NorthWest Naturopathic Physicians Convention

2016 Was a Great Success

by Kate Wiggin, ND 

NWNPC 2016 Jurisdictional Chair

On behalf of the NorthWest Naturopathic Physicians Convention, I would like express heartfelt gratitude for the participation of all involved in the 60th annual NWNPC at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront. NWNPC is the longest-running annual naturopathic medical conference in the world. Our doctors attend mostly from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, but we often have health-care professionals from Alaska, Hawaii, Ontario, and all over the globe. This year we even had delegates registered from Jamaica, Mexico, and the Philippines!  One of the goals of our convention is to serve as a vehicle to unify the traditional practices of naturopathic medicine with the advancing knowledge obtained through current education. And we like to provide it in a fun atmosphere steeped in camaraderie! We believe that this year’s convention with its “Food As Medicine” theme was a huge success. We recognize that this success is largely due to the caliber of the speakers that present to you, our doctors, and the exhibitors that bring their knowledge, products, and staff. Thank you for being part of this; for taking the time to travel, listen, and engage with the speakers, exhibitors, students, and your fellow colleagues.

Highlights

Delegates reported being thrilled with excellent information, and “Food as Medicine” covered a wide range of topics, from the opening lecture by Dr. Russell Marz on plant-based diet essentials to the humorous lecture by microbiologist Kiran Krishnan on establishing optimal health with the use of probiotics. Dewey Caron gave an awesome lecture on honeybees (and even brought some with him!), while Dr. Tieraona Low Dog gave an inspiring presentation about the importance of having access to quality food and water. We had an amazing set of presenters!

Not everything was about academics – there were special events, too. Friday night we cruised the calm waters of the Willamette River, where we danced the evening away and had some herbal beverages provided by Dr. Glen Nagel, herbal mixologist. Dr. Chris Turner and the NWNPA (the member association part of our organization) sponsored a reception ahead of the Saturday banquet with an amazing violinist. And then we had the banquet where Dr. Thomas Kruzel, Dr. Pamela Jeanne, and Dr. Jim Massey were all recognized for their extraordinary contributions to our profession. Many people talked about the feeling of being part of a family, and the great connections of like minds, as well as connections of veteran doctors with new doctors and students. With this year’s theme of “Food as Medicine: and past themes such as “Wisdom of the Elders” and “The Heart of Naturopathic Medicine,” NWNPC is known as the place to be for that sense of caring about, and welcoming nature of, our community. And the kind words spoken by our award recipients toward NWNPC and the naturopathic profession touched us all.

We continued to feel the love at the final round of the Scholarship Series speaking competition where Kay Wong from Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine gave a heartfelt speech about what “Food as Medicine” meant to her and to her father. Our other two student finalists gave excellent speeches, too, but there was a connection made by Kay’s recognition that food follows us from birth through death and that food binds people and families together. Her message really struck a chord with the delegates and the guest judges. Congratulations to all our finalists! Please tell us what you think of your weekend with us! If you have some feedback on what made an impression on you, about what you liked or what you didn’t like, please go to our online survey and let us know!

More to Come

We are excited to announce that the 61st annual convention will take place in Vancouver, BC, from April 28 to 30, 2017, at the Pan Pacific Hotel and Vancouver Convention Centre. Next year’s theme is “Relevant Medicine,” where you can learn those clinical pearls of wisdom that you can put in to your practice immediately.

If you are a speaker and have a presentation that would fit in to the convention, or if you have a topic that you want covered, please contact Dick Hoenninger using the info below. He would love to hear from you, and we look forward to seeing you next year !

Questions

General questions and inquiries about the upcoming 2017 convention can be directed

to:

Dick Hoenninger 

executive@nwnpc.com

253-230-2131

You can also reach us at:

NWNPC 

2212 Queen Anne Ave N, Suite 530 

Seattle, WA 98108 

© 2016 NWNPC

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