George M. Slavich, PhD

Dr. Slavich is a leading expert in the conceptualization, assessment, and management of life stress, and in psychological and biological mechanisms linking stress with poor mental and physical health. He developed the first online system for assessing lifetime stress exposure; formulated the first fully integrated, multi-level theory of depression; and is helping pioneer a new field of research called human social genomics, which is revealing how social experiences reach deep inside the body to affect the human genome. His most recent research focuses on Social Safety Theory, which describes how experiences of social safety and threat influence the brain and immune system to affect human health and behavior. This translational work on the psychoneuroimmunology of stress, health, and behavior has been published in several leading journals including Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, JAMA Psychiatry, PNAS, Psychological Bulletin, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, and the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology.

In addition to these research efforts, Dr. Slavich is deeply devoted to teaching and mentoring and to helping develop the next generation of leaders in psychiatry and psychology. In addition to having mentored more than 175 pre- and post-doctoral trainees, early in his career Dr. Slavich founded the Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Western Psychological Association Student Council, and Society of Clinical Psychology’s Section on Graduate Students and Early Career Psychologists. More recently, he has developed a new approach to classroom instruction called transformational teaching and has written numerous articles on professional development issues in science. He has received 18 awards for these contributions since 2009, including the Neal E. Miller New Investigator Award from the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, Herbert Weiner Early Career Award from the American Psychosomatic Society, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema Early Career Research Award from the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology, and Raymond D. Fowler Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Professional Development of Graduate Students from the American Psychological Association.

Ben Lynch, ND

Dr. Ben Lynch is the best-selling author of Dirty Genes and President of Seeking Health, a company that helps educate both the public and health professionals on how to overcome genetic dysfunction. He received his doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University. He lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and three sons.

Patrick Hanaway, MD

Patrick Hanaway, MD, is a board certified family physician trained at Washington University. Dr. Hanaway served on the executive committee for the American Board of Integrative Medicine and is past president of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. For the past 20 years, he has worked with his wife in clinical practice at Family to Family: Your Home for Whole Health Care in Asheville, NC.

After 10 years as chief medical officer at Genova Diagnostics, Dr. Hanaway became the chief medical education officer at The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), where he oversaw the development and implementation of IFM’s programs worldwide. He has taught with IFM since 2005, he leads the GI Advanced Practice Module, and he continues his support of IFM as co-chair of the Expert Advisory Board.

In 2014, Dr. Hanaway helped develop the collaboration between IFM and the Cleveland Clinic, where he was the founding medical director. He later became the research director and now serves as a research collaborator at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. His research interests focus on evaluating outcomes of Functional Medicine models of care.

The focus of Dr. Hanaway’s work is to leverage his skillset to transform medical practice through education, research, and clinical care. In addition, Dr. Hanaway has been initiated as a Mara’akame [indigenous healer] by the Huichol people of the Sierra Madres in Mexico. He holds community fires, leads ceremonies, and offers traditional healing sessions.

David Perlmutter, MD

Dr. Perlmutter is a Board-Certified Neurologist and five-time New York Times bestselling author. He serves on the Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition.

Dr. Perlmutter received his M.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine where he was awarded the Leonard G. Rowntree Research Award. He serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and has published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals including Archives of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and The Journal of Applied Nutrition. In addition, he is a frequent lecturer at symposia sponsored by institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, Columbia University, Scripps Institute, New York University, and Harvard University, and serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

His books have been published in 32 languages and include the #1 New York Times bestseller Grain Brain, The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar, with over 1 million copies in print. Other New York Times bestsellers include Brain Maker, The Grain Brain Cookbook, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, and Brain Wash, co-written with Austin Perlmutter, M.D. He is the editor of The Microbiome and the Brain authored by top experts in the field and published in December 2019 by CRC Press. His latest book, Drop Acid, focuses on the pivotal role of uric acid in metabolic diseases, and will be published in February 2022.

Dr. Perlmutter has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated television programs including 20/20, Larry King Live, CNN, Fox News, Fox and Friends, The Today Show, Oprah, The Dr. Oz Show, The CBS Early Show, and CBS This Morning.

Dr. Perlmutter is also the recipient of numerous awards, including: the Linus Pauling Award for his innovative approaches to neurological disorders; the National Nutritional Foods Association Clinician of the Year Award, the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American College of Nutrition, and most recently the 2019 Global Leadership Award from the Integrative Healthcare Symposium.

Mark Hyman, MD

Mark Hyman, MD, has devoted his life to helping others discover optimal health and address the root causes of chronic disease through the power of Functional Medicine. Dr. Hyman is an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in the fields of Functional Medicine and nutrition. He is the founder and director of The UltraWellness Center, the Head of Strategy and Innovation of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, a fourteen-time New York Times best-selling author, and Board President for Clinical Affairs for The Institute for Functional Medicine. He is the host of one of the leading health podcasts, The Doctor’s Farmacy. Dr. Hyman is a regular medical contributor to several television shows and networks, including CBS This Morning, Today, Good Morning America, The View, and CNN. He is also an advisor and guest co-host on The Dr. Oz Show. Through his work to change policy for the betterment of public health, Dr. Hyman has testified before the Senate Working Group on Health Care Reform on Functional Medicine. He has consulted with the surgeon general on diabetes prevention and participated in the 2009 White House Forum on Prevention and Wellness. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa nominated Dr. Hyman for the President’s Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health.

Additionally, Dr. Hyman has presented at the Clinton Foundation’s Health Matters, Achieving Wellness in Every Generation conference and the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as with the World Economic Forum on global health issues, TEDMED and TEDx. He is the winner of the Linus Pauling Award and the Nantucket Project Award. Dr. Hyman received the Christian Book of the Year Award for his work on The Daniel Plan, a faith-based initiative that helped the Saddleback Church collectively lose 250,000 pounds that he created with Rick Warren, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Dr. Daniel Amen. He was inducted into the Books for Better Life Hall of Fame. With Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Hyman crafted and helped introduce the Take Back Your Health Act of 2009 to the United States Senate, which promotes reimbursement for lifestyle treatment of chronic disease. With Tim Ryan in 2015, he helped introduce the ENRICH Act into Congress to fund nutrition in medical education. Dr. Hyman plays a substantial role in the major 2014 film Fed Up, produced by Laurie David and Katie Couric, which addresses childhood obesity. Please join him in celebrating the power of food as medicine at www.drhyman.com, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and listen to his podcast The Doctor’s Farmacy for conversations that matter around health, wellness, food, and politics.

Crystalin Montgomery, ND, LAC

Dr. Montgomery is a MN Board Registered Naturopathic Doctor and Licensed Acupuncturist, and currently sees patients virtually for naturopathic and functional medicine care. She also sees patients for acupuncture at the University of Minnesota Physicians Psychiatry Clinics (Behavioral Health Clinic for Families and St. Louis Park Psychiatry Clinic). In addition to patient care, her work with the UMP Integrative Psychiatry and Wellness Team also includes development of clinical services, resident education, and psychoeducation for Families with Psychosis and groups in the substance use residential program.

Daniel VanDorn, PharmD

Dr. VanDorn earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Temple University School of Pharmacy while concurrently optimizing novel stem-cell disease models and genetic assay technology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, work that has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. He has served in a wide range of health care settings including the Armed Forces, Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, and medical missions in developing countries. These experiences cultivated a keen understanding of both the technological and clinical aspects of genetic testing. This serves him well as Senior Medical Science Liaison and Lead Scientist for Product Development at Genomind, where he facilitates research and development of the Genomind platform and provides counsel and education to clinicians and patients on the interpretation of genetic assay results.

Tara Scott, MD, FACOG, FAAFM, ABOIM, CNMP

Dr. Scott has been in front of an audience since she was the president of speech team in high school. This evolved in educating the community on hormone therapy, having taught doctors in five continents about an integrative approach. With over 20 years’ experience practicing OB/GYN, Dr. Scott shares a wealth of information by lecturing around the community to raise awareness about wellness and preventative health for patients.

In addition to being the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine at Summa Health in Akron, OH, she is a Clinical Associate Professor at NEOMED and lectures OB/GYN residents about all the hormonal topics. She is the Chief Medical Officer and founder of Revitalize Medical Group, a wellness practice. She is triple board certified in OB/GYN, Functional Medicine and Integrative Medicine. She is a mother of 3 college age children, enjoys running a half marathon in every state, traveling and being active outside

She has been chosen to give her TEDx talk fall 2021. For her expertise, she has been featured on The List TV, Women’s Health, Shape, The List, Newsweek, Parents, Authority Magazine, and on numerous podcasts.

Myles Spar, MD

Myles Spar, MD is a leading authority in Integrative Men’s Health as an author, teacher, researcher, TED talk speaker, contributor to Men’s Journal and the L.A. Times, expert on Dr. Oz and The Doctors TV shows and a faculty member of University of Arizona.

Dr. Spar is board-certified in Internal Medicine, having graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed fellowships in Health Services Research at UCLA (where he earned a masters in public health) and in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Spar’s focus has always been about empowering men to achieve their goals through greater health. The men’s performance company where Dr. Spar oversees all clinical programs as Chief Medical Officer is called Vault Health. Vault brings men’s health to you, incorporating techniques to help men win at what matters to them.

Mijail Serruya, MD, PhD

Dr. Serruya is a PhD-trained neuroscientist and a board-certified neurologist. He earned his undergraduate, graduate neuroscience and medical degrees at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He is a Fulbright scholar. He completed his neurology residency training and cognitive neurology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Serruya is a neurotechnology entrepreneur: formerly a co-founder of Cyberkinetics, he is currently involved in Nuromo, and Neurodelphus. At Jefferson helped direct the Comprehensive Concussion Center and the Executive Brain Health Program. He currently directs the Neurorestoration Institute at Thomas Jefferson University.

Kat Toups, MD

Kat Toups, MD is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (the highest honor bestowed by the APA), Board-Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and previously boarded in Geriatric Psychiatry. She is also a Certified Practitioner with the Institute for Functional Medicine.

Dr. Toups was formerly an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at U.C. Davis, where she was the Inpatient Residency Training Director and later the founder and Medical Director of the Bay Area Research Institute, a Clinical Trials Research Center in Lafayette, California, for 12 years. After serving as the Principal Investigator on over 100 clinical trials, including 20 failed trials for Alzheimer's medications, she realized that the elusive cure for brain and psychiatric illness was not going to be found in a pill.

In 2009, Dr. Toups attended a “Food as Medicine” conference that opened her eyes to the power of nutritional interventions and learned about Functional Medicine—a paradigm that could help patients to really get well by working to uncover and correct the root causes of their illness. She went on to complete all of the advanced training for certification at the Institute for Functional Medicine, and scores of other functional and environmental medicine trainings. Her practice is now devoted exclusively to Functional Medicine Psychiatry and Functional Medicine approaches for treating Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.

Dr. Toups was a contributing author to the academic textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression: Redefining Models for Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention published in 2015 by CRC Press, and wrote the chapter, Decoding Dementia, in the book Life 201: A One-Stop Shop for Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness as part of a project for a PBS fund-raiser.

She has been a featured speaker at national and international medical conferences on Dementia and Functional Medicine Psychiatry topics, as well as a frequent guest on podcasts and summits.

She recently collaborated with Dr. Dale Bredesen on a prospective clinical trial using a Functional Medicine/Precision Medicine method to reverse Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Dementia, Precision Medicine Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease: Successful Proof-of-Concept Trial. The pre-print publication is on Med Archives (Medrxiv), and the study publication is expected in mid-2021.

Dr. Toups is also the author of an upcoming book, Dementia Demystified: The Definitive Guide to Resurrecting Your Brain, Reversing Cognitive Decline, and Regaining Your Memory.

Kara Fitzgerald, ND

Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory (now Genova Diagnostics) under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. A consumer book and application-based program with DNA methylation assessment are scheduled for release 01-2022.

Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Medicine Clinic Immersion program for professionals, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.

Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, FACB, CNS

Dr. Jeffrey Bland is a personable and highly respected thought leader who has spent more than five decades focused on the improvement of human health. He is known worldwide as the founder of the Functional Medicine movement, which represents his vision for a care model that is grounded in systems biology and informed by research that he has a unique ability to synthesize. His pioneering work has created the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute, as well as the Institute for Functional Medicine, the global leader in Functional Medicine education. Since 1991, hundreds of thousands of healthcare practitioners have participated in PLMI and IFM programs, and this collective knowledge has positively impacted the lives of patients all over the world.

Dr. Bland began his career as a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound. He is a natural educator and became involved with numerous academic institutions during the years he spent teaching. This includes the significant contributions he made to the founding of Bastyr University, the first federally accredited university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in natural medicine in the US. In the early 1980s, Dr. Bland was hand-selected by two-time Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling to serve as Director of Nutritional Research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine.

Dr. Bland is the author of best-selling books and over 120 peer-reviewed research publications. He speaks extensively, and his engaging style makes him popular with both professional and consumer audiences. Dr. Bland’s latest project is Big Bold Health, where he’s on a mission to transform the way people think about one of nature’s greatest innovations—the immune system. Through Big Bold Health, Dr. Bland is advocating for the power of immuno-rejuvenation to enhance immunity at a global level. It’s an ambitious and purpose-driven effort that encompasses his active stance on regenerative agriculture, environmental stewardship, and planetary health.

Casey Means, MD

Casey Means, MD is a Stanford-trained physician, Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of metabolic health company Levels, and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention. Her mission is to maximize human potential and reverse the epidemic of preventable chronic disease by empowering individuals with tech-enabled tools that can inform smart, personalized, and sustainable dietary and lifestyle choices. Dr. Means’s perspective has been recently featured in the New York Times, Men's Health, Forbes, Business Insider, Techcrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Hill, Metabolism, Endocrine Today, and more. She has held past research positions at the NIH, Stanford School of Medicine, and NYU.

Carrie Jones, ND, FABNE, MPH

Carrie Jones, ND, is an internationally recognized speaker, consultant, and educator on the topic of women's health and hormones. Dr. Jones graduated from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon where she also completed a 2-year residency in women's health, hormones, and endocrinology. Later, she graduated from Grand Canyon University's Maser of Public Health program. Recently, Dr. Jones became board certified through the American Board of Naturopathic Endocrinology. She was adjunct faculty for many years, teaching gynecology and advanced endocrinology/fertility. While in practice, Dr. Jones served as Medical Director for 2 large integrative clinics in Portland. She is currently the Medical Director for Precision Analytical Inc.

Austin Perlmutter, MD

Austin Perlmutter, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, educator and consultant. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami and completed his internal medicine residency at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland Oregon. His focus is on helping identify and resolve the biological basis for "stuckness" in the body and brain, especially around decision-making. He hosts the Get The STUCK OUT podcast and is a co-producer of the Alzheimer's, the Science of Prevention Docu-series. His writing is featured online on MedPage Today, Doximity, KevinMD, Medium, Psychology Today, MindBodyGreen, and DrPerlmutter.com, and his work connecting COVID-19 with immune-related depression appears in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Sahar Swidan, PharmD, ABAAHP, FAARFM, FACA

Dr Swidan is President and CEO of Pharmacy Solutions in Ann Arbor, MI and Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy at Wayne State University.

She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree and completed a 3-year research Fellowship in Bio-Pharmaceutics and Gastroenterology at the University of Michigan. Following her fellowship, she was Director of Pharmacy at Chelsea Community Hospital and the clinical pharmacist for the inpatient head and chronic pain service.

Dr. Swidan is board certified and an advanced fellow in anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She is an internationally renowned speaker in the areas of pain management, headaches, and HRT. She has authored several book chapters, articles, and patient education material in head and general pain management and personalized medicine.

Most recently, Dr. Swidan has contributed in authoring “Metabolic Therapies in Orthopedics, Second Edition”. This edition provides continued knowledge on how optimizing metabolic pathways can improve the success of regenerative therapies through emerging technologies, integrative approaches, clinical research, and compelling evidence from over 30 experts. Dr. Swidan provides key insight in the areas of drug-related muscular pain and sarcopenia and the effects of hormones on the musculoskeletal system.

Dr. Swidan Co-Edited and Authored a book with many thought leaders from around the globe titled Advanced Therapeutics in Pain Medicine which aids clinicians in advancing their current toolbox in the treatment of various pain syndromes.

Yael Joffe, RD, PhD, FACN

In the rapidly-evolving discipline of nutrigenomics, Yael is globally acknowledged as a leading expert in the field. She is a highly sought-after speaker, has co-authored two books, ‘It’s Not Just Your Genes’ and ‘Genes To Plate’, and has been published in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals. Yael is at the forefront of nutrigenomic education and has helped develop and supervise nutrigenomics courses around the world, including her own Manuka courses, which have trained hundreds of healthcare practitioners globally. She is currently an Adjunct Professor, teaching Nutrigenomics at Rutgers University and MUIH. She is co-founder and Chief Science Officer of 3X4 Genetics.

Chris Stauffer, MD is dual board-certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine and is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Physician Scientist at the Portland VA Medical Center. They have been a Therapist and Study Physician for MAPS-sponsored clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and psilocybin-assisted group therapy for demoralization in long-term AIDS survivors. They are Co-PI of the Somatic Center Portland Expanded Access site for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Dr. Stauffer has a particular interest in exploring psychedelic medicines in combination with group therapy and in ensuring accessibility for marginalized communities.