a leading advocate for greater access to alternative and complementary treatments. He retired from Congress in 1988 after contracting Lyme Disease. As he believes that his illness was solved by alternative medical treatments, he is now actively involved in the investigation of such treatments. He served on the Advisory Panel on Unconventional Medical Practices at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and now participates on the Program Advisory Council of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine. Working with Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, he was largely responsible for the establishment of this office.
Linda L. Bedell-Logan is President and Chief Executive Officer of Solutions in Integrative Medicine, a newly formed company created by the 1999 merger of Bedell-Logan Billing Systems and Consulting Services for Medical Alternatives. Ms. Bedell-Logan formed these two programs in 1990 after the death of two siblings from cancer and AIDS. As their caregiver, she discovered the great need both for patient advocacy in the insurance arena for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and for the integration of CAM alongside allopathic medicine in existing health care delivery systems. Solutions in Integrative Medicine provides consulting services for establishing integrative medicine centers, practice management services for obtaining reimbursement for alternative modalities, and an educational program about the role of integrative medicine. Ms. Bedell-Logan is also a nationally recognized speaker in the promotion of integrated medical services.
Harriet Beinfield, LAc, has practiced acupuncture and herbal medicine at Chinese Medicine Works in San Francisco since 1973. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ms. Beinfield is the co-author of two books, Chinese Modular Solutions Handbook for Health Professionals and Between Heaven and Earth – A Guide to Chinese Medicine. She was a formulator of the K’an Herb Company, MycoHerb Incorporated and Frontier Cooperative Herbs. Ms. Beinfield currently serves on the advisory boards of Natural Health and the Alternative Medicine Advisor newsletter, and she has authored numerous articles in such journals and magazines as Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Natural Health, and Delicious! She received her licentiate acupuncture degree from the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in the United Kingdom.
Eduardo H. Beltrán, MD, is a Professor of the Faculty of Medicine and Academic Coordinator of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the National University of Colombia. He is certified in Family Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Beltrán has completed postgraduate studies in several alternative therapies, including electroacupuncture, homeopathy, neural therapy, electromagnetic polar balance, oxyveination, and cell therapy.
Billy Best is the young man from Boston, Massachusetts who attracted national media attention when he ran away from home rather than endure the effects of chemotherapy treatments. Billy was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease in June 1994 at the age of 16. After five chemotherapy treatments, he ran away because he felt that the chemotherapy was doing more harm than the cancer. Due to all the media attention focused on Billy, his family received information from all over the world about natural therapies. He returned home after one month and tests performed at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute showed that the cancer was growing. In January 1995, Billy began a program that included 714X, Essiac, nutritional changes and vitamin supplements. Tests from Dana Farber in March 1995 indicated that the cancer was gone, and it has not recurred since. Billy and his parents are proponents of natural therapies and are distributors for Resperin, Essiac, and Shaklee products. Billy’s story will be aired on CBS "48 Hours" on June 24th at 10:00 p.m.
Clement Bezold, PhD, is President of the Institute for Alternative Futures and its for-profit subsidiary, Alternative Futures Associates. He received his PhD in political science from the University of Florida. He has applied scenarios and visioning techniques to help organizations and governments more wisely choose and create the future they prefer. Such major organizations as the American Cancer Society, the World Health Organization, and the American Association of Retired Persons have enlisted Dr. Bezold for his expertise in the health care field. In addition, he directed the development of the vision for Celebration Health, the health care system for the Disney Company’s new town of Celebration. Dr. Bezold is presently overseeing a major process for the Department of Defense on the future of military medicine. He has authored and edited several books and numerous articles, and he collaborated on the American Cancer Society’s new book, Horizons 2013. He has taught at the University of Florida, Antioch University and American University.
Timothy C. Birdsall, ND, is a well-known lecturer and practitioner of naturopathic medicine and is a sought-after presenter at medical conferences worldwide. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Alternative Medicine Review, the first peer-reviewed medical journal edited by naturopathic physicians to be indexed on MEDLINE. Dr. Birdsall is a 1985 graduate of Bastyr University in Seattle, where he served on the faculty for five years. He served as Technical Director for Thorne Research, Inc. from 1989 to 1998, and he has been active in political and professional activities, including the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), where he served as a member of the Board of Directors, Speaker of the House of Delegates, and Vice-President. Dr. Birdsall is currently National Director of Naturopathic Medicine and Research for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and Director of Naturopathic Medicine at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, IL.
Jeffrey S. Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HealthComm International, a leading company in functional medicine, medical foods, and education of health practitioners since 1984. Dr. Bland received his doctorate in chemistry and served on the faculty of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington for 12 years. He has also served as President of the Northwest Academy of Preventive Medicine and Director of the Nutritional Supplement Research Laboratory at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. More than 50,000 health practitioners had attended Dr. Bland’s educational programs in nutritional and functional medicine over the last 15 years. He has been instrumental in establishing the Institute for Functional Medicine, HealthComm’s Functional Medicine Research Center, and the Natural Products Quality Assurance Alliance. Dr. Bland is the author of several best-selling books, a monthly audio magazine for health practitioners, and a CD/ROM training program about functional medicine.
Keith I. Block, MD, is the Medical Director of the Block Medical Center and the Institute for Integrative Cancer Care, as well as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. For nearly 20 years, his private practice and hospital programs have included conventional cancer treatment with adjunctive components that emphasize individualized care encompassing nutrition, bio-conditioning, stress care, and psychological support. Dr. Block was formerly the Medical Director of the Cancer Institute at Edgewater Medical Center in Chicago and is a past Vice President of the Chicago-Uptown Chapter of the American Cancer Society. His work has been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles and in books, and he frequently conducts training workshops and speaks on radio, television, and at conferences. Three books concerning cancer care, including Cancer Battle Plan, are in progress.
Dale G. Borglum, PhD, has been the Director of Education and the Executive Director for The Living/Dying Project in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1993. He received his doctorate in mathematical statistics from Stanford University in 1971. Dr. Borglum has worked as a transpersonal psychological counselor, a class leader at Meditation for Cancer Patients in New York City, a faculty member of the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and Co-Director of the Esalen-at-Stanford Program. He served as the Executive Director of the Hanuman Foundation and worked with Stephen and Ondrea Levine and Ram Dass in leading workshops and counseling patients at the Hanuman Foundation Dying Project. Dr. Borglum later founded the Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Living/Dying Project offers compassionate support in the spirit of mutual exploration to those facing life-threatening illness, and it seeks to help people view working with the dying as an opportunity for spiritual awakening.
James A. (Tony) Boyle, MD, PhD, joined The Liposome Company as Senior Vice President of Medical and Regulatory Affairs in 1994. Dr. Boyle was previously employed by G.D. Searle and Company from 1986 to 1994, where he held several positions including Vice President of Medical Relations and Vice President of Corporate Medical and Scientific Affairs. He held senior clinical research positions at Serono Laboratories, Warner Lambert and Pfizer. Dr. Boyle received his MD degree from Glasgow University in 1960 and his PhD degree in medicine in 1967. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology. Dr. Boyle is the co-author of The Physician’s Guide to Clinical Research Opportunities.
Nancy G. Brinker founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 1982 in honor of her sister, who died of breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is recognized as the leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer. In 1986, Ms. Brinker was appointed by President Reagan to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in 1991, President Bush appointed her to the three-member President’s Cancer Panel to monitor and interpret the progress of the National Cancer Program to the President and the public. In 1992, Vice President Quayle named her chair of a subcommittee to study the progress of breast cancer research and education in the United States and around the world. Ms. Brinker is the author of The Race is Run One Step at a Time. She also served as director of the boards of Caremark International and Physicians Reliance Network, along with being a board member of the Harvard University School of Public Health and the New York University School of Medicine Foundation. She is the recipient of more than 40 awards for her work with breast cancer.
Thomas D. Brown, MD, is the Deputy Division Head in the Division of Medicine and Associate Professor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. A 1979 graduate of the Medical College of Virginia, Dr. Brown completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Florida Teaching Hospitals in Gainesville and a fellowship in medical oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio until 1991. He then came to Duke University School of Medicine, where he served on the faculty of the Division of Hematology Oncology until 1997 and was Director of both the Outreach Program and the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program at the Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Candace Campbell has been Executive Director of the American Preventive Medical Association (AMPA) since 1994. The APMA is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to achieving a health care environment in which practitioners can practice in good conscience, with the well-being of their patients foremost in their minds, and without fear of censure or harassment for using alternative or complementary therapies. The membership encompasses laymen as well as practitioners, including medical doctors, osteopathic doctors, doctors of Oriental Medicine, acupuncturists, naturopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, nutritionists, and dentists, among others. Prior to her work with the APMA, Ms. Campbell was Founder and President of Campbell & Company, a public relations firm that handled public policy issues ranging from the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to Native American rights and religious freedom. From 1977 to 1981, she served as Assistant Press Secretary and then Press Secretary to US Senator Harrison A. Williams (D-NJ).
Susan S. Campbell is a lecturer and researcher specializing in traditional healers who are bridging the gap between Western and indigenous medicine. In the last seven years, she has made frequent site visits to traditional healers in southern Africa and Central Europe, and she has done ongoing work with Native American Indians and traditional Tibetan doctors. Ms. Campbell has worked as a consultant to numerous organizations abroad, including Family Health International and the Traditional Healers Organization in South Africa and the Polish Society for Natural Medicine in Warsaw, Poland. She has produced several films and has published articles in magazines based in both Poland and South Africa, as well as the United States. Ms. Campbell is currently working toward her PhD in psychology from the University of Humanistic Studies in Solana Beach, California.
Barrie R. Cassileth, PhD, was recently appointed Chief of Integrative Medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. A leader and innovator in the area of psychosocial oncology, she received her PhD in medical sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978 and then served as an administrator and professor at their School of Medicine until 1991. Dr. Cassileth is currently a Consulting Professor of Community and Family Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, and a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard University. She was a founding member of the Program Advisory Council of the Office of Alternative Medicine at NIH and is a member of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Committee of the American Cancer Society. In addition to her most recent book, The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Dr. Cassileth has authored numerous research articles, books, audiovisual materials, and publications for cancer patients, families, and physicians.
Pierre Champagne, MD, is Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Æterna Laboratories. He was born in Montreal and graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Université Laval in Quebec City. He completed his training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. For ten years, Dr. Champagne has had a very active clinical practice in emergency medicine in Los Angeles, Quebec City, and Miami. Following his clinical practice, Dr. Champagne entered the pharmaceutical industry in 1995. For the past four years, he has conducted Phase I, II and III clinical trails as Director of Clinical Research, principally in oncology, namely breast, lung and prostate cancer, as well as in dermatology and ophthalmology. In the last year, he has also acted as Interim Director of Regulatory Affairs while he was in charge of clinical research at the same time. Dr Champagne joined Æterna Laboratories 16 months ago, and he represents the company at various scientific meetings around the world.
Sophie Chen, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor at the Cancer Research Institute, New York Medical College. She received her PhD from Columbia University in physical chemistry and conducted post-doctoral research on enzyme structures and their function at Cornell University. She spent 14 years with Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories and Bayer USA, focusing on inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and drug delivery systems and bringing to market two blood cell diagnostic products. In 1988, Dr. Chen began researching cancer and natural herbs. She co-founded International Medical Research, Inc. (IMR) in 1993 to develop natural products, and she recently founded NovaSpes, Inc., to engage in cancer research on botanical extracts. Her devotion to prostate cancer research has enabled her to develop a very effective herbal product that will be part of clinical trials in three major hospitals this year. She holds 12 patents and has published 25 articles and two books, many concerned with herbal compounds for treating cancers, cancer pain and viruses.
Monique Class, MS, RN, Co-Founder and Assistant Director of the Center for Women’s Health, received her master’s degree in holistic nursing from the College of New Rochelle in 1996, where she was honored as the recipient of the Charles Alan Vaughn Award for excellence. Ms. Class earned her nursing degree from the University of Virginia in 1986. She is certified by the Psychosynthesis Institute in Imagery and Visualization. In addition to her work at The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, she is part of the research team and a Therapeutic Touch practitioner at the Complementary Care Center of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
S. Elizabeth Clay joined the Government Reform and Oversight Committee of the United States House of Representatives in October 1998 to continue the committee’s oversight in patient access to care and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) issues. She has coordinated five hearings about CAM so far in the 106th Congress. Prior to joining the Committee, Ms. Clay served seven years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She began her government career at the Fogarty International Center, where she helped coordinate international biomedical research activities. She was then invited to join the staff of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) as both Program Assistant to the Director and Committee Management Officer to the Alternative Medicine Program Advisory Council. She has also represented the Committee at several recent presentations. Ms. Clay is a Level III Reiki master and has attended seminars on a variety of CAM techniques, including Qi Gong, touch therapy, meditation, guided imagery, shamanism, cranial sacral therapy, and massage.
Michael H. Cohen, JD, MBA, MFA, received his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law and his MBA from the Haas School of Management, both at the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of numerous articles on health law and bioethics that address such topics as malpractice and insurance coverage for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Mr. Cohen is also recently authored a book, Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Legal Boundaries and Regulatory Perspectives.
Pali C. Delevitt, MA, PhD, is a pioneer in bringing holistic healing into medical education. As an instructor in medical education at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, she created "Healing Options," one of the first courses in integrative medicine for medical students, which she began teaching in 1999. This curriculum has since served as a prototype for other such programs around the United States. Ms. Delevitt creates and teaches a variety of courses in medical schools, including "Listening Medicine" and "Human Touch/Healing Touch." A two-time cancer survivor who consciously combined conventional treatments with complementary therapies, she now serves as counselor and consultant to those dealing with life-challenging illness. Ms. Delevitt is also an international speaker on the integration of holistic practice with conventional medicine and the re-visioning of medical education. She is currently completing her doctorate in medical education and holistic healing. Her book, Listening Medicine, will be available in 1999.
James N. Dillard, MD, DC, CAc, is the founding Medical Director for Oxford Health Plans Alternative Medicine program, and the Chairman of the Oxford Chiropractic Advisory Board. He is a board certified medical doctor, a doctor of chiropractic and a certified medical acupuncturist. Dr. Dillard is on the faculty of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and on the medical staff at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He conducted research in spinal biomechanics at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago while earning his medical degree at Rush Medical College. Dr. Dillard also did cancer and transplantation immunology research at the University of California, Los Angeles, while earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Cleveland Chiropractic College and attending California Acupuncture College. Dr. Dillard is the author of Alternative Medicine for Dummies. He posts an weekly alternative medicine column at the widely respected website OnHealth.com. Dr. Dillard has also been featured in numerous popular publications and has appeared on multiple broadcasts.
Henry Dreher is a New York-based health and medical writer who specializes in complementary and mind-body medicine. He was a staff writer for the Cancer Research Institute for five years and has authored a number of books, including Your Defense Against Cancer and The Immune Power Personality. He also co-authored The Type C Connection with Lydia Temoshok, PhD, and Healing Mind, Healthy Woman with Alice Domar, PhD. His latest work, Self-Nurture: The Healing Art, also written with Dr. Domar, will be published in 1999. He is a regular contributor to Advances in Mind-Body Medicine and Natural Health, and has written for such publications as New York Magazine, Tikkun, Good Housekeeping, Self, and Ladies’ Home Journal. Mr. Dreher also directs the Cancer Consultation Services, in which he provides counseling and written reports on options in complementary therapy for cancer.
Steve Dunn was diagnosed with widely metastatic kidney cancer in 1989 and chose a promising experimental treatment after both researching the technical literature and collaborating with his physicians. Mr. Dunn is convinced that good information played a major role in saving his life and that many patients with cancer can benefit from researching their disease. After recovering from his illness, Mr. Dunn founded CancerGuide, a web site dedicated to helping patients research their treatment options in both conventional and alternative therapies. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he is employed in writing software for medical devices. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1978 with a double major in math and biology.
Virginia Efta is a Therapeutic Eurythmist who received her bachelor’s degree from Moorhead University in Minnesota. She earned her Artistic Eurythmy diploma and subsequent Therapeutic Eurythmy diploma from Peredur Center for the Arts in England. She has practiced in Camphill USA Communities. Ms. Efta is currently in private practice in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the Baltimore Waldorf School.
Joel M. Evans, MD, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, is Founder and Director of the Center for Women’s Health in Stamford, Connecticut. A 1984 graduate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, he received his post-graduate training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he also served as Chief Resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology. A member of the American Holistic Medical Association, Dr. Evans is a frequent lecturer on holistic medicine and serves on the Program Planning Committee of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. Evans also sits on the board of the Wellspring Center for Natural Healing, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to educating the public about the healing powers of nature and providing holistic care at low cost in Ashland, Oregon. He integrates a variety of complementary and alternative therapies into his own practice and is currently authoring his own book, which describes in detail his unique, highly successful approach to holistic care.
William R. Fair, MD, currently holds the Florence and Theodore Baumritter/Enid Ancell Chair of Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York. He also serves as Professor of Urology, Cornell University Medical College. He is the former Chief of Urologic Surgery at MSKCC. Dr. Fair received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and received his urology training at Stanford University Medical Center, where he served as Associate Professor of Urology. He became the Chairman of the Division of Urology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1975, prior to coming to MSKCC. Dr. Fair is world renowned as a urologic oncologist and surgeon. He currently serves as the Director of the John and Robert Bendheim Prostate Cancer Diagnostic Center at MSKCC. Most recently, Dr. Fair’s interests have been in the areas of prostate cancer epidemiology and the role of diet and nutrition as etiologic factors, and in complementary medicine in the treatment of GU malignancies.
Mitchell L. Gaynor, MD, is the Director of the Integrative Medicine Program, the Director of Medical Oncology, and the Associate Medical Director at the Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center in New York. Dr. Gaynor received his medical training from the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School. He completed his internship, residency and a clinical fellowship in hematology-oncology at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, where he has served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine for ten years. Dr. Gaynor is a frequent invited speaker and has authored numerous articles and several books, including Sounds of Healing and Dr. Gaynor’s Cancer Prevention Program.
Jeremy R. Geffen, MD, FACP, is a board-certified medical oncologist and the Founder and Executive Director of the Geffen Cancer Center and Research Institute, which integrates state-of-the-art conventional treatments for cancer with a growing array of complementary modalities. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Columbia University and received his MD degree with honors from New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Geffen completed residency training in internal medicine at the University of California at San Diego Medical Center, and fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center. His research awards have included grants from the National Cancer Institute and the Cancer Research Coordinating Committee of the University of California. He has also studied Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine in India, Nepal and Tibet and has extensive training in yoga, meditation and other approaches to self-awareness. Dr. Geffen lectures widely on the mind-body aspects of cancer and serves as a staff physician at the Indian River Memorial Hospital in Vero Beach, Florida.
Robert H. Gerard, MD, a board certified internist, has been in private practice in Voorhees, New Jersey since 1983. He has been integral in developing programs of complementary medicine at Virtua Health System for the past two years, where he is presently serving on the board of trustees. Dr. Gerard has been the Director of Medical Education for the Department of Medicine, and Volunteer Faculty Attending for both the family practice and podiatric surgical programs for the past ten years. He has successfully integrated alternative therapies within his practice and has guided patients through mind-body medicine skills groups. He has also served on the faculty of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine as a facilitator in their Professional Training Program.
Carol Goldberg, MA, LGSW, is the Assistant Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Originally an anthropologist, she has also completed graduate training in social work, and has done extensive advanced training in Gestalt therapy through the Gestalt Therapy Training Institute of Washington, DC. As part of her work at the Center, she leads groups for people with chronic and life-threatening illness as one of the facilitators for the Center’s Mind-Body Skills Group Program, as well as serving on the faculty of the Center’s Professional Training Program.
Nicholas J. Gonzalez, MD, a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, received his medical degree from Cornell Medical College in 1983. During post-graduate immunology fellowships at the University of Oklahoma and later at All-Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, he completed an extended research study evaluating aggressive nutritional therapy in the treatment of advanced cancer. Since 1987, Dr. Gonzalez has administered this type of intensive nutritional therapy to patients in his private practice in the treatment of advanced cancer and other incurable diseases. In January 1998, he completed a pilot study of his therapy with patients suffering inoperable pancreatic cancer that will be published this spring. In conjunction with the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Gonzalez is currently pursuing a large-scale randomized controlled clinical trial of his therapy in patients with inoperable pancreatic carcinoma. The FDA has approved his therapy for use in the clinical trial, and the study will be funded by the National Cancer Institute, which has allocated $1.4 million for the project.
James S. Gordon, MD, is the Founder and Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine. He is a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, and was the first Chair of the Program Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine. A Harvard Medical School graduate, he was for ten years a Research Psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has devoted over 25 years to the exploration and practice of mind-body medicine. Dr. Gordon integrates relaxation therapies, hypnosis, meditation, acupuncture, nutrition, music and dance, herbalism, musculoskeletal manipulation, yoga and physical exercise into his own practice of medicine and psychiatry. Dr. Gordon’s latest book, Manifesto for a New Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Therapies, was published in May 1996.
Robert Gorter, MD, PhD is both Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco and an Associate Professor at San Francisco State University. Dr. Gorter has also served as Professor at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany, Guest Professor at the University of St. Petersburg in Russia, and Director of the European Institute for Oncological and Immunological Research in Berlin, Amsterdam, Milan and Johannesburg. He is a frequent lecturer at international conferences and the author of many scientific articles and books.
Jay J. Greenblatt, PhD, has been the Head of the Drug Regulatory Affairs Section of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute since 1987. He prepares and files NCI Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for anticancer and anti-AIDS agents. Dr. Greenblatt received his BS in microbiology from Michigan State University and his PhD from the Department of Bacteriology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1979. He worked at the Food and Drug Administration Office of Biologics for seven years as a research assistant and scientific reviewer for the Division of Biochemistry and Biophysics and the Division of Bacterial Products, and as an IND reviewer with the Division of Biological Investigational New Drugs. Dr. Greenblatt is a member of the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, and he also serves as a consultant to other NIH institutes for the evaluation of alternative medicine products for clinical use.
Pierre R. Guesry, MD, is the Vice President of Research at the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. He received his medical degree from the University of Paris in 1972 and specialized in pediatrics and nephrology. Dr. Guesry spent three years as a Research Fellow in Pediatric Nephrology at the University of California at San Francisco, and he also served as Assistant Professor at Paris Hospitals in France. Prior to coming to Nestlé, he was Medical Director of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. His previous roles at Nestlé have included Medical and Scientific Director in Vevey, Switzerland, and Vice President of Nestec, Ltd., in charge of infant products. Dr. Guesry is the author of two books and six chapters in scientific books, as well as over 100 articles published in various national and international magazines.
Hal Gunn, MD, is Co-Director of the Centre for Integrated Therapy in Vancouver, British Columbia, a non-profit complementary cancer care center that focuses on the importance of will to live, hope, spiritual connection, personal autonomy, emotional connection, avoidance of physical and mental toxins, healthful diet and water, exercise, sleep, relaxation, vitamins and supplements, and complementary medical therapies. Dr. Gunn received his MD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1981 and completed postgraduate training in South Africa. Prior to coming to the Centre in 1997, he maintained a family practice for five years in a small Canadian mining town. He then spent eight years as a general practitioner in the Student Health Services of UBC, where he gained a greater appreciation of the transformation of society’s conception of health and illness as reflected in young adults’ increasing involvement in their own health care. Dr. Gunn is also a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Family Practice at the UBC School of Medicine.
Susan E. Haeger is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens for Health in Boulder, Colorado, a national grassroots advocacy organization committed to protecting and expanding consumer natural health choices. She came to this position in 1995 following over 15 years of diversified experience in the natural health arena. Ms. Haeger has a unique understanding of all sides of these issues through her prior role as owner of Ascent Communications, a marketing/communications firm specializing in natural health products. She also previously served as a strategic planning and communications consultant to Citizens for Health, developing the first Health Freedom National Lobbying Day in Washington, DC. Ms. Haeger is a frequent national lecturer at trade and consumer shows, health boards, academic and legislative forums and radio shows. She has developed strong working relationships with leading health care and legislative authorities and has successfully organized national campaigns involving hundreds of thousands of consumers advocating for their rights to health choice and information.
Nancy Harazduk, MS, LGSW, is the Coordinator of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s Mind-Body Skills Group Program. She is a social worker who combines biofeedback, imagery and meditation in her work with clients. As a facilitator of mind-body skills groups, she has led groups for people with cancer, depression, chronic illness and severe stress. Prior to receiving her MSW from Catholic University, she was an elementary school teacher for 13 years. She has done extensive work with chronically and terminally ill people at the National Institutes of Health and Hospice.
Tom Harkin, US Senator from Iowa since 1984, has earned broad-based support for his commitment to fair and responsible solutions and common sense reforms and for his dedication to human rights. Senator Harkin played a key role in helping to pass legislation establishing the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health in 1992. He has also been a supporter of legislative measures that would allow cancer patients greater access to unconventional treatments that may not have been sanctioned by the FDA. Senator Harkin is a 1972 graduate of the Catholic University of America Law School.
Michael J. Hawkins, MD, is Associate Professor in the Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine and Pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center. He is also Director of the Clinical Research Management Office and Developmental Therapeutics Program at the Lombardi Cancer Research Center in Washington, DC. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, he has served at the National Cancer Institute in the investigation of cancer therapy drugs. He is medical director of Smith Farm, a cancer support program modeled after Commonweal.
Stephen P. Hersh, MD, FAPA, is Co-Founder and Executive and Medical Director of the Medical Illness Counseling Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, the oldest free-standing behavioral medicine clinic in the US and a recipient of a Significant Achievement Award from the American Psychiatric Association in 1993. Dr. Hersh also serves as Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, and Pediatrics at George Washington University Medical Center. He is a Co-Principal Investigator and Project Director of the National Cancer Institute’s Medical Illness Counseling Center Project studying the biobehavioral aspects of HIV infection and chronic illnesses in children and adults. Dr. Hersh is the author of 56 publications, including journal articles, textbook chapters and books, and is consultant to nine additional books and their authors. His most recent book, Beyond Miracles: Living With Cancer, was published in 1998. He has 26 years of experience lecturing and teaching at universities in the United States and abroad, and at both local and national organizations.
David J. Hess, PhD, is a cultural/medical anthropologist and Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is the author of ten books on science and the public, including theoretical books in the sociology and anthropology of science, technology, and medicine. Current research projects include such books as Can Bacteria Cause Cancer?, Women Confront Cancer, and Evaluating Alternative Cancer Therapies. The chair of the Committee on the Anthropology of Science, Technology and Computing of the American Anthropological Association from 1996 to 1998, he has been a leader in the application of anthropological theory and methods to the social studies of science. He is the recipient of various grants and awards, including two Fulbrights and a National Science Foundation grant in the public understanding of science in the alternative cancer therapy movement. He has published in many peer-reviewed journals, including Medical Anthropology Quarterly and Social Studies of Science.
Sheila P. Johns earned her master’s degree in music from Wichita State University, where she helped to establish a degree program in Piano Accompanying. She then completed a three-year training course at the Concordia Anthroposophic Music Study Program in lyre work. Ms. Johns is currently on the faculty of the Washington Waldorf School as Lower School Music Coordinator, and she recently created a music study course for the faculty. She also has a private music studio for children and adults in the Washington, DC area, and she is Vice President on the board of the Lyre Association of North America.
Elaine Joyce is Executive Director of a non-profit organization in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. In 1985 she was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. Following lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, she began tamoxifen. She also began mind-body practices, primarily in the area of spiritual healing (meditation, visualization, prayer). After ten years, she was removed from the tamoxifen as a result of a study on stage I breast cancer patients. One year later, she was diagnosed with metastasis to the lungs. She has added more mind-body approaches to her regimen, including Chinese medicine (Acupuncture, herbs, Qi Gong), T’ai Chi, vitamins and supplements, and dietary changes. She is also back on tamoxifen and takes melatonin to boost its sensitivity.
Robert L. Justice, MD, is Acting Director of the Division of Oncology Drug Products in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Rockville, Maryland. Since joining the FDA in 1985, he has been involved in cancer drug evaluation and research as Medical Officer, Medical Team Leader, and Deputy Division Director. Before joining the FDA, Dr. Justice was an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, Texas. While at Texas Tech, he also served as Chief of Medical Oncology at the Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center and as Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Justice received his MD degree from the University of California at Davis and an MS in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. He completed postgraduate training in internal medicine at the University of Hawaii Integrated Medical Residency Program and subspecialty training in medical oncology at the Cancer Center of Hawaii.
Gary Kaplan, DO, has maintained a private practice at the Kaplan Clinic in Arlington, Virginia since 1985. He received his medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa in 1980 and was Chief Resident at the Family Practice Residency Program at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. Kaplan has also been trained in medical acupuncture for physicians with the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine Extension Program. He currently serves as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Georgetown University and Clinical Preceptor for Medical Acupuncture for Physicians with the UCLA Extension Program. Dr. Kaplan is past President of both the District of Columbia Osteopathic Association and the Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association, as well as the current President of the Medical Acupuncture Research Foundation. He has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and is a frequent lecturer at health conferences.
Gerald F. Karnow, MD, graduated with an MS and MD from the University of Chicago in 1974, completing his internship and residency in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital Center in Manhattan. Since 1978 he has been active in a medical practice with two other physicians called the Fellowship Community Associates. It is located in the Fellowship Community, Spring Valley, New York, an innovative multi-generational care facility for the aged in a semi-rural setting. The physicians participate in all aspects of community life, including evolving new methods of health care financing. Dr. Karnow also directs Mercury Press, which publishes a broad range of anthroposophical literature. He is past President of the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York and an officer of the Physician’s Association for Anthroposophical Medicine.
Miriam Karnow is a Therapeutic Eurythmist who received her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Chicago, followed by two years at Emerson College in England and two years at a therapeutic Drama School in Stuttgart, Germany. She graduated from the School of Eurythmy in Spring Valley and acquired her therapeutic eurythmy diploma through coursework in Vienna, Austria, and Dornach, Switzerland, and practical work at the Fellowship Community in Spring Valley, New York, where she is currently a coworker. She is a member of the Association for Therapeutic Eurythmy in North America.
Barnett S. Kramer, MD, MPH, is Deputy Director in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the National Cancer Institute. He is a member of a number of scientific committees and is Chairperson of the Prevention Committee of the American Clinical Oncology Society. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. He serves as Chairman of the Physician Data Query Editorial Board on Screening Prevention. Dr. Kramer is also Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Kramer received his medical degree from the University of Maryland Medical School and completed his internship and residency in int4ernal medicine at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology and has received a masters in public health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Dr. Kramer has extensive experience in cancer treatment studies, primary prevention studies, and clinical screening trials of lung, ovarian, breast and prostate cancers.
Diane Manahan, MS, MSN, RNCS, HNC is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Minnesota State University at Mankato (MSU). She received her BSN from St. Olaf College and two master’s degrees, in Interdisciplinary Continuing Studies and Nursing, from MSU. She is certified as a Clinical Specialist in Adult Mental Health Nursing and Holistic Nursing. Ms. Manahan has served as an international health volunteer in Malaysia, Ghana, and Kenya. She had an advanced nursing mental health practice with the Psychiatric Clinic of Mankato from 1973 to 1991. Since 1991, she has been teaching mental health nursing, communication, and holistic nursing in the School of Nursing at MSU. She also facilitates breast cancer support groups at the Open Door Health Center. Ms. Manahan serves on the boards of the Minnesota International Health Volunteers and The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.
Myra MacPherson is the author of the recently published She Came to Live Out Loud: An Inspiring Family Journey through Illness, Loss and Grief. After a long career covering politics for the Washington Post, Ms. MacPherson moved into the realm of grief and dying when she sought answers to her distress while dealing with the sudden death of her mother and the lingering death of her former husband. She became a bereavement counselor during her book research, and she is now on the advisory board of the St. Francis Center in Washington, DC and a member of the International Work Group on Dying, Death and Bereavement. Ms. MacPherson is the author of two previously acclaimed bestsellers, The Power Lovers: An Intimate Look at Politicians and their Marriages and Long Time Passing: Vietnam and the Haunted Generation, which was nominated for a Pulitzer and was a finalist in the Los Angeles Times 1984 Book Awards.
William Manahan, MD, graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and served as a Peace Corps physician for two years in Malaysia and one year in Ghana. Upon his return, he maintained a private practice for over 20 years in the Mankato area. In 1994 he became the founding Program Director of Minnesota’s first Rural Family Practice Residency. At present, Dr. Manahan is an Assistant Professor of Family Practice at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center and is primarily involved with the University’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. The Center’s mission is to promote interdisciplinary education, research and patient care that integrates biomedical, complementary, cross-cultural and spiritual aspects of care. He is the author of the book Eat For Health: A Do-It-Yourself Nutrition Guide for Solving Common Medical Problems. Beginning in 1990, he served for two years as president of the American Holistic Medical Association.
Gailen D. Marshall, Jr., MD, PhD, received an MS in immunology from Texas A&M University and both a PhD and MD at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa and the University of Tennessee at Memphis where he served as Chief Medical Resident. He also completed his allergy and immunology fellowship at UT Memphis. He returned to Houston to establish the Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology at the University of Texas Houston Medical School, which he currently heads. Dr. Marshall is an active clinician, teacher and researcher. He is currently Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UT Houston. His primary research interests include clinical immunoregulation, psychoneuroimmunology, IgE-mediated diseases in HIV+ patients, experimental immunotherapy, the effects of various forms of stress on immune dysfunction with particular interest in asthmatic, elderly and HIV+ patients. Dr. Gailen has presented at dozens of health conferences, lectures, and grand rounds.
Antonio C. Martinez, II, JD, is an attorney and a government relations and regulatory affairs consultant specializing in food and drug law, health care law, and patient and health care professional advocacy. He earned his JD from Brooklyn Law School in 1990 and now practices in Wayne, New Jersey, New York City, and Washington, DC. Mr. Martinez’s firm represents companies, organizations, health professionals and individuals before state and federal regulatory agencies and the courts, including legal guidance for those developing health care products made from natural substances and botanicals and those providing health care services utilizing complementary medicine. Mr. Martinez was one of the principal lobbyists involved with the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 and worked as a Legislative Advisor to the Nutritional Health Alliance. He has lobbied for the passage of legislation related to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reform, including the Access to Medical Treatment Act. Mr. Martinez also makes frequent appearances in national broadcast and print media.
Robert W. Mayo is Vice Chairman of Development of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Mr. Mayo has 17 years of experience developing comprehensive cancer programs. He has special knowledge and experience in cancer program management, physician practice management and marketing. Prior to joining Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and the subsequent founding of Integrated Oncology Networks in 1995-96, Mr. Mayo served at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in many senior management responsibilities. Mr. Mayo is also a board member of Midwestern Regional Medical Center, Memorial Medical Center and Cancer Institute, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America and is Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation. Mr. Mayo received his BS in health care administration from Pacific Western University.
Mary S. McCabe, RN, is an oncology nurse who is currently Director of the Office of Clinical Research Promotion at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Previously she was Assistant Director of the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. Prior to coming to the NCI, she was Nursing Director of the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University. She directs all activities related to NCI clinical trials agreements and has been responsible for coordinating the efforts between third party payers and NCI since 1989. Ms. McCabe also supervises the new cancer trials website. Other areas of responsibility include the integration of research, such as informed consent. Ms. McCabe is an active member of the Oncology Nursing Society. She served as Chair of the Health Policy Committee and chaired a national Oncology Nursing Health Policy Task Force.
Ralph W. Moss, PhD, is an internationally acclaimed medical writer who has spent more than two decades investigating and writing about conventional and alternative cancer therapies. Formerly the Assistant Director of Public Affairs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Moss is the author of such groundbreaking books as Cancer Therapy, Questioning Chemotherapy, and The Cancer Industry, as well as the award-winning PBS documentary, "The Cancer War." Dr. Moss is a member of both the National Institutes of Health’s Cancer Advisory Panel and the National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query Treatment Editorial Board. He was a founding advisor to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Alternative Medicine and a past advisor to the Rosenthal Center of Columbia University, as well as a current scientific advisor to the University of Texas. In 1998, he was chosen as an honorary member of the German Oncology Society, the first American and non-physician ever to be so honored. Dr. Moss travels the world lecturing and searching for valid alternative approaches to cancer.
Robert A. Nagourney, MD, is the Medical and Laboratory Director of Radiational Therapeutics, Inc., in Long Beach, California. He received his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he was a University Scholar. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of California at Irvine and the Long Beach VA Medical Center, followed by a postgraduate fellowship in medical oncology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. As a recipient of the Scripps Institute Young Investigator Award, he completed additional study in hematology at the Scripps Clinic and Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Dr. Nagourney currently serves on the editorial boards of several oncology journals and has been a guest lecturer for a variety of professional organizations and universities. He is also widely published in professional journals and has authored numerous scientific and medical abstracts, articles, and book chapters.
Richard L. Nahin, PhD, MPH, received his doctorate in neuroscience from the University of California at Los Angeles and his master’s in public health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He first came to the Neurobiology and Anesthesiology Branch of the National Institute of Dental Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1985 as a Postdoctoral Fellow, later becoming a Staff Fellow and Senior Staff Fellow. In 1993, Dr. Nahin moved to the NIH’s National Center for Research Resources as a Scientific Review Administrator, and in 1996, he became Program Officer in the Office of Alternative Medicine. He is currently serving as Acting Director of the Division of Extramural Research, Training and Review in the newly-created National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Dr. Nahin received an NIH Merit Award from the NIH Office of the Director in 1998. He is the author of dozens of journal articles and abstracts about topics in neuroscience.
Kristine Nelson, MD, is a medical oncologist. After completing her fellowship in oncology at Yale University School of Medicine, she pursued additional specialty training in palliative medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She was then appointed Research Staff Fellow in the Pain Research Clinic at the National Institutes of Health, where she was involved in research in chronic pain syndromes. Dr. Nelson is now Director of the Palliative Medicine Research Program at the Harry. R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. Her interests are in the area of cancer-associated symptoms and their treatment and developing research protocols for the symptoms of advanced cancer.
Shanti Norris is Executive Director of Smith Farm Center for the Healing Arts. Most recently Vice President of Kent Homeopathic Associates in California, she has taught in the field of natural healing for over 25 years. An ecumenical minister of Integral Yoga, she has an extensive background in homeopathy, counseling, meditation, yoga, stress reduction, and other natural forms of healing.
Kristin O’Shee, MFA, MST, is the artistic director of O’Shee Dances. Her private practice in Washington, DC, includes massage, yoga, and body-centered psychotherapy. Through her long-standing affiliation with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, she developed dance and massage components of the School Wellness Program.
Carole J. O’Toole, MS, has worked in various professions, including marine pathology, family service planning for the military and environmental science policy, prior to becoming a cancer survivor and patient advocate. Her experience with inflammatory breast cancer and subsequent conventional and alternative cancer treatment led her to a new vocation as writer, speaker and supporter of fellow cancer survivors. Her work has included appearances on CNN and National Public Radio, local speaking engagements, and coaching individuals currently facing cancer treatment. Ms. O’Toole is currently at work on a book, Integrative Healing: A Survivor’s Guide to Complementary Therapies for Cancer. Her book is intended to help cancer survivors and their caregivers by providing a framework to design individual, integrated treatment plans that combine complementary and conventional therapies, along with descriptions of locally available complementary therapies and in-depth profiles of practitioners. Ms. O’Toole holds a master’s degree in medical anthropology and health policy.
Arnold S. Relman, MD, received his MD from Columbia University in 1946 and completed his internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he began his research career in nephrology and electrolyte and acid-base balance. In 1977, after serving on the medical faculties of both Boston University and the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Relman was appointed Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and Senior Physician and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Today he is Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of the Journal and Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Social Medicine at Harvard. Dr. Relman is a member and former officer of several professional organizations and has been awarded numerous honors, including the John Phillips Medal of the American College of Physicians, the Distinguished Service Award of the American College of Cardiology, the Peters Award of the American Society of Nephrology, and the Kober Medal American Association of Physicians. Dr. Relman also holds honorary degrees from eight medical schools and universities.
Mary Ann Richardson, DrPH, is Assistant Professor at the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center School of Public Health. Her main research interests are alternative medicine, cancer prevention, health promotion, mind-body interactions and quality of life. She is Co-Principal Investigator and Program Director at the UT Center for Alternative Medicine Research in Cancer, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Office of Alternative Medicine. She has published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles, and her presentations include critical analysis of various alternative and complementary therapies for cancer.
Roger H. Rogers, MD, is the Founder and Co-Director of the Centre for Integrated Therapy in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he counsels patients with cancer. Dr. Rogers earned his medical degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and has maintained a private family practice in Vancouver since 1960, specializing in preventive medicine and nutrition. He is a Clinical Associate Professor emeritus on the Faculty of Medicine at UBC after serving on the faculty for 23 years. Dr. Rogers is a member of the British Columbia and Canadian Medical Associations and the past President of both the Vancouver Medical Association and the Greater Vancouver General Practitioners’ Association. He has also previously served as Director of several community health centers in the Vancouver area.
Martin L. Rossman, MD, is an author, speaker, educator, researcher, and consultant who has practiced traditional Chinese acupuncture since 1972. A graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School in 1969, he has had a long-standing interest in the practical importance of attitudes, beliefs, emotions, and mind-body practices in medicine and health. Dr. Rossman is Founder and Director of the Collaborative Medicine Center and Co-Director of the Academy for Guided Imagery, both in Mill Valley, California. He is also a Clinical Associate in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, and he is on the Adjunct Teaching Faculty at the California School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Rossman is the author of Healing Yourself: A Step-by-Step Program for Better Health through Imagery, as well as popular keynote speaker and workshop leader. He has also taught clinical guided imagery to over 10,000 health professionals since 1982, in addition to consulting to a number of corporate health care organizations on various issues involving integrative health care.
Joan F. Runfola, LCSW, ACSW, currently serves as the Associate Executive Director of Cancer Care, Inc., in Millburn, New Jersey, in addition to her part-time work at the Center for the Treatment of Eating Disorders and her private psychotherapy practice in Livingston, New Jersey. Ms. Runfola earned her social work degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. She first came to Cancer Care in 1985, where she spent three years at the New York City office of that organization as the Coordinator of the Community Education Program. She then served as Director of Social Service for the New Jersey Division until 1998. In this capacity, Ms. Runfola coordinated, supervised and marketed social services programs, as well as providing clinical counseling services for people with cancer, their families, and bereaved relatives. She also collaborated with oncology professionals throughout New Jersey to plan psychosocial oncology programs in the state. Ms Runfola has been a presenter on the topic of cancer and psychosocial support at several major conferences in recent years.
Michael B. Schachter, MD, a magna cum laude graduate of Columbia College, received his medical degree in 1965 from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Although board certified in psychiatry, Dr. Schachter has been a pioneer in many other aspects of alternative and complementary medicine for more than two decades and is Medical Director of the Schachter Center for Complementary Medicine in Suffern, New York. A well-known lecturer and writer, he is a major contributor to the book, An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer and is author of The Natural Way to a Healthy Prostate. Dr. Schachter is also active in a number of professional societies, including serving as President of the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine and past President of the American College for Advancement in Medicine.
Susan F. Sencer, MD, is a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After receiving her medical degree from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1984, she stayed on there to complete a pediatric residency, becoming Chief Resident in Pediatrics in 1988, and a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology. Dr. Sencer has spent time traveling in Japan and has lectured about cross-cultural comparisons of child abuse. She is a member of several professional societies for pediatric hematology/oncology and the recipient of multiple awards and honors in oncology.
Channa A. Seidenberg studied music and voice at Hunter College and privately in New York City. She trained in Switzerland as a music therapist in social therapeutic settings and is currently active in upstate New York, working with adults in Camphill Village and Triform Camphill Community and with children at the Hawthorne Valley School. She is helping to bring about a therapeutic singing training in the United States. She is on the faculty of the Concordia Anthroposophic Music Study Program and is a member of the Board of the Lyre Association of North America.
Bernard S. Siegel, MD, FACS, is a leading researcher and educator on the interface between psychology and cancer prevention. A 1957 graduate of Cornell University’s Medical School, Dr. Siegel, or Bernie as he prefers to be called, maintained a general and pediatric surgery private practice in New Haven, Connecticut until 1989, when he retired from surgery to speak to patients and their caregivers. In 1978, he founded Exceptional Cancer Patients, a specific form of individual and group therapy utilizing patients’ drawings, dreams, images and feelings. ECaP uses "carefrontation," a safe, loving therapeutic confrontation which facilitates personal lifestyle changes, personal empowerment and healing of an individual’s life. Bernie is a sought-after workshop and conference presenter and has appeared on most of the leading television and radio programs. His 1986 book Love, Medicine and Miracles became a national bestseller and was turned into a well-received public television series, and his subsequent books, Peace, Love and Healing, How to Live Between Office Visits, and Prescriptions for Living, have been equally well received.
O. Carl Simonton, Jr., MD, has been the Medical Director of the Simonton Cancer Center in Pacific Palisades, California since 1985. Dr. Simonton received his medical degree from the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland in 1967 and completed a residency in radiation therapy there in 1971. He spent ten years as an Associate in Radiation Oncology at Oncology Associates in Fort Worth, Texas, where he instituted patient and family orientation as part of standard introduction for radiation treatment and group and family counseling as formal part of cancer therapy. He later developed and became Medical Director of the Cancer Counseling and Research Center, a separate non-profit foundation for cancer patient education and research into the emotional aspects of cancer. Dr. Simonton has taught workshops for professional counselors about counseling cancer patients and has consulted with several institutions regarding implementation and evaluation of cancer counseling services. He has been an invited speaker at dozens of health conferences and meetings and has authored numerous book chapters and articles, as well as such books as Getting Well Again and The Healing Journey.
Wendy B. Smith, PhD, is a licensed experimental psychologist and a nationally certified biofeedback therapist with advanced training in the use of hypnosis for pain. She has extensive experience in the use of biofeedback techniques to treat a variety of conditions, including paint related to cancer and its treatment. As a Research Psychologist with the Neurobiology and Anesthesiology Branch, Pain Section at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Smith conducted and published research on pain memory, psychophysics of pain perception, and the psychological aspects of pain. For the National Cancer Institute (NCI), she directed a feasibility study on incorporating hypnosis and other nontraditional techniques into treatment protocols at the NCI and designed a pediatric interview for an NCI study on pain in cancer and HIV. Dr. Smith serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and is a member of the board of the American Institute for Palliative Care Development. She is also a Public Health Advisor with the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the NIH.
Michael H. Smolensky, PhD, earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree in human physiology from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Since 1971, he has been a Professor of Environmental Physiology at the School of Public Health at the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center. Dr. Smolensky is Founder and Director of the Hermann Center for Chronobiology and Chronotherapeutics, the first clinic in the world to utilize biological rhythm methods to diagnose and treat patient disorders. He is also a board member of the International Society for Chronobiology (ISC) and the Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Chronobiology International, the ISC’s official journal. Dr. Smolensky is the author of over 200 scientific and clinical articles, two books, and several monographs about medical chronobiology. He has collaborated with the American Medical Association to develop educational materials for doctors and patients about medical chronobiology and chronotherapeutics, "Taking Your Medication: A Question of Timing – A Patient Guide to Chronotherapy."
Richard Steinberg, MD, is a physician who combines both traditional and alternative medicine in his practice. He is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and a fellow of The American College of Emergency Physicians. He is also a licensed Medical Acupuncturist. In June of 1996, Dr. Steinberg was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Since that time, he has investigated and participated in many traditional and nontraditional forms of healing. Dr. Steinberg is particularly interested in environmental medicine, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, nutrition, meditation, and yoga. Currently, he is co-authoring a resource guide to complementary therapies in the Washington, DC area. Dr. Steinberg serves as a consultant at The Center for Mind-Body Medicine for patients seeking information about complementary cancer therapies.
Sandra Steingraber, PhD, is an ecologist, poet and cancer survivor and an internationally recognized expert on the environmental links to cancers. She received her doctorate in biology from the University of Michigan. She has taught biology at Columbia College, Chicago, held visiting fellowships at the University of Illinois, Radcliffe/Harvard University, and Northeastern University, and was recently appointed to President Clinton’s National Action Plan on Breast Cancer. Dr. Steingraber’s highly acclaimed book, Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment, presents cancer as a human rights issue, brining together data on toxic releases with newly released data from cancer registries. In 1997, she was named one of Ms. Magazine’s Women of the Year, and in 1998, she received the first annual Altman Award from the Jenifer Altman Foundation "for the inspiring and poetic use of science to elucidate the causes of cancer." Dr. Steingraber is a sought-after public speaker at conferences, university campuses and medical schools.
Matthais Stoss, MD, is a medical researcher in Germany. He completed his medical training at the University of Tuebingen, University of Witten/Herkecke, and the Free University of Berlin. Since 1995, he has been a Research Fellow and recently became a Co-Director at the European Institute for Oncological and Immunological Research in Berlin, Amsterdam and Milan. Dr. Stoss has organized seminars on anthroposophical medicine and anthroposophical pharmacology at the Free University of Berlin, and he currently collaborates with several research groups that have published a number of papers in both German and American medical journals. He is also a member of several scientific advisory boards and medical associations and is an active member of Amnesty International.
Ellen L. Stovall is Executive Director of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), a national grassroots consumer and advocacy organization that serves people with all types of cancer. Ms. Stovall is a 27-year survivor of two diagnoses of cancer. In 1997, she conceived of and led a national pubic awareness campaign called "THE MARCH … Coming Together to Conquer Cancer" that took place on the National Mall in Washington, DC in September 1998. As President of The March, Ms. Stovall guided the national and regional media outreach focusing attention on the issues of cancer research and quality care for all Americans. In 1996, President Clinton appointed her to a six-year term on the National Cancer Advisory Board, for which she currently chairs the budget subcommittee. She also serves on the boards and advisory panels of numerous other cancer organizations, including the National Cancer Institute, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Friends of Cancer Research, and the Institute of Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Board. Ms Stovall is a regular speaker at national conferences and in the media and a frequent testifier before Congress.
Alexander S. Sun, PhD, is a researcher in the areas of anti-tumor and immune-enhancing Chinese herbs, cellular aging, and the comparative study of normal and neoplastic cells in cell biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Born in China, he studied biology at Taiwan Normal University in Taipei and later received his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. He worked for several years as an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine, and he has been Director of Medical Sciences at the Connecticut Institute for Aging and Cancer in Milford, Connecticut since 1990.
Carmen Tamayo, MD, earned her medical degree in 1986 from the Central University of Venezuela and a degree in public health from the University of Toronto in 1994. She worked at the National Cancer Institute of Canada as a Research Associate for both the Center for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation and the Task Force on Alternative Therapies of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative. Dr. Tamayo is currently acting as a Research Consultant for the University of Texas-Center for Alternative Medicine Research in Cancer (UT-CAM) a National Institute’s of Health (NIH) funded exploratory research center. She is developing and coordinating scientific protocols to assess the effectiveness of alternative cancer therapies in clinical trials. She is also responsible for Investigational New Drug (IND) development for herbal therapies evaluated by UT-CAM. In addition, Dr. Tamayo is involved with the Tzu-Chi Institute for Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Vancouver, Canada. Her research interests are in the evaluation and complementary and alternative therapies for cancer prevention and control.
Elisabeth Targ, MD, has produced dozens of research articles on distance healing and prayer and the healing process. She currently serves in several capacities at the California Pacific Medical Center, including Director of the Complementary Medicine Research Institute, Staff Psychiatrist at the Health and Healing Clinic, and the Clinical Director of Psychosocial Oncology Research. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. Dr. Targ is the Principal Investigator of a psychosocial project for the US Army Breast Cancer Research Program Grant, entitled "A New Vision for Breast Cancer Care" and serves on the editorial board of the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Dr. Targ earned her both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology, as well as her medical degree, from Stanford University, and she completed her internship and residency in psychiatry at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Xiao Ming Tian, called "Dr. Ming" by his colleagues and patients, received his medical degree in Medicine and Surgery from Beijing Medical University in 1969. Dr. Ming is a formally trained Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. From 1969 to 1982, Dr. Ming worked in orthopedics/sports medicine and pathology at Beijing Medical University. From 1982 to 1988, he finished his post-doctoral fellowship in bone pathology at Johns Hopkins/Sinai Hospital. Dr. Ming also completed his research fellowship in bones and joints at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Ming is a Consultant to WHO/PAHO and since 1987 has been Vice President of the World Academic Society of Medical Qigong. Since 1991, Dr. Ming has been the first Clinical Consultant for Acupuncture to the medical staff at the NIH Clinical Center. He has treated more than 4,000 patients for arthritis, sports injuries, neuropathy, emotional disorders, cancer and various conditions using acupuncture, Chinese herbal remedies and Qigong at the Wildwood Medical Center and NIH.
Debasish Tripathy, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He received his MD from Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, where he subsequently completed an internship and residency in internal medicine. Dr. Tripathy went on to complete a clinical fellowship in hematology and oncology and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Cancer Research Institute at UCSF, where he then joined the faculty in 1991. He was a Breast Cancer Research Program Innovative Grant Awardee for the State of California in 1996. Dr. Tripathy is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a Contributing Editor to Breast Diseases: A Year Book Quarterly. He serves on the board of directors of the Cancer Support Community and the San Francisco chapter of the Komen Foundation. Dr. Tripathy is currently at work on several breast cancer research projects and has authored numerous abstracts and articles.
Beth Usher received a Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from the University of Michigan, a diploma from the School of Eurythmy, Spring Valley, New York, and a diploma from the Training in Therapeutic Eurythmy in England. She has served on the faculty at the School of Eurythmy, as artist in residence at the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains, NY, and is currently working in the medical practice of the Fellowship Community Associates in Spring Valley. She is a member of ATHENA, the Association for Therapeutic Eurythmy in North America.
Michael J. Wargovich, PhD, received his doctorate in microbiology from Texas Tech University in 1981 and completed postdoctoral studies at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Toronto, Canada. In 1984, he was recruited to the MD Anderson Cancer Center and now heads the Division of Basic Research for the South Carolina Cancer Center. He is a Professor of Pathology in the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. His research spans the field of cancer prevention from the basic research of how chemoprevention agents work through clinical studies. Current interest are how garlic and onions prevent colon cancer, the role of citrus phytochemical in the prevention of pancreatic cancer, and the effects of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the prevention of colon cancer. He has a vivid interest in alternative medicines and, along with his work in garlic and onions, is interested in the possible health benefits of ginseng as it applies to cancer.
Jean Watson, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Distinguished Professor of Nursing and former Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Colorado. She is founder and Director of the Center for Human Caring at the Health Sciences Center Campus in Denver, Colorado. She is a member of the American Academy of Nursing and served as the President of the National League for Nursing from June of 1995 to August of 1996. Dr. Watson has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and psychiatric-mental health nursing and holds her PhD in educational psychology and counseling. She is a widely published author and recipient of several awards and honors, including an international Kellogg Fellowship in Australia, a Fulbright Research Award in Sweden and two honorary doctoral degrees. She has been Distinguished Lecturer and Endowed Lecturer at universities throughout the United States and internationally. Her published works on the philosophy and theory of human caring and the art and science of nursing are used by clinical nurses and academic programs throughout the world.
David K. Wellisch, PhD, is a Professor of Biobehavioral Science and Chief Psychologist for the Adult Division of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. He received his master’s degree from San Francisco State and his doctorate from the University of Houston, both in clinical psychology. After serving as an intern in clinical psychology at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, Dr. Wellisch joined the faculty at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry in 1975. In 1993, he received Certification in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy from the Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Wellisch has been the recipient of a number of research grants from the California Division of the American Cancer Society and other organizations and has published dozens of book chapters and research articles. He has also been an invited speaker at over 100 health conferences since 1971.
Jeffrey D. White, MD, is the Director of Clinical Trials and the Clinical Care Program in the Metabolism Branch of the National Cancer Institute. He received his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in 1984. After fellowships in medical oncology and hematology, he came to the NCI, where projects included molecular approaches to the construction and screening of antibodies, the assessment of the humoral immune status of patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, the detection of cytokine mRNA in a lymphoma ceH line, a method of determining X-linked inactivation of cell populations using PCR, and the assessment of T- and B-cell function in a patient with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia. He is currently administering a clinical trial of monoclonal antibody therapy to patients with IL-2 receptors expressing malignancies.
Gerard C. Whitworth, RN, CCP, is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Department of Complementary Medicine Services at New York Presbyterian Medical Center. He is also a Certified Clinical Perfusionist at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Mr. Whitworth received his diploma as a registered nurse from the Albany Medical Center School of Nursing in 1976 and a Certificate in Cardiovascular Perfusion Technology from Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Connecticut in 1993. He worked as a charge nurse for five years in various hospitals until 1981, when he began his own company specializing in fine jewelry. Mr. Whitworth is currently working on multiple research projects and has published several articles about the use of self-hypnosis, Therapeutic Touch, reflexology and other complementary therapies for surgical patients and others in acute care settings. Mr. Whitworth is also a frequent presenter at health conferences and in both broadcast and print media.
Robert E. Wittes, MD, is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. Following a fellowship in medical oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, he joined the staff of the Department of Medicine at that institution, where he became Assistant Chief of the Solid Tumor Service. He came to the National Cancer Institute in 1983 to head the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, the unit responsible for clinical trials and the clinical testing of new agents. In 1988, Dr. Wittes joined the Bristol-Myers Company as Senior Vice President for Cancer Research. He returned to the National Cancer Institute in 1990 as Chief of the Medicine Branch. In 1995, Dr. Wittes assumed the position of Acting Director of the Division of Cancer Treatment and was later appointed Director of the new Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, a position that he now holds. In 1997, Dr. Wittes was also appointed to the new position of Deputy Director for Extramural Science, responsible for the oversight, integration, coordination and enhanced communication across all extramural programs of the National Cancer Institute.
Lonnie K. Zeltzer, MD, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Anesthesiology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. She has previously served on the faculties of both the University of Southern California School of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Zeltzer received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, followed by a residency in pediatrics at UCLA and the University of Arizona and a fellowship in adolescent medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. She is past President of the Society for Adolescent Medicine and a recipient of the William T. Grant Foundation Faculty Scholars Award. Dr. Zeltzer has authored dozens of research articles in peer-reviewed journals about a variety of topics in pediatric oncology.
Jeffrey C. Zimmerman, OMD, is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and a licensed and board certified acupuncturist specializing in Medical Qi Gong. He was trained by the Chinese in the United States and at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, China. Dr. Zimmerman is a former board member of the Acupuncture Society of New York. He is currently the Tai Chi/Qi Gong and Medical Qi Gong Professor for the Graduate Program in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Mercy College in Connecticut. The Mercy College program is associated with Soundshore Medical Center and is the only fully credentialed hospital-based program in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in the United States. Dr. Zimmerman is on the Acupuncture Advisory Board of Oxford Health Plans. He is Director of the Oriental and Energetic Medicine Department of the Center for Women’s Health in Darien, Connecticut. He also has classical music degrees from both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London, England.
© 2008 The Center for Mind-Body Medicine