Mind-Body Medicine Faculty

Valerie Bentz, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Human and Organizational Development, Fielding Graduate School. She is author or co-author of five books, including a textbook on Transformative Phenomenology (Lexington Books, 2008) and Mindful Inquiry in Social Research (Sage, 1998). She was a member of the steering committee for the Positive Aging Conference (2010) in Santa Barbara, and provided a keynote on “Aging as an Opportunity for Consciousness Development,” at the National Positive Aging Conference in 2007."

Elizabeth Bigham, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist with interests in the psychophysiological mechanisms of pain, health and chronic medical conditions and assessment psychological and physiological factors in autonomic regulation. As a faculty member at California State University San Marcos, Dr. Bigham teaches senior applied research courses, supervises independent student research, and serves on the university curriculum committee and academic senate. She has an extensive background in research ethics, is an active member of the CSUSM Institutional Review Board, and chairs the University Outreach Task Force for the Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

Susan Blum, MD, MPH, is an integrative physician, who directs the Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, New York. She is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventative Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and a Fellow in the Department of Community Medicine at Mt. Sinai. She is also a member of the faculty at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. Blum is a specialist in functional medicine, and the integration of nutritional interventions into health care.

Patti Britton, PhD, is a board-certified clinical sexologist, sex coach, and sexuality trainer/educator, leading professional trainings and private sessions for individuals/couples. She is a past-president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and a leader in the field of sexology. She is adjunct faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality and at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology/Southern California. Dr. Britton is a frequently quoted expert in the media and host of www.DrPattiBritton.com and www.theissr.com websites. She is also the co-founder, a faculty member, and Director of Student Services for “Sex Coach University.” She is the author of four books and other writings in sexology.

Dr. Calderón is board certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine, with an additional certification in mind-body medicine.

He has been an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry with LSU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry for over 9 years; is teaching clinical faculty at Tulane University, Saybrook University, and is the Center for Mind- Body Medicine in Washington DC. He has the only integrative psychiatric practice in New Orleans.

Dr. Calderón is interested in integrative approaches to healthcare, prevention, education, research and treatment of psychiatric conditions and addictions. He is the author of several national and international scientific publications in disaster medicine, the reconstruction of mental health services post hurricane Katrina, and mind-body approaches to care for healthcare providers.
He is currently conducting research in the application of mind-body approaches for addictions.

Dr. Calderón graduated with honors form the National Autonomous University of México and pursued his residency in psychiatry at Sinai Hospital of Detroit/Wayne State University. He worked for the State of Michigan and was Clinical Faculty for Michigan State University where he treated individuals with severe self-injurious behaviors.

He is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the residents’ best teacher award for three years at LSU, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill –Heroes in the Fight Against Mental Illness Award, the Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D. Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education form the American Psychiatry Association, the Excellence in Treatment Award by the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for Greater New Orleans, and most recently, identified by his colleagues among “Top Doctors” in New Orleans Magazine and included in the Global Directory of Who is Who in Medicine for two consecutive years.

Dr. Calderón has played a crucial role in the reconstruction of mental health services post-hurricane Katrina. He opened and directed the first adult public inpatient mental health facility post-hurricane Katrina and currently, is the Medical Director of the Co-Occurring Disorders Program at DePaul University Hospital. The program is the first one of its type in the State of Louisiana using integrative approaches for addiction including biomedicine and mind-body approaches.

Post-hurricane Katrina he developed the Mindful Living Program©, leading stress reduction efforts in New Orleans using mind-body practices. He is also co-founder and faculty with the Mind Body Center of Louisiana, a non-profit organization devoted to the dissemination of mind-body practices in healthcare.

Dr. Calderón was born in México City and currently lives in New Orleans with his family. Hobbies: reading, outdoors, exercise, playing guitar, and poetry.
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Mary Kay Chess, PhD, is a seasoned entrepreneur and an intrapreneur within healthcare and an executive coach and consultant for individuals, making a difference in the delivery of care in communities and neighborhoods. Mary Kay is also a faculty member at Bainbridge Graduate Institute focusing on the learning and experience involved in personal development within leadership and team environments. She is particularly fascinated with the complex dance of life between the bluffs and beaches of Whidbey Island and the understanding this provides us in our dance of life, reflection and integration.""

Sheila Dean, DSc, RC, LD, Dean is the owner of Palm Harbor Center for Health and Healing, a functional medicine based private practice and wellness center based in Palm Harbor, Florida. An educator at heart, she has taught for 15 years as adjunct nutrition science professor at the University of Tampa. She has conducted dozens of local and national public presentations, has written continuing education credit functional medicine modules for both nutritionists and nurses, has authored book reviews and has appeared on numerous television and radio interview programs. Dr. Dean is a contributing author of the medical textbook Integrative Gastroenterology published by Oxford University Press. She is also a contributing author of the clinical nutrition textbook Krause’s Food & Nutrition Therapy- 13th ed. Dr. Dean currently serves on the advisory board for the nationally acclaimed Center For Mind-Body Medicine's Food As Medicine professional education course and was the Professional Advancement Director for the Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine dietetic practice group of the American Dietetic Association. Dr. Dean is the author of Nutrition & Endurance: Where Do I Begin? and is a certified health and fitness instructor with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), and the YMCA of America.

I have a Bachelors degree in Behavioral Psychology from Western Michigan University. My Masters Degree and Doctoral Degree were earned from Saybrook University, specializing in Integrative Health Psychology. I am a full-time, licensed clinician living in Marquette, Michigan. There I work at Great Lakes Recovery Centers inpatient and outpatient treatment facilities with clients ranging from children to adults. I specialize in co-occurring disorders, addressing the psychological aspects of addiction, traditional mental health, and elite athletes, in individual as well as group settings. My work includes conducting psychological assessments of incarcerated inmates pending sentencing to Federal prison, transitional care for male and female Federal prisoners who have completed their sentences, in addition to extensive trauma care. I also work as a Mind-Body Specialist for the Green Bay Packers, in addition to doing work at the United States Olympic Education Center (USOEC) on the campus of Northern Michigan University. The USOEC is the only Olympic training center that enables their athletes to earn a college degree while training for their sport. I work with athletes on the Weightlifting Team, the Short Track Speedskating Team, the Women's Freestyle Wrestling Team, and the Men's Greco Roman Wrestling Team. With the Packers and at the USOEC I conduct Mind-Body Performance Training sessions with the athletes. This is a program that I developed that incorporates multiple styles of yoga, stretching, deep breathing, meditation, and visualization. Multiple research studies, including a randomized, controlled clinical trial, have been conducted on this program demonstrating statistically significant decreases in anxiety and stress and increases in flexibility and focus. My history includes working in pediatric and oncology hospital settings, advocating for integrative care in health and medicine, in addition to Adventure Therapy utilizing ropes courses, physical initiatives, and group processing to facilitate psychological change in individuals. I am pleased to be a part of the Saybrook University community as an adjunct faculty member and look forward to working with students in the College of Mind-Body Medicine.""

Marie DiCowden received her degree in Clinical Psychology from the George Washington University.
Dr. DiCowden is a clinical healthcare psychologist and a behavioral medicine specialist. She writes extensively on issues of disability, health care, and health policy. She is an advocate on the need for patient care and health care reform.""""

Mary C. Edson, PhD, LMT, is a member of the part time faculty, and serves as a mentor for students in the College of Mind-Body Medicine. She is an organizational systems coach and consultant. After receiving a BS from Cornell University, Mary worked as a systems analyst and project manager for Marriott International, Texas Instruments, and RR Donnelley. During that time, she completed her master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins University in International Business. Her thesis focused on cross-cultural training for executives. At CIGNA Healthcare, her role as a manager of a standards review team prompted her to return for further education in organizational systems and professional coaching. Mary is a graduate of Coach University's Certified Coach Training and Advanced Corporate Coach Training Programs. She is a licensed Coaching Clinic® facilitator by Coach U and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF). Mary completed a Ph.D. at the International University of Professional Studies with Dr. Patrick Williams, MCC. Her dissertation developed a coaching model based on the chakra system. At Saybrook University, Mary’s doctoral dissertation explored an ecological model of adaptation and complex adaptive systems theory to reveal how project teams can be more resilient in response to adversity. Mary continues to research, write, and coach project teams to build resilience in organizations. In addition to coaching and mentoring, Mary is interested in developing research models using theoretical pluralism and mixed methods. Currently, she is a volunteer at Hospice of Palm Beach County as a palliative massage therapist.

Sharada Gwen Gibbs-Wade brings an interdisciplinary background and approach to her 35 years experience as an Applied Behavioral Scientist. Dr. Gibbs-Wade's career as a consultant in organizational systems, professor, licensed psychologist, and researcher has taken her to work, research, and study in Africa, Canada, Caribbean, England, India, Mexico, Switzerland, and Trinidad.Transformative Leadership, Action Research and Complex System Change, Cross Cultural Research Methodology and Curriculum Development, Multi-Media and Arts from an Interdisciplinary Perspective, Global Sustainability in Education, Spiritual Traditions, Business, and Social Justice are her major areas of focus. Collectively, they speak to her core passion in life: sustained awareness and action to transform individuals and organizations human consciousness valuing their highest nature. She believes we can take actions to choose equality and search for the truth, in our daily lives and in our work here on earth. Current and past projects contributing to this life theme include: Online Course for Global Women in Leadership and Transformation, Documentary on Organizational Systems and Slave Labor in Third World Countries [in progress], Short film on African Art, Transformative Learning, Cross Cultural Comparative Literature- research and book on Global Leadership and Spirit in Toni Morrison, and Wingari Maathai. She has presented at conferences and panels on topics of Leadership and Learning Organizations, Trinidad; Cross Cultural Research, Africa; Black Women in Academy, MIT; Spirituality and Organization Transformation/East-West Traditions, GIC; Public TV on Suicide and Stress in Blacks; and, Border Films, cultural and systems conflicts, UCB. Dr. Gibbs-Wade is Past Chairperson of the Board of Directors for NTL, Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, and Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists"

Barbara Haag-Heitman, PhD, is an independent organizational consultant, focusing on enhancing clinical performance and peer review in health care. She also serves on the adjunct faculty for the College of Nursing, at the Cardinal Stritch College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has published three books, on Peer Review in Nursing: Principles for Successful Practice (Jones and Bartlett, 2011), Guide for Establishing Shared Governance (American Nursing Credentialing Center, 2010), and Clinical Practice Development Using Novice to Expert Theory (Aspen, 1999). She has also published articles on women’s health, organizational team building, and challenges of early hospital discharge.

Joan Hageman, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Behavioral and Health Sciences College (Psychology) of Northcentral University, Prescott Valley, Arizona, where she serves on dissertation committees. Dr. Hageman teaches research design, data analysis, professional and scholarly writing, test assessment development, and other related courses for psychology doctoral and graduate students, in addition to foundation courses in the masters programs. Dr. Hageman has developed curriculum for the graduate program in Hanseo University, Seosan, South Korea, and is the Chair of Research at PSYmore Research Institute, Inc. in Tampa, Florida.

Roberta "Robbie" Maller Hartman teaches Coaching for Health and Wellness at Saybrook. She has a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a licensed clinical psychologist and an ICF certified coach specializing in health coaching. Her niches include balance for overworked professionals, transitions, stress management, mindfulness meditation training, weight loss, emotional eating awareness and working with individuals considering weight loss surgery. She is an expert on non-dieting approaches to emotional eating and works with renowned author Geneen Roth. She has a private coaching practice and also serves as the psychologist for Vista Health System's weight management program in north suburban Chicago."

Chanel Helgason, MD, is a life coach, consultant, and integrative psychiatrist who supports people in creating more of what they want in their lives. She received her medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Helgason is board certified in both Psychiatry and Integrative-Holistic Medicine, and is also certified in Mind-Body Medicine. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine’s fellowship program. She has also completed substantial additional training in both positive psychology and collaborative communication. She currently offers video counseling and coaching in Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska, in addition to her service in several community mental health settings.

Jerrol Kimmel, RN, MA. Mentor for the Mind-Body Medicine MS students. Jerrol began her career in community mental health and the healing arts in 1975 with a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley. In 1983 she completed a nursing program to integrate Western Medicine with holistic practices. She received her Master's degree in Integrative Health Studies in San Francisco, CA. She is a faculty member of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine's professional training programs and is part of their Global Trauma Relief Team, and has maintained a private practice since 1980 integrating massage therapy, mind-body techniques and other holistic modalities in assisting her clients in attaining physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Leila Kozak, PhD, is the Director of International Collaborations and Research at Collinge and Associates. Leila received a Research Scholar Award from the American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine in 2010. She is currently the Chair for the American Chapter of "Palliativos Sin Fronteras" (Palliative Care Without Borders), Acting Assistant Research Professor at the University Of Washington School Of Public Health and Community Medicine and Post-Doctoral Fellow at the VA Puget Sound Health System in Seattle, WA. At VA Puget Sound she is evaluating complementary & integrative medicine and is carrying out a feasibility study of the "Touch, Caring & Cancer Program" (www.partnersinhealing.net). Leila's research experience and interests include the study of intentionality in healing, patient-centered and relationship-centered care and the integration of evidence-based complementary medicine into palliative, end of life and geriatric care.

Kevin Krycka, PsyD, is an Associate Professor in Psychology, and Director of the Master’s Program, Seattle University. He is a specialist in phenomenological research method, and has published research on Eugene Gendlin, Emmanuel Levinas, and person-centered psychotherapies. He has a special research interest in the phenomenology of hope in illness, and has published research on the recovery of hope in persons with HIV/AIDS.

Monika Landenhamer (MLIS, MA, AbD) has been with Saybrook University since 2002. From 2002-2005, she served as Distance Education Librarian. Since Spring 2009, Monika has taught the Information Competency and Library Use Course and serves as Reference Librarian for MBM College. She is also an independent academic coach, editor, and proofreader for essays, proposals, and dissertations. Monika additionally serves as a translator/editor for esoteric psychology. Her academic background in Eastern philosophy and religion is paired with business experience, having worked at Yahoo! for five years and with Google Search for two years. She has a personal interest in alternative and complementary medicine, mindfulness meditation, and yoga.

Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN, CHN, is board certified in Clinical Nutrition and Holistic Nutrition. Liz’s focus in her work has lately been in the area of functional nutrition and whole foods nutrition, with a specialty in digestive health and immune health. She is the Director of Doctoral Studies, and Education Director at Hawthorn University. Liz is also on faculty at Saybrook University, the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), and speaks for the Autism Research Institute. She is the author of Digestive Wellness (now in its 4th edition), & Digestive Wellness for Children. She sits on the advisory board for Food as Medicine, and the American Nutrition Alliance. Formerly Liz was on the Nutrition Advisory Board for the Institute for Functional Medicine and special advisor to the National Institute for Nutrition Professionals. Liz offers mentoring groups for health professionals on Clinical & Functional Nutrition. She lives with her husband, Chris, in Duluth, GA.

Lora Matz, MS, LICSW, is a psychotherapist and coordinator of an Intensive Outpatient Program for mentally ill adults, at Prairie Care, in Woodbury, Minnesota. She is a member of the adjunct faculty of the Center for Spirituality and Healing, in the Health Coaching Graduate Program, University of Minnesota. Losa Matz has extensive experience in treatment and in program development in integrative medicine and integrative hospice care.

Michael Mayer, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, and Qigong/Tai Chi teacher, who specializes in giving his patients self-healing methods for health problems. Dr. Mayer presents his approach to bodymind healing at professional conferences, national/international workshops, universities, and hospitals. He co-founded the Transpersonal Psychology Program at John F. Kennedy University where he trained therapists for twelve years. Dr. Mayer pioneered the integration of Qigong and psychotherapy, and was the first person in the United States to train doctoral psychology students in these methods. The World Institute for Self-Healing gave him an award for outstanding research and contribution to the advancement of mind-body medicine. He is a fellow of the American Association for Integrative Medicine. Dr Mayer is the author of twenty publications on bodymind healing, including five books and peer reviewed articles.

Susan Mazer, PhD, is the President and Chief Operating Office of Healing HealthCare Systems, Inc. (HHS) located in Reno, Nevada. She co-founded HHS with Dallas Smith in 1992, when they began producing the C.A.R.E. Channel, the first 24-hour healing environment channel for patient television. In doing the research required to optimize the effectiveness of the C.A.R.E. Channel, Susan looked into the auditory environment, its impact and how music and nature could improve patient outcomes. Subsequently, she has focused on hospital noise, its impact, methods for sustainable improvement, and, as a by-product, speech privacy. Her work at Saybrook is vested in the health care system through systems thinking, including historical, social, economic, and epistemological windows. She considers the environment of care to be both a human and organizational system. Susan is also an internationally known jazz harpist and composer, with over 20 recordings to her name (with Dallas Smith).

Kelsey Menehan, MSW, MA, serves as a mentor for the students in the MBM MS degree program. Kelsey is also a faculty member for the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and participated in the Center’s trauma relief programs in Kosovo, Israel and Gaza. She is a psychotherapist, an instructional designer, and a writing and communications consultant. Most recently she worked for the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, in their Grant Results unit.

Doil Montgomery, PhD, is a licensed Psychologist and Certified Biofeedback Practitioner, retired from the Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he served as Professor of Psychology and Director of the Biofeedback Facility. As Director of the Biofeedback Facility he supervised numerous students treating clients for a host of disorders including Behavioral Health Issues. He also was chair of many doctoral research projects with most of those being presented or published. Dr. Montgomery also maintained a part time private practice during his academic career and was in full-time practice for 8 years. Dr. Montgomery has published extensive research on psychophysiology, biofeedback, and behavioral medicine. His most recent book was Evidence Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback (2008). He has served on the Board of Directors of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance and the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

Nicol Moreland-Torres, PhD, earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate coursework in biology, statistics, theory in science, women in science studies, learning and memory and research methods and statistics. During her time in academia Dr. Moreland also guest lectured at a number of different universities. Prior to her current position for the Bernalillo County Youth Services Center in New Mexico (BCYSC) as the Research and Statistics Coordinator, in addition to her lecture work, she ran her own psychobiology lab securing National Institute of Health grant monies. In addition to her academic achievements, Dr. Moreland was a NASA mentor who was recognized for mentoring more minority women in math and science than any other mentor in her field.""

Anabelle Nelson, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Human and Organizational Development, at Fielding Graduate School. Her professional interests include health education for teens, multi-cultural education, and qualitative research, especially content analysis. She has published extensively on the use of story-telling for empowerment of minority and disenfranchised groups. Her most recent book was HIV storybook, science, risk factor relationships and self efficacy (The Wheel Council, 2003).

Dr. Sal Núñez currently practices as an educator, researcher, consultant and clinician in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interests lie in cultural clinical practice, indigenous medicine, neuropsychology, chemical dependence, pediatric health, and ceremonial drumming as a treatment modality.

Over the course of a decade, Sal developed a therapeutic protocol that integrates ceremony, drumming, indigenous medicine and psychological principles. He continues investigating the curative properties and history of specific percussive patterns, songs and rhythms. Inspired to advance instruction and research in this specialized discipline, he founded the Healthy Drumming Institute® and several years ago began training clinicians and youth in traditional healing arts.

John Patterson, MD, MSPH, is an integrative physician who is board certified in family practice and holistic medicine. John is also a certified yoga teacher and a member of the faculty of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, and was a co-investigator for an NIH, CAM curriculum development grant. John teaches the Advanced Mind-Body Medicine course for Saybrook’s College of Mind-Body Medicine.

David Paul MD, PhD serves as adjunct faculty for the College of Mind-Body Medicine at Saybrook University. He also serves as faculty at the University of Santa Monica (USM) in their Consciousness, Health, and Healing Program. He previously served as USM faculty for several USM Counseling Psychology courses, including Psychopharmacology and the Practice of Marriage & Family Therapy and Human Sexuality in the Therapeutic Context. Dr. Paul co-directs the Freedom to Choose Foundation teaching decriminogenic skills, personal responsibility and forgiveness to women incarcerated at Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) in Chowchilla, California. For his work at VSPW, David was a co-recipient of the Bohemian Foundation’s E-Chievement Award in 2009 and USM’s inaugural Service to Humanity award in 2011.
Licensed as a Medical Doctor, Dr. Paul practiced emergency and sports medicine for over 20 years before starting a private practice in Mind-Body medicine. He works with individuals, couples, and groups, and his specialties include mind-body medicine, spiritual psychology, and healing issues in consciousness in support of co-creating vibrant health and well-being.
Dr. Paul has extensive experience in design and implementation of educational programs and was formerly a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Practice at Southern Illinois University Medical School (SIU), developing and serving as Director of the emergency medicine training for residents in family practice at SIU and at Scott Air Force Base. He served as Project Medical Director in southern Illinois, developing the first Paramedic program in the region. David served as National Faculty for the American Heart Association in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. He has conducted clinical research, and served as a consultant for the Center for Continuous Improvement, Quorum Health Services, where he developed and taught courses for improving the quality of medical care. He has been invited as faculty at the University of Denver in their Wellness Program. David was formerly Medical Director of Vail Valley Medical Center in Vail, Colorado.
Dr. Paul holds an M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Saybrook University in San Francisco. He also has a B.S. in Science from Pennsylvania State University, and an M.A. in Spiritual Psychology with additional certificates in Consciousness, Health, and Healing and Soul-Centered Leadership from the University of Santa Monica. His academic honors include membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, the William D. Bodine research award from Jefferson, Graduation with Highest Distinction from Penn State, Student of the Year (1999) at USM, and nomination of his dissertation for Saybrook’s Distinguished Dissertation Award. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine, and is a member of the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association."

Judith Pedersen-Benn, MS, CADC, CHT, currently works as counselor where she specializes in integrative and holistic substance abuse counseling in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She has pursued post-graduate training in clinical hypnosis, art and movement therapy, meditation, Jungian dream analysis, and somatic experiencing. Judith worked as an adult educator for 15 years and incorporates her understanding of the reciprocal and relational nature of teaching into her counseling and mind-body work. Judith is a faculty member of the Center for Mind Body Medicine's professional training program. She facilitates local mind-body groups for physicians, mental health centers, senior centers and substance abuse agencies. In addition, Judith is a community peace activist who incorporates the mind-body approach into her work for peace."

Gabrielle Pelicci, Ph.D. is an instructor and mentor for the Mind-Body Medicine College. She earned an MA from Columbia University in Educational Technology and a Ph.D. in Transformative Learning with a dissertation on Women Healers from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in 2006. Dr. Pelicci is a Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and Certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor. Since 1999, she has been working as a holistic health coach for addiction treatment centers, non-profit organizations, wellness centers and private clients. Dr. Pelicci also serves as faculty in the Holistic Health graduate program at Georgian Court University and the Transformative Leadership Program at CIIS. She has published research on the experience of growth and transformation among women healers and she has substantial experience writing and teaching online courses. Dr. Pelicci has also traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America to study different cultural approaches to healing.

Erik Peper, PhD, has an international reputation as a pioneer in biofeedback and psychophysiology. He is Co-Director of the Institute for Holistic Healing Studies at San Francisco State University. He has published extensive research on biofeedback applications in medicine, and is the author and co-author of a number of basic textbooks, including: Make Health Happen (2002), Biofeedback Mastery—An Experiential Training and Self-Teaching Manual (2008), and Fighting Cancer: A Non-Toxic Approach to Treatment (2011). Dr. Peper is the past-president of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, and is currently the President of the Biofeedback Federation of Europe.

Charles "Chuck" Piazza, PhD, is a university professor-mentor, social philosopher, and ethicist, Chuck employs a holistic perspective to critically examine the behavior of contemporary sociotechnical organizational systems and the human dynamics and work environments related to them. Over the past 18 years he has taught professionals from the East and West, as well as from many of the major Silicon Valley corporations. Research interests include socially responsible leadership, sustainable information and communication systems, and organizational cultures that foster work-life balance."

Daniel B. Pitchford, PhD, supervises and teaches the traumatic stress courses for the doctorate in psychology program in the College of Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology as well as academic writing within the university's College of Mind-Body Medicine. Dr. Pitchford also maintains a private practice providing individual counseling and consultation services on trauma, and provides clinical supervision and management to Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare's enhanced care and outreach service programs for individuals struggling with severe mental and medical difficulties in the Springfield and Eugene areas of Oregon. He has written and lectured on the fundamentals of suicide, PTSD, and traumatic stress, and received the Rollo May Scholarship Award for his humanistic work with traumatic stress. He is the consulting board member for the Existential-Humanistic Institute.

Dr. Pitchford's current clinical and research interests are in suicide, trauma experiences (acute, chronic, complex), loss, culture, death, and personal transformation.

Supportive materials for students in Dr. Pitchford's trauma courses may be found at his website: http://www.drpitchford.com


If you are interested in contacting him: dpitchford@saybrook.edu

If you'd like to view current works, please visit: http://saybrook.academia.edu/DanielBPitchfordPhD

Sonya Pritzker is a medical anthropologist and a licensed practitioner of Chinese medicine. She is a clinician and researcher at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, a lecturer in the UCLA Department of Anthropology, and an instructor at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Her research focuses on the global translation and dissemination of Chinese medical knowledge, including the linguistic choices of specific translators as well as the transfer of research findings into clinical practice, the interpretation of textbooks by teachers, and the explanation of Chinese medical concepts to patients. She is also currently involved in several research studies pertaining to the development and practice of integrative medicine in the U.S., and has previously researched and written about the treatment of anxiety and depression with Chinese medicine. She is fluent in Chinese and has extensive experience studying Chinese medicine and researching both Chinese medicine and psychology in Beijing, China.""

Timothy Reardon, PhD, DHA, MSCIT, is Assistant Professor in the School of Professional Studies, at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. He has served as the CEO of several municipal hospital systems, and has published research on strategic planning for rural health needs, and disaster planning for the Winter Olympics. He has obtained three HCFA grants for health promotion and curriculum development.

Lynda Richtsmeier Cyr, PhD, LP, is a Clinical Psycholo¬gist, Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics for the Univer¬sity of Minnesota School of Medicine, and Faculty Member for The Center for Mind Body Medicine (CMBM). Lynda is a founder and leader of The Pediatric Integrative Medicine Program, Childrens Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota. Lynda also maintains a private practice where she incorpo¬rates mind-body medicine into her holistic psychother¬apy practice with children, adolescents and adults. Lynda facilitates regular mind-body skills groups and consults to agencies and schools in the area of mind-body medicine, health and wellness. Lynda has taught locally and nation¬ally in the area of pediatric self-regulation, biofeed¬back, hypnosis, Integrative Medicine, and Holistic Mental Health.

Theresa A. Roth, PhD, is on the Affiliate Faculty of Regis University, in the Masters of Science in Nursing and Masters in Business Administration graduate programs. She is also the Assistant CEO and Nursing Director of the MedCentral Health System in Mansfield, Ohio. She specializes on healthcare management and healthcare information systems. She holds professional certifications in health care administration, nursing administration, and nursing informatics. She serves on a number of community and professional boards, including the State of Ohio Practice and Legislation Committee."

Beverly Rubik, PhD, is director of the Institute for Frontier Science, Beverly served as one of the original NIH panelists who first acknowledged the value of complementary medicine and has been at the forefront of that research for decades. She has received academic, government, and founda¬tion grants to pursue high quality research on effective mind-body treatments.

Fredric Shaffer, PhD, is author of Biofeedback Tutor (an educational CD on biofeedback), and Chair of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. Fred teaches the Psychophysiology class and the Biofeedback training classes. He is also Professor of Psychology at Truman State University and has trained over 500 undergraduate researchers in Truman’s Applied Psychophysiology Lab. His research centers on heart rate variability, pain, and respiration, and he is co-author, with Donald Moss, of a new book to be published in Poland, The Primer of Biofeedback.""

Julie K. Staples, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology at St. Louis University. She is the Research Director at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on the effectiveness of mind-body modalities with an emphasis on war-related posttraumatic stress. Specific research projects include a randomized controlled study with high school students in Kosovo; studies using mind-body skills with adults and children in Gaza; and a randomized controlled study being done in collaboration with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System using mind-body skills with veterans and active duty military personnel. Dr. Staples is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University School of Medicine where she teaches a course in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine graduate program. She obtained her Kundalini yoga teacher certification in 1996 and taught several weekly yoga classes until 2004. She now presents workshops for healthcare professionals and teaches in Kundalini Yoga teacher training programs. She is also the Board President of the Guru Ram Das Center for Medicine and Humanology, a non-profit organization in New Mexico which provides health education and professional training on the use of yoga and meditation for people with chronic illness.

Kathie Madonna Swift, MS, RD, is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Nutritionist who earned
her M.S.in Nutrition from Arizona State University. She is the Curriculum Designer for Food
as Medicine, a professional nutrition training program sponsored by the Center for Mind
Body Medicine. Kathie sits on a number of scientific advisory boards including the Institute
for Functional Medicine, Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, Integrative Health Care
Symposium and Free and Clear Mind Body Program. She is the Senior Nutrition Advisor
for Optimal Health and Prevention Research Foundation and the Chief Nutrition Advisor for
MyFoodMyHealth. Kathie is the co-author of The Inside Tract:Your Good Gut Guide to Great
Digestive Health with Gerard Mullin, MD (Rodale Press, July 2011). She is in practice at the
UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA and Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Stockbridge MA.

James Ungvarsky, PsyD, MPA, is a member of the core faculty at the College for Professional Studies, Regis University, where he teaches research method, community psychology, and human growth and development. He has published research on virtue ethics, indigenous Chinese forms of existential psychology, and the effects of wartime stress on military spouses and families.

Patricia Ann Van Kley, PhD, is a psychologist and psychotherapist at the Fort Meigs Psychological Service, and a faculty member of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington DC. Dr. Van Kley is the instructor for the College of MBM course on Mindfulness, Meditation, and Health.

Kara Vander Linden, Ed.D, has a doctorate in Education with specializations in classical
grounded theory research and community colleges and higher education. She also has
a master’s in special education and a degree in math. Kara is a specialist in qualitative
research methods and has been teaching and consulting on research in the social sciences
for over 7 years. She also owns and runs VL Educational Services and Consulting which
provides educational support, instruction and consultations for students in both k-12 and higher
education. She focuses on reading, writing and math. She also works with students with
dyslexia and their parents. She does diagnostic testing and research-based instruction for
individual with dyslexia."

Selene Kumin Vega, PhD, teaches the Advanced Mind-Body Medicine class, and serves as a mentor for students in the College of Mind-Body Medicine. She is also a psychotherapist in private practice and a member of the core adjunct faculty in the Master’s in Spiritual Guidance at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology. Selene’s work with movement and other experiential modalities evolved over many years of teaching and developing approaches to facilitating self-exploration and connection in workshops and courses. She has taught at Bastyr University, JFK University, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and has served as president of Santa Cruz CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists). Selene has published chapters on the use of mind-body and psychospiritual approaches to the treatment of anxiety, and the use of movement practices in psychotherapy, and was editor of the Spiritual Emergence Network Newsletter. Her co-authored book, The Sevenfold Journey: Reclaiming Mind, Body, and Spirit through the Chakras (Crossing Press, 1993) has been translated into six languages.

Darlene Viggiano, Ph.D. (MFT), teaches Basic and Intermediate Hypnosis for the College of Mind-Body medicine, having earned her doctorate in 2010 from Saybrook University. Dr. Viggiano is a California-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the Intensive Outpatient Program at Kaiser Permanente South Valley Centre in the Adult Psychiatry Department. She serves on Kaiser’s Regional Best Practices committee for Dual Diagnosis, facilitates groups for Adults Molested as Children and for Dual Diagnosis populations, as well as offering psycho-education on Anger Management. She also facilitates Mindfulness Movement skills sessions, in addition to providing therapy to a regular patient caseload. She has served on the Domestic Violence Committee and on the Quality Assurance Committee at Kaiser South Sacramento. She was honored to earn the Outstanding Service Award for the second quarter of 2009.

Dr. Viggiano earned her Ph.D. in psychology at Saybrook University in San Francisco, where her dissertation topic was the role of dreams and dream-like experiences in spiritual emergence processes.

Her book, Carrying On: A workbook for women who’ve lost a pregnancy, was published in 2010 by Lambert Academic Publishing. Her book, Dreams and Dream-like Experiences: Their Role in Spiritual Emergence Processes, was published by Lambert Academic Publishing. Her 2012 biographical article on Ernest R. Hilgard appeared online in the Encyclopedia of the History of Psychological Theories, published by Springer Science + Business Media, and her 2011 article on Jungian hypnotic dream-work was published in Contemporary Hypnosis and Integrative Therapy. Her interactive, online class, Applications of Clinical Hypnosis in Mind-Body Medicine, was accepted for CE credit at JFK University’s Somatic Psychotherapy workshop series. Additionally, she has published several peer-reviewed journal articles as well as various book-reviews on psychology books. She has taught psychology at the University of Phoenix and developed an online hypnosis course for John F. Kennedy University. She earned certification in clinical hypnosis from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and is a member of APA Division 30, The Society of Psychological Hypnosis. She presented on hypnotic dreaming at the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis during their 60th annual workshops and scientific program. She earned the 2012 Early Career Achievement Award from APA Division 30.

Russ Volckmann, PhD, is the co-founder of Integral Publishers, LLC, publisher and editor of the Integral Leadership Review. He is on the Board of ARINA, Inc., an international research and development organization, and on its Editorial Committee for the Integral Review. He is currently adjunct faculty for Saybrook Institute, Union Institute and University and serves on dissertation committees at several PhD programs. Russ graduated from Monmouth University, studied for an M.A. in Humanistic Psychology from Sonoma State University, and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He was a Fulbright Fellow in India, an organization development consultant for over 20 years and has been focused on executive coaching and leadership development since 1997.""

Claire Wheeler, MD, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and former Emergency Medicine physician. She is teaching both Health Psychology and Mind-Body Medicine: An Overview for the College of Mind-Body Medicine. She is also a full-time Instructor at Portland State University's School of Community Health in Portland, Oregon. She teaches classes in disease physiology, mind-body medicine, nutrition, and health psychology. She is a senior faculty member at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Dr. Wheeler is the author of 10 Simple Solutions to Stress, published in 2007, and is currently writing a book on abdominal obesity for Penguin Publishing.

David Blake Willis, PhD, is a professor of human and organizational development, anthropology and education for Fielding Graduate School. He is the co-author of Transcultural Japan: Being Others in the Borderlands of Race, Class, and Identity and Japanese Education in Transition 2001: Radical Perspectives on Cultural and Political Transformation, along with many article and book chapters on education, transnational culture, and cultural identity. Dr. Willis teaches the Challenges of Midlife and Elderhood class.

Biographical Sketch: Nicola Wolfe, Ph.D

Dr. Nicola Wolfe earned her PhD in Clinical Psychopharmacology from Harvard University. She has taught courses in “Contemporary Neuroscience”, “Biological Psychology”, “Chemical Dependence”, “Research Design”, and “Psychopharmacology” at Harvard University, University of Tokyo, U.C. Berkeley, California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University, University of San Francisco, and U.C. Berkeley Extension. Her published research is predominantly in Neuroimaging in Alzheimer's Disease and Cross Cultural Neuropsychological Assessment. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship and a Fulbright Faculty Scholarship for Research in Japan. She is co-author of the "Cross Cultural Cognitive Exam CCCE" (Glosser, Wolfe, Albert,© 1991) which has been translated and adapted in Japanese, Chamorro, Tagalog, French, German and Spanish. Research interests include using functional brain imaging such as fMRI for neurofeedback in Mind Body Medicine.