Alumni & Associates Conference 2025 Agenda

Friday, January 17, 2025

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
(Optional) Early Arrivals: Nature Walk in Sabino Canyon
Limited Spaces Available! Embark on a captivating, guided nature walk through the breathtaking Sabino Canyon, led by the knowledgeable and passionate Dr. Gary Goodman, Fellowship Alumnus, Class of 2017. Dr. Goodman is a Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist who has gone through extensive training, he teaches children and adults about the flora and fauna that thrive in this vibrant desert landscape. Sabino Canyon is in Coronado National Park in Tucson, AZ, and is located just 25-minutes from the conference hotel. The walk will begin at exactly 9:30 am, please be sure to arrive on time to partake. (Kindly note that arranging transportation to and from Sabino Canyon is your responsibility.)


Location: Sabino Canyon in Coronado National Park, Tucson, Arizona

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Registration & Exhibitor Hall
Come by the registration desk to check in and pick up your materials.


Location: Arizona Foyer

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Alumni & Associates Welcome Networking Reception
Connect with your colleagues and enjoy a variety of activities and refreshments. Details announced soon!


Location: Arizona Foyer & Terrace

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Opening Activity
Session details coming soon.

Presenter(s): Chodo Campbell, Koshin Paley Ellison, Ann Marie Chiasson
Location: Canyon

Saturday, January 18, 2025

6:30 AM - 7:30 AM
(Optional) Heart Centered Meditation
Heart Meditation involves focus and stimulation of the heart center. Such a practice is useful for experiencing the still center point from which one's health and life flows with more ease.

Presenter(s): Ann Marie Chiasson
Location: Sonoran I

(Optional) Qi Gong
Experience this ancient Chinese system of cultivating and harmonizing mind-body-heart-spirit for optimal functioning, longevity and embodied wisdom.

Presenter(s): Danube Jacobs
Location: Murphey

(Optional) Yoga
Awaken your body and mind in this all levels yoga practice.

Presenter(s): Jaimie Perkunas
Location: Sonoran II

7:00 AM - 8:15 AM
Breakfast

Location: Grand

8:15 AM - 8:30 AM
Welcome

Presenter(s): Ann Marie Chiasson, Andrew Weil
Location: Canyon

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
An exploration of the science behind how the human species has lost the ability to breathe properly and why we are suffering from a laundry list of maladies because of it. Nestor will also demonstrate some practical tips to restore breathing and help reduce symptoms of asthma, snoring, anxiety, and more.

Presenter(s): James Nestor
Location: Canyon

9:15 AM - 9:30 AM
Breath
Breath is the core function of life. It unites mind and body, conscious and unconscious experience, and is regarded in many cultures as the movement of spirit in the body. Proper breathing is essential to health. In this presentation, Dr. Weil will discuss how the regulation of the breath can be a powerful therapeutic technique for health and wellbeing.

Presenter(s): Andrew Weil
Location: Canyon

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Breath Q&A

Presenter(s): Andrew Weil, James Nestor
Location: Canyon

10:00 AM - 10:25 AM
Break & Exhibitor Hall

Location: Arizona Foyer

10:25 AM - 11:25 AM
Trending Diets: From Keto to Mediterranean to Vegan
Session details coming soon.

Presenter(s): Christopher Gardner
Location: Canyon

11:25 AM - 11:30 AM
Movement Break: Chair Yoga

Presenter(s): Jaimie Perkunas
Location: Canyon

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Cannadbinoids
Medical Cannabis pearls for busy clinicians.

Presenter(s): Mikhail Kogan
Location: Canyon

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Lunch

Location: Grand

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Auricular Acupuncture Workshop: What Your Ears Know About Mind-Body Healing - Are You Listening?
Join us for conversation, case studies, demonstrations and a bit of practice as we explore how auricular acupuncture and acupressure is used to relieve stress, treat physical discomforts, reduce inflammation, and bring physical and emotional balance. Learn the map of the auricle and practice techniques you can use immediately for yourself and in clinical practice. Discover the research and how auricular acupuncture is used around the world to treat PTSD, pain, and deliver calm to people in trauma, healing from addictions, and seeking a more balanced life.

Presenter(s): Celia Hildebrand
Location: Sonoran

Living Wide Awake: The Medicine of Whole Hearted Care
Contemplative care practices move us through our fears, toward actions of courageous connection with others and ourselves. The awakening path asks: How can we wholeheartedly face what frightens us, look closer at what divides us, and to allow space for ourselves and others in new reservoirs of compassion to flourish all around us? Practitioners of contemplative medicine walk the bodhisattva path, as ones who live by a vow, root it deeply in their daily lives, and seek to awaken and widen out in every moment for the benefit of others. In this session, Koshin Sensei and Chodo Sensei encourage all of us to ask: What might living wide awake look like for you in your daily life, in your clinical partnerships?

Presenter(s): Chodo Campbell, Koshin Paley Ellison
Location: Canyon

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(Optional) Visit the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Complex
Explore the new home of integrative medicine! Prior to heading out for dinner, take some time to visit the recently inaugurated Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Complex situated on the University of Arizona's Health Sciences Campus. (Kindly note that arranging transportation to and from the building is your responsibility.)


Location: Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Complex

Sunday, January 19, 2025

6:30 AM - 7:30 AM
(Optional) Heart Centered Meditation
Heart Meditation involves focus and stimulation of the heart center. Such a practice is useful for experiencing the still center point from which one's health and life flows with more ease.

Presenter(s): Ann Marie Chiasson
Location: Sonoran I

(Optional) Introduction to Ayurveda Marma Points
In Ayurveda, marma points are energy points in the body used for healing, similar to acupuncture points in Chinese Medicine. In this session you'll learn about the ancient history of marma points and participate in a guided practice.

Presenter(s): Amita Nathwani
Location: Murphey

(Optional) Yoga
Awaken your body and mind in this all levels yoga practice.

Presenter(s): Jaimie Perkunas
Location: Sonoran II

7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast

Location: Grand

8:30 AM - 8:35 AM
Welcome

Presenter(s): Ann Marie Chiasson
Location: Canyon

8:35 AM - 9:35 AM
Integrative Approaches to Ketamine Panel

Ketamine panelists will explore the clinical use of ketamine in integrative settings from 3 specialists' perspectives. We will discuss the quality of the emerging evidence and notable trends.

IV Ketamine Therapy: Healing the Mind without Harming the Body with anesthesiologist, Anthony Kaveh, MD

Ketamine, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, and Integrative Medicine with Amy Price Neff, MD

Ketamine with Scott Shannon, MD

Presenter(s): Scott Shannon, Amy Price Neff, Anthony Kaveh
Location: Canyon

9:35 AM - 10:35 AM
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease
Explore the potential of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) - a noninvasive brain modulation technique that is gaining traction in both research and clinical fields. In this talk, Dr. Chou will demystify how TMS functions, its relevance in neurophysiological evaluation, and its emerging role as a potential therapeutic option for individuals with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. This presentation will offer insights into the practical applications of a method poised to make a meaningful impact in neurological health and treatment.

Presenter(s): Ying-hui Chou

10:35 AM - 11:00 AM
Break & Exhibitor Hall

Location: Arizona Foyer

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Headache & Functional Abdominal Pain
Session details coming soon.

Presenter(s): Ann Ming Yeh
Location: Canyon

12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Lunch

Location: Grand

1:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Billing and Coding for Integrative Medicine in an Insurance Model
This lecture and interactive Q&A session will go over a successful model for billing Integrative Medicine consultations in a University medical system RVU model of billing all types of insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid. The overall goal for this session is to encourage your confidence in billing appropriately for your Integrative consultations.

Presenter(s): George Schatz, Tayma Shaya
Location: Sonoran

Conscious Movement - A Trance Dance Workshop
Together we'll use mindfulness and movement to support wholeness and health. We'll explore the capacity for freestyle movement, music and spoken guidance to cultivate states of presence, curiosity, fluidity and freedom. The combination of freestyle movement and conscious attention allows us to experience all of the wild and subtle feelings that flow through us.

Presenter(s): Kristen Jackson Banister
Location: Murphey

Medicinal Herbal Tea Blending
The Blending Botanicals is an interactive, hands-on session that will give you the opportunity to create your very own medicinal herbal tea blend. You will receive guidance on formulating, a primer on each herb available for blending, and you will then go to work in creating your own tea blend. Hot water will be provided so you can sample your herbal formulation.

Presenter(s): Lise Alschuler
Location: Canyon

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Break & Exhibitor Hall

Location: Arizona Foyer

3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Billing and Coding for Integrative Medicine in an Insurance Model
This lecture and interactive Q&A session will go over a successful model for billing Integrative Medicine consultations in a University medical system RVU model of billing all types of insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid. The overall goal for this session is to encourage your confidence in billing appropriately for your Integrative consultations.

Presenter(s): George Schatz, Tayma Shaya
Location: Sonoran

Conscious Movement - A Trance Dance Workshop
Together we'll use mindfulness and movement to support wholeness and health. We'll explore the capacity for freestyle movement, music and spoken guidance to cultivate states of presence, curiosity, fluidity and freedom. The combination of freestyle movement and conscious attention allows us to experience all of the wild and subtle feelings that flow through us.

Presenter(s): Kristen Jackson Banister
Location: Murphey

Medicinal Herbal Tea Blending
The Blending Botanicals is an interactive, hands-on session that will give you the opportunity to create your very own medicinal herbal tea blend. You will receive guidance on formulating, a primer on each herb available for blending, and you will then go to work in creating your own tea blend. Hot water will be provided so you can sample your herbal formulation.

Presenter(s): Lise Alschuler
Location: Canyon

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Dinner & Dance

Location: Pavillion

Monday, January 20, 2025

6:30 AM - 7:30 AM
(Optional) Heart Centered Meditation
Heart Meditation involves focus and stimulation of the heart center. Such a practice is useful for experiencing the still center point from which one's health and life flows with more ease.

Presenter(s): Ann Marie Chiasson
Location: Cottonwood

(Optional) Poetry
This is a fun and creative workshop where you will pick words from a hat and write a poem using all or some of the words. There are no rules or expectations that the poem has to be great, but only that it reflects a part of you. When everyone is done, whoever wishes can read their poem aloud, but my hope is that everyone will share.

Presenter(s): Vivian Kominos
Location: Sonoran

(Optional) Yoga
Awaken your body and mind in this all levels yoga practice.

Presenter(s): Jaimie Perkunas
Location: Murphey

7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast

Location: Grand

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
Peptides: The Strength of Evidence, and Benefits/Harms of Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, and BPC-157
A practical approach to the usefulness of peptides related to gastrointestinal and metabolic health will be presented. We will discuss the science behind the use of these peptides as well as specific ways in which they are used in clinical practice.

Presenter(s): Myles Spar
Location: Canyon

9:20 AM - 10:20 AM
Phototherapy: Shining Light on a New Modality for Pain Management
This talk is intended to share the benefit of using phototherapy, specifically, green light therapy to manage pain. It will detail the basic science which lead to the clinical trials. It will also show the future direction towards other possibilities for utilizing phototherapy.

Presenter(s): Mohab Ibrahim
Location: Canyon

10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
Integrative Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
This presentation will focus on the pathogenesis of systemic auto immunity as well as steps to prevent the onset of a clinically relevant autoimmune syndrome. We will also discuss ways in which the use of integrative medicine techniques can make the use of pharmacologic medications safer and more effective.

Presenter(s): Jill Weintraub
Location: Canyon

11:20 AM - 11:30 AM
Break

Location: Arizona Foyer

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Closing Ceremony

Presenter(s): Ann Marie Chiasson
Location: Sonoran

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Cancellations must be requested in writing through the Event Dashboard. Please visit our FAQ page for information regarding refund requests.


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