TPCF 2020 FACULTY

Adam Perlman, MD
Director of Integrative Health & Wellbeing, Mayo Clinic, Jackson, FL

The Mayo Clinic Experience

Dr. Adam Perlman is Director of Integrative Health and Wellbeing for Mayo Clinic Florida. He is board certified on Internal Medicine and specializes in both Integrative and Functional Medicine.

From 2011 to 2017, Perlman was Associate Vice President for Health and Wellness for the Duke University Health System, and Executive Director for Duke’s renowned Integrative Medicine Center. Prior to his work at Duke, Dr. Perlman was Executive Director for the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now Rutgers University), where he was also an Associate Professor of Medicine

Dr. Perlman is past Chair of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health, which is comprised of over 75 leading academic medical centers around the country. Dr. Perlman also served as Director of Integrative Medicine for the Saint Barnabas Health Care System and was founding Medical Director for the Carol and Morton Siegler Center for Integrative Medicine in Livingston, NJ, where he was responsible for developing and overseeing one of the first hospital-based Integrative Medicine centers in the country.
He received his BA from Tufts University and his MD from Boston University School of Medicine, completing residencies in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine. as well as a General Internal Medicine Research Fellowship at Boston Medical Center.

Paul Mittman, ND
President, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Tempe, AZ

Dr. Paul Mittman is the President and CEO of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, and the founding President of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC).

Dr. Mittman graduated from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, OR, in 1985, and completed a two-year residency in natural therapies at NCNM, before becoming its director of research. He was in private naturopathic practice in Connecticut before joining SCNM’s faculty as a professor of homeopathy in 1997. He became the school’s president in 1999.

In addition to his naturopathic training, Dr. Mittman also earned an EdD degree in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, SCNM has evolved into one of the nation’s premier centers for naturopathic training, research, and clinical care.

Beyond his passion for medicine, Mittman is an avid cyclist who logs an average of 125-150 miles every week. While thoroughly dedicated to his profession, he says his number one commitment is to his wife and children.

GUEST OF HONOR

Gladys Taylor McGarey, MD
Founder, The Foundation for Living Medicine

Co-Founder, American Holistic Medical Association

Dr. Gladys Taylor McGarey is internationally recognized as the Mother of Holistic Medicine.  Dr. Gladys, as she is affectionately known, is board certified in Holistic and Integrated Medicine and has held a family practice for more than sixty years. She is the co-founder of the American Holistic Medical Association, (and past president), as well as the co-founder of the Academy of Parapsychology and Medicine.

Her list of "firsts" is extensive, beginning with her graduation from Women's Medical College in Philadelphia, in 1944, among the first cohort of women to earn MD degrees. She ws also among the first American physicians to learn, utilize, and teach acupuncture, and among the first to recognize the value of nutrition, dream interpretation, and spiritual practices in the process of healing.  

She has tirelessly pioneered work in holistic medicine, natural birthing, and the physician-patient partnership.  Among Dr. Gladys' innovations for natural birthing was the Baby Buggy Program founded in 1978, featuring a fully-equipped paramedical and emergency transport vehicle for home deliveries.  In 1970, she co-founded the A.R.E. Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, where she and her former husband pioneered the integration of allopathic and holistic medical practices, laying the groundwork for the cultural shift of recent years that recognizes alternative and holistic medical modalities.  Her efforts worldwide continue to receive international acclaim.

She is the author of five books: "The Physician Within You," "Born to Live," "Living Medicine," "The World Needs Old Ladies," and "Budhu's Path to Enlightenment."  She continues to write numerous articles for health publications, both as a columnist and feature writer.  Her public speaking career bridges four decades during which she has shared the podium with Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, and other notables who became her associates in the American Holistic Medical Association, which Dr. Gladys had co-founded in 1977.  

In addition to co-founding the A.R.E. Clinic in Phoenix, she also co-founded The Scottsdale Holistic Medical Group where she practiced with her daughter, Helene Wechsler, M.D., from 1989 to 2004.

Ninety-nine years young, Dr. Gladys remains active, through The Foundation for Living Medicine (formerly, The Gladys Taylor McGarey Medical Foundation), which has helped to expand the knowledge and application of holistic principles through scientific research and education.  She and the Foundation are leading the charge to effect the paradigm shift in medicine that changes the current disease model to one that focuses on the individual and the wholeness of life.

 GUEST OF HONOR

Bill Manahan, MD
Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Medical School

Co-founder, American Holistic Medical Association,

Facilitatior, International Integrators

Dr. Bill Manahan has been at the forefront of the movement to bring nutrition, exercise, mind-body disciplines, and spirituality into conventional medical schools and clinics. He is professor emeritus of Family Medicine & Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and a faculty member at UMN’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. He also served on the clinical faculty at the Mayo Medical School for 20 years.

He is Past-President of the American Holistic Medical Association and author of the book, Eat for Health.  

In 1982, he founded The Wellness Center of Minnesota in 1982, one of the first physician-led integrative medicine centers in the country. In 1994, he co-founded Open Door Health Center in Mankato, MN, a clinic for the underserved and uninsured.  The clinic is presently serving over 5,000 people each year with over 15,000 yearly visits.

Dr. Manahan also served, for many years, on the clinical faculty of Mayo Medical School in Rochester.  During that time, Bill had over 80 Mayo medical students spend two to six weeks with him in his office.  Bill helped pioneer two integrative medicine programs for medical students from North America. These programs are designed to educate and encourage medical students to become leaders in integrative medicine.  The programs are known as the Leadership and Education Program for Students in Integrative Medicine (LEAPS into IM) and the Humanistic Elective in Activism and Reflective Transformation and Integrative Medicine (HEART-IM). Both of these programs are supported by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA).

Currently, Dr. Manahan serves as a facilitator for International Integrators, a global non-profit organization bringing nutrition-based integrative medicine to communities worldwide.

Nalini Chilkov, LAc, OMD
Founder, Integrative Cancer Answers, Santa Monica, CA

Dr. Nalini Chilkov is a leading authority and pioneer in the field of Integrative Cancer Care, cancer prevention, and immune enhancement. She is the Founder of the American Institute of Integrative Oncology Research & Education and IntegrativeCancerAnswers.com. She authored the bestselling book, 32 Ways to OutSmart Cancer: Create a
Body Where Cancer Cannot Thrive and serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Mederi Foundation and Fran Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Foundation.

Dr. Chilkov has lectured at the School of Medicine at UCLA and UC Irvine and conducts seminars and training programs for clinicians worldwide. She is a popular contributor to the Healthy Living section of the Huffington Post, has been featured as a cancer expert on NBC TV, and is recognized as one of the Top 10 Online Influencers for Breast Cancer by WebMD and Dr. Mehmet Oz’s ShareCare.com.

Dr. Chilkov’s OutSmart Cancer Programs are recognized as the most comprehensive, science-based, safe and natural programs for supporting cancer patients, survivors, and those who do not want to get cancer. She has more than 30 years of clinical experience combining the best of modern functional medicine with the ancient wisdom of traditional Oriental and natural healing.

Over the years she has worked closely with conventionally trained oncologists, developing strong and mutually beneficial referral networks, and has taught hundreds of other practitioners how to apply effective livestyle and nutrition-based protocols in the context of cancer care. Her private practie is located in Santa Monica, CA.

Elan Sudberg
CEO, Alkemist Labs, Garden Grove, CA

As CEO of Alkemist Labs, one of the supplement industry’s leading analytical testing laboratory, Élan Sudberg has nearly 20 years of experience in both a management and scientific capacity. Over the last decade Élan has grown Alkemist Labs from a 2-person operation known only to local manufacturers to its current stature as a world-renowned analytical lab, recognized and respected amongst government regulators and companies across the globe.

Sudberg holds a degree in Chemistry from California State University Long Beach and has authored numerous journal articles on phytochemistry and analytical techniques for the natural products and nutraceutical industry. He brought Alkemist into the new and rapidly evolving field of DNA-based identification of botanical ingredients.

He is an instructor for the American Herbal Products Association’s (AHPA) Seminar on Microscopic Identification of Popular Botanical Materials, and serves as a board member of AHPA’s Education and Research on Botanicals Foundation. He is the former chairperson of the Hemp and Medical Marijuana committee, and serves as a technical advisor for the American Herbal Pharmacopeia. He lives in Long Beach, CA and enjoys crisp early morning boot camp, slack-lining, cooking, playing chess, and spending time with his wife and children.

Mark Blumenthal
Founder & Executive Director,
American Botanical Council, Austin, TX

Mark Blumenthal is one of the pioneers of modern herbal medicine. As Founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council (ABC), an independent, non-profit organization, Mr. Blumenthal has dedicated his life to disseminating accurate, reliable, and responsible information on herbs and medicinal plants. He is the Editor-in-Chief of HerbalGram, an international peer-reviewed quarterly journal reflecting the educational goals of ABC.

He is also the Founder and Director of the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program, a consortium of organizations that educates industry members and other stakeholders on the adulteration of botanical raw materials, extracts and essential oils in the global supply network.

For six years, he was on the faculty of Medicinal Chemistry at the College of Pharmacy at University of Texas Austin. He is also the senior editor of the English translation of the Complete German Commission E Monographs—Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines (1998), a rational system developed by German regulatory authorities for evaluating safety and efficacy of herbal medicines. He also coauthored the English translation of Rational Phytotherapy: A Reference Guide for Physicians & Pharmacists, 5th ed in 2004.

Vaughn DuBow,
Marketing Manager, Lonza Consumer Health & Nutrition

Vaughn DuBow is the Marketing Manager (Americas) with Lonza Consumer Health & Nutrition, With over 12 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, dietary supplement and fitness industries, Vaughn is a proven leader with an in-depth understanding of product development and marketing within the health and nutrition sectors. Prior to Lonza, Vaughn's nutrition industry experience includes  positions at Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Gaspari Nutrition, and iForce Nutrition, where he successfully managed product formulation, business development, print, digital and social media campaigns for core flagship brands.

Bakley Smith, CFA
Senior Vice President
Holistic Primary Care

Bakley Smith is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with over 17 years of experience in covering consumer-facing businesses. Bakley served as an equity research analyst with Bank of America and then Jefferies and Co., focused on the healthy lifestyle, food and drug retailing, packaged food and beverage sectors.

In between research positions, he worked for ABN-AMRO in Mexico City in commercial banking. He left Wall Street in 2010 to pursue entrepreneurial pursuits as an operator, and served for a time as the CFO of TestingMom.com, a high-growth internet startup. Subsequent to that, Bakley consulted for early-stage companies, advising on capital plans and M&A strategy. At Green Circle Bakley leads on the VMS/Nutraceutical space, manages the firm’s research efforts and provides support on transaction execution.

He is originally from Atlanta, Georgia and is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Bakley lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.  Bakley is also a registered rep with Dalmore Group, LLC (member FINRA & SIPC).

Tyler Horsley
CEO, Nuclear Networking, Aurora, CO

Tyler Horsley is the founder of Nuclear Networking, a digital marketing and IT support agency that helps growth-oriented companies connect online with their customers.

Horsley holds a BS in Federal Law Enforcement with an emphasis on Spanish foreign languages, and spent the early years of his career at federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, and the Internal Revenue Service. He finished his time in government as CTO for a USA military contracting and intelligence firm. He has over 32 certifications with the FEMA.

In starting Nuclear Networking, Horsley is able to apply his knowledge base and intelligence skills to help companies strategize and grow online. He now uses those aptitudes to read, study and interpret Google's algorithm, it's updates, impacts, compliance, regulation, and measurable bias, specifically as they apply to the online environment for businesses in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical medicine space.

Tyler is also an avid angel investor and has grown multiple companies including a federal court reporting firm, a chocolate ingredients company, liposomal CBD, and more. Tyler has built and implemented nationally-recognized programs and efficiencies that have allowed many companies to thrive, cut costs, and become scalable.

David LeFlore
Chief Technology Officer, Nuclear Networking, Aurora, CO

David LeFlore, CTO at Nuclear Networking, has been working as an algorithm engineer
in the technology field for over 9 years. His technical experience was enhanced during his time working in the electrical and computer engineering field.

David has evolved his technical knowledge into algorithm management, human behavior analytics, and digital marketing applications. He is proficient in 9 different coding languages for programming logical applications, web design, and development.

David specializes in link-health management and deconstructing competitor strategies to force rank increase and capture market share for online partners. He was responsible for managing several enterprise-level technical implementations and the international market entry of products in the nutraceutical space.

Erik Goldman
Co-Founder/Editor in Chief
Holistic Primary Care

Insight from Holistic Primary Care’s 2020 Practitioner Survey

Erik Goldman, is the co-founder and editor of Holistic Primary Care-News for Health & Healing, as well a co-founder of the Heal Thy Practice conferences, and The Practitioner Channel Forum.

Goldman earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy & biology from the State University of New York in Binghamton, and has been a medical journalist for over 30 years.

Prior to founding Holistic Primary Care, he was the New York Bureau Chief for International Medical News Group (IMNG), a leading medical publisher that produces a range of periodicals and websites for conventional medical specialties. He has worked as a freelance writer and editor on diverse projects, ranging from pharma marketing campaigns to medical atlases and academic textbooks. He has had long-standing interest music, depth psychology, religion, ecology, and indigenous healing traditions.

Holistic Primary Care and its related conferences arose out of these interests, and the desire to create healthier relationships between practitioners and their patients, and between industry and practitioners.

Amy Summers
President, Pitch Publicity, New York, NY

Amy Summers launched Pitch Publicity in 2003 and has 20 years experience in the natural products industry. Her campaigns have resulted in billions of media impressions worldwide and she’s the first to strategize live media interviews at both the deepest and highest points of the planet. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations, with minor in Health Science Education from the University of Florida; serves on UF Alumni Association national board of directors, UF College of Journalism and Communications PR Advisory Council and produces one of the most highly ranked communications Flash Briefing for Amazon’s Alexa Skills, “The Pitch with Amy Summers.”

Todd A. Harrison, Esq
Partner, Venable LLP

Legal & Regulatory Update 2020: The View from Washington, DC

Todd Harrison focuses his practice on Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as well as other federal, state, and international consumer protection agencies governing rules and regulations related to drugs, foods, dietary supplements, homeopathic remedies, medical devices, medical foods and cosmetics.

Mr. Harrison works extensively in the areas of food and dietary supplement safety, labeling and advertising claims. He advises clients on issues related to FDA and FSIS’s labeling requirements as well as on organic products and genetically modified organisms. Additionally, he advises clients on international food issues.

Mr. Harrison has assisted companies on important FDA, FSIS, APHIS compliance issues, including HAACP, good manufacturing practice, product recalls vs. market withdrawals, inspections, warning letters, complying with FDA’s and FSIS’s standards of identities, importing meat and poultry products into the United States, warning letters, and record keeping.

Mr. Harrison has been involved extensively on issues related to the marketing of foods and dietary supplements, including health claims, qualified health claims, structure/function claims, and nutrient content claims. He has developed strategies for companies to communicate information about their products without running afoul of FDA, FSIS and FTC regulatory requirements.  He also has a successful track record of defending against U.S. FTC advertising complaints, enforcement actions and prosecutions, and defending against competitor challenges in court and other forums

Meg Sinclair
Co-Founder/Publisher, Holistic Primary Care

Meg Sinclair developed an interest in holistic health care at an early age, under the influence of her mother, a home economics teacher with a strong interest in natural foods and nutrition. In the 1970's, Meg moved from Michigan to the San Francisco Bay area where she began a serious study of aikido, energy awareness, and meditation.

While in San Francisco, she became familiar with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, making them part of her personal approach to health maintenance. She obtained her bachelor's degree in piano and composition from Mills College, Oakland, CA. Since moving to New York City 35 years ago, she has continued her studies of music, Yi Jin Jing and other mind-body practices, meditation and sacred dance.

Holistic Primary Care grew out of her desire to create a positive influence on health care in the US, and to promote holistic approaches to health and healing.

More Faculty Bios to come.....check back soon!