IMHS Seminars

Unless otherwise noted:
Thursdays, 12-12:50 p.m.
Discussion with Guest Speaker, 1-1:45 p.m.
Basic Science Building, Room 239
For Zoom link, email imhsprogram@georgetown.edu

Fall 2024

September 5
(Workshop) What Type of Learner Are You? Strategies for Time Management and Study Skills
Hakima Amri, Ph.D.
Professor, Biochemistry and Physiology
Director, Integrative Medicine & Health Sciences Graduate Program
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC


September 12
Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine
Ann Berger, MD
Former Chief of Pain and Palliative Care Service Medical Center
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

September 19
Preparing for Career Success

Workshop Caleb McKinney, PhD, MPS
Interim Assistant Vice President of Master’s Program
Administration & Development Associate Dean
Graduate and Postdoctoral Training and Development, BGE
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

September 26
Whole-Person Care in the Hospital Setting: The LCCC Arts  and Humanities Program
Julia Langley, MA
Faculty Director, Arts and Humanities
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

October 3
The Transformation from Disease Care to Whole Health Care in the U.S.: Education, Advocacy, Policy
Leonard Wisneski, MD, FACP
Clinical Professor, George Washington University
Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University
Faculty, Medicine and Nursing Departments, University of Colorado
Chairman Emeritus, The Integrative Health Policy Consortium, Boulder, CO

October 10
Undemocratic Medical Pluralism in India
Sumegha Asthana, PhD, MHA
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Center for Global Health Science and Security
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

October 17
Functional Medicine for Women’s Health
Nayo Wills, MD, IFMC-P
Dr. Nayo-Your Wellness Doctor, PC
Columbia, MD


October 24
Connections across Human Health, Planetary Health, and Integrative Healthcare in the Anthropocene
Jennifer Rioux, PhD
Adjunct Associate Professor
Integrative Medicine Programs
Department of Clinical Research and Leadership
Director, Planetary Health and Core Clinician
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
George Washington University
Washington, DC

October 31
Caring for the Other Half of Humans: The Microbiome & Its Relationship with Nutrition
Leigh A. Frame, PhD, MHS
Associate Professor
Clinical Research and Leadership/Physician Assistant Studies
Research Director, Resiliency and Well-being Center
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
George Washington University
Washington, DC

November 7
Effects of Heavy Metals on Breast Cancer Development
Mary Beth Martin, MD
Professor of Oncology
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

November 21
Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity
Jehan (Gigi) El-Bayoumi, MD, FACP
Founding Director, Rodham Institute 
Clinical Faculty,
Georgetown University School of Medicine 
Washington, DC

Past Seminars

August 24
(Workshop) Managing your Financial Aid Package
Theresa Torres, Graduate Program Director
Liam Carney, Graduate Aid Program Manager
Office of Student Financial Services
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

August 31
(Workshop) What Type of Learner Are You? Strategies for Time Management and Study Skills
Hakima Amri, PhD
Professor, Biochemistry and Physiology
Director, Integrative Medicine & Health Sciences Graduate Program
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

September 7
(Workshop) Preparing for Career Success
Caleb McKinney, PhD, MPS
Interim Assistant Vice President of Master’s Program Administration & Development, Georgetown University Medical Center
Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Training & Development, Biomedical Graduate Education
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

September 14
Whole-Person Care: The Georgetown Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program
Julia Langley, MA
Faculty Director, Arts and Humanities
Lombardi Cancer Center
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

September 21
Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine
Ann Berger, MD
Chief of Pain and Palliative Care Service
Medical Center
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

September 28
(Online) The Transformation from Disease Care to Health Care in the U.S.: Education, Advocacy, Policy
Leonard Wisneski, MD, FACP
Clinical Professor, George Washington University
Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University
Faculty, Medicine and Nursing Departments, University of Colorado
Chairman Emeritus, The Integrative Health Policy Consortium
Boulder, CO

October 5
From Alternative to Integrative Medicine: Two Decades of Progress
Aviad Haramati, PhD
Professor, Division of Integrative Physiology
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology
Co-Director, MS-IMHS Graduate Program
Georgetown University School of Medicine

October 12
Health Equity
Jehan (Gigi) El-Bayoumi, MD, FACP
Founding Director, Rodham Institute 
Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University School of Medicine

October 19
Ayurvedic Approaches to Cancer Care
Venuka Wick, MD
Capital Integrative Health Clinic
Washington, DC

November 2
Journey of a Surgeon and Integrative Medicine
Lucy De La Cruz, MD
GUH-MedStar
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Department of Surgery
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

November 9
Dopamine, Serotonin, and Happiness: The Mind Body Behavioral Approach
Varun Sharma, MD
GUH-MedStar
Department of Internal Medicine
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

November 16
Advances in Acupuncture Research and Practice
Xuekai Zhang, OMD, PhD, Dipl. OM and L.Ac.
Director, U.S. Center of Chinese Medicine
Rockville, MD
Associate Chief Physician of Integrative Neurology
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China

November 18
(Workshop) Healthy Cooking – Celebrate the Fall Harvest
Chef Eleonora Grafton, DCN, MS, CNS, LDN, CHHC
Clinical Herbalist & Certified Nutritionist
EnG Nutrition & Lifestyle LLC

November 30
Phytochemicals for Skin Care
Ivica Labuda, PhD
Professor of Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Department of Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

January 26
The Transformation from Disease Care to Health Care in the U.S.: Education, Advocacy, Policy
Leonard Wisneski, MD, FACP
Clinical Professor, George Washington University
Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University
Faculty, Medicine and Nursing Departments, University of Colorado
Chairman Emeritus, The Integrative Health Policy Consortium
Boulder, CO

February 2
Sports Physical Therapy
Timothy Vidale, PT, DPT, MBA, CSOMT
Chief Executive Officer
Sports Physical Therapist
Momentous Sports Medicine
1228 Blagden Alley NW
Washington, DC 20001

February 9
An Introduction to Anthroposophic Medicine
Christian Scheffer, MD
Director, Integrated Curriculum for Anthroposophic Medicine
Clinical Education Ward for Integrative Medicine
University of Witten / Herdecke
Faculty for Health
Germany

February 16
Virtual Reality in Advanced Illness Care: Leveraging Novel Technologies for Symptom Management
Hunter Groninger, MD
Professor of Medicine
Georgetown University
Director, Section of Palliative Care
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Scientific Director, Palliative Care MHRI
Washington, DC

February 23
Integrative Medicine Approaches for Women’s Health: Optimizing Hormones Perimenopause
through Menopause

Nayo Wills, MD, LAc
Medical Director
Nava Health and Vitality Center
Rockville, MD

March 2
Beyond Well-Being: Lessons from Sartre, Aristotle, and the Blue Zones
Benjamin Doolittle MD, MDiv, FAAP, FACP
Professor, Internal Medicine & Pediatrics
Yale University School of Medicine
Program Director, Combined Internal Medicine & Pediatrics Residency Program
Medical Director, Yale Medicine-Pediatrics Practice
New Haven, CT

March 16
Teaching Kitchens as Nutrition Learning Laboratories of the Future
David Eisenberg, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor
Director, Culinary Nutrition
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Founding Co-Director, CIA-Harvard Chan Teaching Kitchen Collaborative
Boston, MA

March 23
(Experiential) Myofascial Trigger Points Therapy
Jay Shah, MD
Director, Medical Rehabilitation Training Program
NIH Clinical Center
Bethesda, MD

March 30
Integrative Medicine in Dentistry
Terry Victor, DDS
Founder, The DC Dentist Clinic
Washington DC

April 13
Acupuncture and the Inflammatory Response
Lixing Lao, PhD, LAc
Professor and President
Virginia University of Integrative Medicine

April 14
(Experiential) Healthy Cooking Laboratory
Chef Eleonora Grafton, DCN, MS, CNS, LDN, CHHC
Clinical Herbalist & Certified Nutritionist
EnGNutrition&Lifestyle LLC
Theresa Stone, MD, FACP, DipABLM
Medical Director of Fresh & Savory Culinary and Lifestyle Medicine
Internal Medicine
Medstar Health Lafayette Centre

April 17
(Experiential – Online) Building a competitive medical school application: the activities section
Dr. Ellen Drosdick
Henry Ford Hospital, Emergency Medicine
Detroit, MI

April 27
Integrative Medicine and Planetary Health
Peter Wayne, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of Research, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
Division of Preventive Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA

April 28
(Experiential) Acupuncture
Part 1: The Energetic Circulation of Life
Part 2: The Medical Acupuncture Evaluation – An Integrative Approach to Patient Care

Ali Safayan, MD
Restorative Health Org.
Washington, DC

May 12
(Experiential – Field Trip) Medicinal Plants at the US National Arboretum
Erin Holder, MH
Horticulturist and Medical Herbalist
US National Arboretum, USDA

September 1
(Workshop) Managing Your Financial Aid Package
Theresa Torres, Graduate Program Director
Liam Carney, Graduate Aid Program Manager
Office of Student Financial Services
Georgetown University Medical Center

September 8
(Workshop) What Type of Learner Are You? Strategies for Time Management and Study Skills
Hakima Amri, Ph.D.
Professor, Biochemistry and Physiology
Director, Integrative Medicine & Health Sciences Graduate Program
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

September 22
Creating Healthier Healthcare
Julia Langley, M.A.
Faculty Director, Arts and Humanities
Lombardi Cancer Center
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

September 27
(Workshop) Managing Your Career Development
Caleb McKinney, Ph.D., MPS
Associate Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Training & Development, Biomedical Graduate Education
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

September 29
Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine
Ann Berger, M.D.
Chief of Pain and Palliative Care Service
Medical Center
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

October 6
From Alternative to Integrative Medicine: Two decades of Progress to a New Frontier
Aviad Haramati, Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Integrative Physiology
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology
Co-Director, MS-IMHS Graduate Program
Georgetown University School of Medicine

October 13
A Seat at the Table: Tackling Systematic Minority Exclusion in Clinical Trials and Integrative Health Related Studies
Lady Nwadike, M.S.
Fellow, Gender+ Justice Initiative
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

October 20
Self-Compassion and Gratitude – Could These Be Your Superpowers?
Harpreet Gujral, DNP, FNP-BC
Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine
McLean, VA

October 27
Probiotics Use in the Pediatric Population
Daniel Merenstein, M.D.
Professor and Director of Research
Department of Family Medicine
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

November 3
Healing with Music
Jag Kanwal, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Neurology
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC

November 10
Using Mind-Body Approaches for the Treatment of Anxiety
Elizabeth Hoge, M.D.
Associate Professor
Director, Anxiety Disorders Research Program
Department of Psychiatry
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Washington, DC

November 17
Integrative Therapies for Musculoskeletal Pain
Elizabeth DuPree, M.D., FACS, ABOIM
Chief Medical Officer
Medical Caliber and Signal Relief
Rexburg, Idaho

December 1
Impact of Sleep on Health and Wellness
Cristina Reichner, M.D.
Associate Professor
Internal Medicine Department
Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary Critical Care
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Georgetown University
Washington, DC