Aviva Romm MD
Physician, Author, Midwife, Herbalist
Massachusetts, USA
Aviva Romm MD is both a midwife and a Yale trained MD and Board Certified Family Physician with specialties in Integrative Gynecology, Obstetric and Pediatrics, with a focus on women’s endocrinology. She’s also a world renown herbalist, and author of the textbook, Botanical Medicines for Women’s Health, as well as 7 other books, including The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution and her new book, Hormone Intelligence, an instant New York Time Bestseller, which explores the impact of the world we live in on women’s hormones and health, and brings us a new medicine for women that is at once holistic and natural, while being grounded in the best science and medicine have to offer.. A practitioner, teacher, activist and advocate of both environmental health and women’s reproductive rights and health, she has been bridging the best of traditional medicine, total health ecology, and good science for over three decades. Her podcast, articles, books, and online programs are wildly popular and successful, helping women take back their health, She practice medicine in both NY and MA, and lives in the Berkshires of Western MA.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 10:00 – 11:00am
Stress & Adrenal Management – Maintaining resilience and healing
Session Synopsis: 40min presentation from Aviva followed by a fireside chat and Q&A from the audience. Aviva will be appearing live via Zoom from the US.
Dominique LivKamal
Founder
Medicine Room
Maroochydore, QLD
Dominique LivKamal FNHAA. Masters Public health / health promotion Bch health science Complimentary Medicine. Naturopath. Herbalist and Author. Founder of Medicine Room ™ Manufacturer and Formulator. Dominique has run free community clinics since 1999 from The Blackhall range in South East Queensland and was awarded the herbalist of the year award NHAA 2013.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 4:30 – 5:30pm
Project Herbal First Aid’ Bringing medicine to the community – Learn how to implement Project Herbal First Aid in your practice.
Session Synopsis: Medicine Room identified the need for and facilitated a free herbal first aid service in 2015 at a festival in Queensland. Since that time, it has developed into a much loved part of their herbal dispensary and is extremely popular with their patients. Dominique will share with you the ins and outs of setting up herbal first aid in your clinic, her favourite herbs and how to use them for effective herbal first aid.
Regina Lasaitis
Herbalist, Naturopath & Lecturer
Torrens University
Sydney, NSW
Regina Lasaitis is a masters qualified Medical Herbalist and Naturopath with over 25 years’ experience. Prior to her training in complementary medicine, Regina was a biomedical scientist, and she combines her medical and scientific knowledge with her skills in naturopathy. She has a clinical practice in Sydney where she provides treatment and management of all health issues. With her passion for educating and training future practitioners in the field of complementary medicine, Regina has over 10 years’ experience as an educator of Western herbal medicine and naturopathy. She is currently a lecturer and student clinic supervisor at Torrens University. Regina is an NHAA approved supervisor and offers mentoring and a support service for newly graduated practitioners.
Session times & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 1:30 – 2:00pm and 2:30 – 3:00pm
Sunday 29 May – 11:00 – 11:30am
Case Sharing Workshop
Session Synopsis: The case sharing workshops will be informal brainstorming chats and provide opportunities to discuss clinical experiences with a focus on herbal treatments. Each session will have a particular focus: the Saturday sessions are menopausal transition and mental health and Sunday post viral infections herbal support options. Attendees can register to bring a case of theirs to the session that Regina will present to the group and facilitate a discussion. The aim is to utilise the collective wisdom and experience of the group to provide an expansion of ideas around the use of herbal medicines in various clinical situations. This is in line with the vibe of the whole summit of bringing the focus back to herbal medicine and these workshops are an opportunity for practitioners with varying levels of experience to share their herbal knowledge with each other.
Attendees need to register their interest in attending the sessions and they can also register to have a case study of theirs discussed. Please register your interest with kathy.ferris@nhaa.org.au
Professor Jerome Sarris
Professor of Integrative Mental Health
NICM Health Research Institute
Melbourne, VIC
Jerome Sarris is Professor of Integrative Mental Health at NICM Health Research Institute at Westmead, Western Sydney University. He is the Co-Director of the not-for-profit Psychae Institute (focusing on botanical psychedelic medicine research), also holding a Visiting Scientist appointment at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne University. Jerome has a particular interest in mood and anxiety disorder research pertaining to psychotropic plant medicines (in particular on Kava, medicinal cannabis, and psychedelics), and Lifestyle Medicine. Prof Sarris has around 220 academic publications (cited over 10,000 times), including journal articles featured in The American Journal of Psychiatry, Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, and World Psychiatry. He has conducted many RCTs in the field, including several NHMRC and MRFF funded projects. Jerome Chairs the Taskforce on Integrative and Complementary Medicine for the World Federation of Societies for Biological Psychiatry & the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 4:30 – 5:30pm
Botanical Psychedelics for the treatment of Psychiatric Disorders
Session Synopsis: Psychotropic plant medicine and its benefits in the Mental Health sphere.
Kerrie Oakes
Manager
Somerset Community Herb Clinics
Brisbane, QLD
Kerrie Oakes is undertaking a PhD at the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine. Her research examines the concept of community-supported herbalism and cooperative models of healthcare. She is a chapter co-ordinator for the South-East Qld chapter of Herbalists Without Borders, and a member of the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia and Integrative Medicine for the Underserved. Her interests are in equitable and affordable access to natural medicine, the place of herbal medicine within the primary healthcare sector, and the role of community in service provision. She holds graduate and post-graduate qualifications in Western Herbal Medicine, Health, Education and Community Welfare. Her Master’s degree examined consumer voices in the Child Protection system. She has local, state and federal experience in community development, youthwork, child protection, eDemocracy, policy making and disaster management. Currently she manages the Somerset Community Supported Herb Clinics based in South East Queensland.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 11:00am – 12:00pm
Herbal Medicine Healing through Catastrophes
Session Synopsis: Kerrie will be joined by fellow practitioners Gemma Pokrzywa, Shona Taranto and Erin Lovell Verinder in a panel discussion facilitated by Kathleen Murphy. Please see Kathleen Murphy’s biography for the full session synopsis (session 2).
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 2:00 – 3:00pm
Transforming Community through Herbal Medicine Practice – Affordable and accessible herbal medicine
Session Synopsis: In this session, Kerrie shares her experiences in creating a community-supported model of herbal medicine and invites you to help identify a collective vision of community practice for affordable and accessible herbal medicine. Everyone has the right to participate in their health care. Community care promotes affordability, equitable and personal control of wellbeing. Herb. Community clinics offer personal connection to health, community and environment in a way that demonstrates respect and sustainability through deep relationship. Kerrie will outline how she is working within her local community to bring herbal medicine to all, identifying elements of community herbal medicine practice and steps that can be taken to help bring community together.
Dr Lesley Braun
Group Director
Blackmores Institute
Melbourne, VIC
Blackmores Institute Director, Dr Lesley Braun proudly brings this commitment to life throughout Australasia by drawing on her extensive experience as a researcher and an academic. Dr Braun is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (Western Sydney University) and has held research
Lesley Braun is Global Director of the Blackmores Institute, the professional and academic arm of Blackmores Ltd, which facilitates research, internship and PhD programs, public health advocacy, innovation, education, science communications and has extensive university, professional and industry networks.
In 2021, she was awarded the Lady Cilento Lifetime achievement award by Complementary Medicines Association, the highest honour in the industry. The same year, she was awarded professorships at SCU (NCNM) and WSU (NICM) and in 2020, invited by the federal government to join the working party developing the nation’s Modern Manufacturing and Innovation roadmap in regard to medical products (which includes complementary medicines).
She is a well-known presenter across Australasia and was also the lead author for 5 best-selling textbooks published by Elsevier, ‘Herbs and Natural Supplements, an evidence-based guide’ editions 1-4 and ‘the Essentials of Herbs and Natural Supplements’ in addition to contributing to medical dictionaries, peer-reviewed journals and founding editor of Advances in Integrative Medicine (published by Elsevier).
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 3:30 – 4:30pm
Mental Wellbeing – an Integrative Approach
Session Synopsis: Addressing the epidemic that affects 1 in 5 people.
Jane Hutchens
Naturopath & Nutritionist
Minerva Health & Fertility
Blaxland, NSW
Jane Hutchens has nearly four decades of experience in health, as an RN, naturopath, educator, manager, researcher and writer. She has an MScMed (reproductive health & human genetics) and is desperately hoping she has submitted her PhD thesis (on women’s experiences of cardiac disease in pregnancy & postpartum) by the time of this conference. Jane’s practice is Minerva Natura Health & Fertility; her work is informed by compassion and pragmatism and rooted in principles of equity, justice and feminism.
Session times & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 2:00 – 3:00pm
Depleted, Discarded, Distressed: Supporting women postpartum – Getting through postpartum depletion with herbal medicines
Session Synopsis. We take a quick immersion into the bioscience of the postpartum period, look around at the broader context and settle down next to the recovering mother and share a nourishing infusion as we explore ways to best support her at this challenging and wonderful time.
Tabitha McIntosh
Founder & Director
Awaken Your Health
Bowral, NSW
An experienced Naturopath, Tabitha is also founder & director of Awaken Your Health in Woollahra, Sydney, where she has run her own private clinical practice for fifteen years. Tabitha integrates Naturopathic healing principles with the latest scientific research to educate and empower her clients. After attaining her Bachelor of Medical Science (University of NSW, 2001), she went on to pursue her passion for Integrative healthcare by completing an Advanced Diploma Naturopathy & Diploma Nutrition (Nature Care College, 2005), and Post Grad Dip of Applied Science in Nutritional & Environmental Medicine (Swinburne University, 2006). She is currently completing her Masters in Reproductive Medicine through the School of Medicine (University of NSW). Passionate about improving the health of everyone she comes in contact with, the focus of her practice is working to optimise health and enhance fertility by implementing therapeutic diets, whilst educating around the hidden dangers of environmental chemicals to help her clients reach their full potential.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 1:00 – 2:00pm
Protecting fertility in a modern world – Improving fertility outcomes and navigating the hidden dangers of chemical exposures
Session Synopsis: Tabitha’s informative talk will cover the impact of the Environment on reproductive development, health and fertility across the lifespan. Tabitha will journey us through the changing landscape of fertility and plummeting sperm counts, highlighting the most vulnerable windows for exposures and how we can protect our clients from environmental insult at each stage. She will outline research linking certain exposures to various common fertility concerns, highlighting the reproductive ripple effects of cumulative exposures that appear to be diminishing both health and fertility. Importantly, she will shine the light on the wonderful various tools we have in our Natural Medicine toolkit to restore and enhance fertility outcomes for both men and women.
Jo Morgan
Founder
Jo’s Herbadashery
Manly, NSW
Jo Morgan opened her apothecary, Jo’s Herbadashery, in Manly on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in 2013. Her focus was on making her own herbal remedies and giving her community access to quality herbal medicines. In the first COVID lockdown in 2020 Jo expanded into larger premises next door to include two clinic rooms. Jo studied Herbal Medicine at Nature Care College and has been in practice for 17 years.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 9:00 – 10:00am
The Herbal Apothecary in Focus
Session Synopsis: A panel discussion on all things apothecary facilitated by Hannah Boyd.
Kathleen Murphy
Naturopath and Acupuncturist
MamaCare Health Services
Lismore, NSW
Kathleen is a clinical naturopath and acupuncturist, living and working on Bundjalung Country, in beautiful Northern NSW. She has been in practice for the past thirteen years, working in integrative and collaborative settings throughout her career.
Kathleen has a holistic approach to health and draws on traditional strategies alongside modern evidence to ensure she offers the best possible treatments and therapeutic recommendations. She works with all sorts of people and conditions in her practice, but holds a particular passion for women’s health, pregnancy and postpartum care.
Outside of clinic, Kathleen is also a university lecturer, is a former Vice-President of the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia and has a young family to keep her busy!
Session 1 – time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 10:00 – 11am
Aviva Romm & Kathleen Murphy fireside chat
Session Synopsis: Following Aviva’s 40min presentation, Kathleen will be chatting with Aviva, deep-diving into some of the areas she has covered in her presentation. Due to COVID, Aviva will be joining us live via zoom for this session.
Session 2 – time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 11:00am – 12:00pm
Herbal Medicine Healing through Catastrophes
Session Synopsis: Catastrophic events wreak havoc on the lives of those who live through them, significantly impacting physical, mental and community wellbeing. During and after these events, community support is an essential part of repair and healing – and herbal medicine can play a vital role in this healing process. Our panellists all live and work in communities that have been impacted by catastrophic natural disasters; they have also been intimately involved in locally-coordinated outreach and community support, and will share their experiences and insight in this discussion.
Join Kathleen as she facilitates a panel discussion with some of our highly esteemed practitioners who have found themselves on the front-line of recent events – Shonna Taranto, Kerrie Oakes, Gemma Pokrzywa and Erin Lovell Verinder.
David Casteleijn
Naturopath & NHAA President
Brisbane, QLD
Originally studying Behavioural Sciences at USQ and followed that with Registered Nurse training and Graduating as a Naturopath in 1992 David has been consistently in private practice as a Naturopath in various clinic types over the years since. In 2002 David commenced teaching mainly herbal medicine and supervision clinic subjects. This led to a Masters Health Science (Herbal Medicine) at UNE and an upgrade to his original diploma qualification in Naturopathy to a degree. David is the co-owner of a Naturopathic clinic in Brisbane and a PhD candidate at UTS investigating the naturalistic practice of herbal medicine in relation to anxiety and depression. Keenly interested in advancing the profession but equally determined the traditions must be respected and form the basis of our practice, David is joint secretary of the World Naturopathic Federation (WNF) and actively involved in the associations work towards statutory registration.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 11:30 – 12:30pm
Working on our Supply Chains
Session Synopsis: David will be joined by Adrian Hubner, Gill Oborne, Annette Lambert and Warren Morey in a panel discussion on securing supply with a focus on sustainable processing.
Hannah Boyd
Naturopath & NHAA Vice President
Marrickville, NSW
Hannah is a Naturopath and Herbalist based in Sydney, New South Wales and was first elected to the NHAA Board of Directors in 2018. Hannah has been in clinical practice since graduating from her studies in 2012, when she established her own Naturopathic clinic. Hannah’s areas of interest include mental health, women’s health and fertility. As well as running her Sydney clinic in Marrickville, Hannah has volunteered at the Leichhardt Women’s Community Health Centre as a research assistant. She is a seasoned speaker having spoken at various events including The Real Food Project, Marrickville Business Association and Central, Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network annual conference and the National Symposium on Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May : 9am – 10am
The Herbal Apothecary in Focus
Session Synopsis: Hannah will be joined by Jo Morgan, Sammi Allen, Renae Scott and Belinda Robson in a panel discussion on starting a successful herbal apothecary.
Sammi Allen
Owner
Nimbin Apothecary
Nimbin, NSW
Sammi is a proud herbalist, and is the new owner of the Nimbin Apothecary. The Apothecary is a community resource, and has provided locals and tourists with herbal medicine, natural therapeutics and holistic health support for over 30 years. Sammi believes that everyone should have access to natural medicine and health care, and this ethos runs through the apothecary, where customers have access to qualified naturopaths and herbalists, who love and share their knowledge in the name of herbal education and health autonomy.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 9:00 – 10:00am
The Herbal Apothecary in Focus
Session Synopsis: A panel discussion on all things apothecary facilitated by Hannah Boyd.
Belinda Robson
Co-owner
Goulds Natural Medicine
Hobart, TAS
Belinda has been practising as a naturopath, herbalist and nutritionist for almost 20 years, and is one of the co-owners of Goulds Natural Medicine, a thriving Natural Medicine Apothecary, Clinic and farm in Hobart Tasmania. During her career, Belinda has presented to professional audiences on children’s health, respiratory conditions, developmental disabilities and the journey of co-running a modern apothecary. Belinda is the author of Chapter 17: Down Syndrome, in the textbook Advanced Clinical Naturopathic Medicine, and has also published journal articles on Autism. Belinda enjoys working with patients of all ages – the young and not so young, to improve their health & vitality, and teach healthy lifestyle practices.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 9:00 – 10:00am
The Herbal Apothecary in Focus
Session Synopsis: A panel discussion on all things apothecary facilitated by Hannah Boyd.
Jacqui Bushell
Herbalist, Naturopath, Teacher, Storyteller
Broken Hill, NSW
Jacqui Bushell is a practitioner, teacher and speaker with a long history of lecturing at naturopathic colleges, community education and facilitating international retreats. For over 30 years she has been creating essences, tinctures and anointing oils, and sharing her knowledge to support others. Within a vitalist framework, Jacqui specialises in the identification and ethical wildcrafting of local medicinal plants and creating healing remedies with the engagement of the spirit and intelligence within nature. She weaves together folklore, plant medicine and our natural environment in empowering ways to help us connect more harmoniously with each other and the earth.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 11:30 – 12:30pm
Re-Weaving Wholeness
Session Synopsis: embracing the interconnectedness of all living things, to anchor a more subtle, life force oriented and sensory relationship with plants, medicinal and otherwise. Jacqui will explore plant communication and intelligence as a means of restoring our wider kinship within the web of life.
Warren Morey
General Manager
PPC Herbs
Croyden South, VIC
Warren Morey has a degree in Horticulture, and Diploma’s in Herbal Medicine and Nutrition. He has 10 years work history in Horticulture and close to another 30 years in Complementary Medicine and Health foods. Warren has spent the last 10 years as General Manager of The Pharmaceutical Plant Company or PPC Herbs, a Melbourne based TGA licenced manufacturer of Herbal Extracts, Tinctures and Listed Medicines.
Session time & Topic:
Sunday 29 May – 11:30 – 12:30pm
Working on our Supply Chains
Session Synopsis: Warren will be joining the panel discussion focussed on sustainable processing and securing supply.
Erin Lovell Verinder
Herbalist, Nutritionist, Author
Eltham, NSW
Erin Lovell Verinder is an Australian trained Herbalist, Nutritionist and Author of two plant medicine titles, Plants for the People and The Plant Clinic. Erins work is to reconnect the people with the plants! Her training began studying a Diploma of Energetic Healing (Nature Care college, 2002), following with a Bachelor of Western Herbal Medicine (Nature Care college, 2011), and an Advanced Diploma of Nutritional Medicine (Nature Care college, 2012). Walking the plant path, she is a woman in tune with the natural world. On a full-hearted mission to educate and inspire others to heal with the rhythms of nature, through the bounty of plant medicine. Erin runs a thriving clinical practice, alongside mentoring students and emerging practitioners, she teaches the love language of the plants within her community and writes from the rainbow region of the Byron Bay hinterland.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 11:00am – 12:00pm
Herbal Medicine Healing through Catastrophes
Session Synopsis: Erin will be joined by fellow practitioners Gemma Pokrzywa, Shona Taranto and Kerrie Oakes in a panel discussion facilitated by Kathleen Murphy. Please see Kathleen Murphy’s biography for the full session synopsis (session 2).
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 1:00 – 2:00pm
Bringing Herbs to the People – Education and inspiring the community on the ethical use and value of herbal medicine.
Session Synopsis: In this session, Erin will explore how to provide accessible and informed herbal wisdoms to create and build herbal communities by empowering people to embark on their own plant path whilst upholding integrity, ethics and reciprocity as the primary compass. She will be speaking about her colourful experience of stepping outside of the clinic setting to share, educate and inspire. Erin believes that herbal medicine is the people’s medicine and will speak to creating true accessibility for all people through different mediums. And finally, she will discuss how to find your unique voice in the herbal community, to cast it out for a wider reach.
Renae Scott
Founder
Nourish and Breathe
Canberra, ACT
Renae is a Naturopath and Herbalist and founder of Nourish and Breathe in Canberra. Renae attained her AdvDip Naturopathy (Nature Care College, 2004) and went on to complete a Masters of Health Science (Herbal Medicine, UNE 2011) and Masters of Reproductive Medicine (UNSW, 2018). After 10 years in clinical practice Renae expanded and moved premises, opening an apothecary as part of a 3 room clinic in 2021 in a new precinct in Canberra. An apothecary and shop front is at the heart of the move, to create a village and bring awareness and accessibility of herbal medicine to all. The challenges of supply chain during the pandemic and a desire to connect to the plants at a deeper level has also led to Renae growing medicinal herbs at a 300 sqm allotment within eyesight of the apothecary, one of the benefits of living in the bush capital.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 9:00 – 10:00am
The Herbal Apothecary in Focus
Session Synopsis: A panel discussion on all things apothecary facilitated by Hannah Boyd.
Carla Wrenn
Owner
Peninsula Herbal Dispensary & Naturopathic Clinic
Mornington Peninsula, VIC
Carla Wrenn is an Integrative Naturopath & Nutritionist. Completing a Bachelor of Health Science in 2001 and practising for 21 years. Carla’s time is spent consulting in the area of complex and chronic diseases, especially Oncology having completed postgraduate studies in Integrative Oncology, Autoimmune Diseases and Functional Medicine within Australia and the USA.
As the owner of Peninsula Herbal Dispensary & Naturopathic Clinic, Carla employs 10 Naturopaths. Carla is a passionate advocate for all we have to offer as Naturopathic and Complementary Medicine Practitioners and has spent the last 6 years training over 700 Practitioners in her course Vitae Mosaic – Naturopathic Functional Medicine, a unique and holistic framework for all Health Practitioners to more confidently and effectively treat complex cases and manage chronic diseases.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 10:30 – 11:30am
Herbs for Long COVID Healing
Session Synopsis: In this session, Carla will examine the aetiology of ‘long covid’ and explore the botanical medicine research, theoretical and traditional herbal approaches to this pandemic aftermath. Carla will discuss her clinical experience, provide thorough yet practical case analysis and prescription presentations; making this very timely topic applicable and actionable for every Clinician.
Phil Rasmussen
Technical Director
Phytomed Medicinal Herbs
Auckland, New Zealand
Phil is the Founder and former Managing Director of Phytomed Medicinal Herbs Ltd, a GMP-certified New Zealand-based manufacturer and exporter of herbal medicines for both practitioners and consumers.
He worked for more than 10 years as a pharmacist in NZ and the UK and established and ran a herbal detoxification service for the Auckland Regional Alcohol and Drug Services for a number of years.
Lecturer and presenter, Phil has also written extensively on a diverse range of herbal and natural health subjects for practitioner, consumer and journal publications, for many years. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy at the Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Auckland, and a founding board member of Natural Health Products New Zealand, the NZ national industry body established in 2002. He was the New Zealand Chair of the Interim Expert Advisory Committee on Complementary and Alternative Medicines (IEACCAM), established by the NZ and Australian governments during the proposed joint regulatory agency (Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Agency (ANZTPA), For 3 years he was Chair of the New Zealand Interim Technical Expert Advisory Committee on Natural Health Products – Permitted Substances List (PSL) Subcommittee. From 1998 to 2021 he was the President of the NZ Association of Medical Herbalists.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 11:30 – 12:30pm
Working on our Supply Chains
Session Synopsis: Phil will be joining the panel discussion focussed on sustainable processing and securing supply.
Professor Tony Cunningham
Botanist
Perth, WA
Professor A. B. (Tony) Cunningham–has a PhD in Botany (University of Cape Town, 1985) on the values of wild plants to people and a Masters in Science (1993) based on a study of the traditional medicines trade in southern Africa. His primary interest is in trade in and sustainable use of wild plant resources, including medicinal plants. He has mentored post-graduate students in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania), South Africa, China and Indonesia and is the author or co-author of over 140 publications, including the book “Applied ethnobotany: people, wild plant use and conservation” (Earthscan, 2001), which is also available in Chinese and Spanish. He the recipient of several awards, including the Sir Peter Scott Conservation award (1999) from IUCN, the E K Janakki medal (2003) for services to the field of ethnobotany and the Distinguished Economic Botanist award (2016) from the Society for Economic Botany.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 10:30 – 11:30am
Sustainability and Herbal Medicine
Session Synopsis: A conversation between Professor Tony Cunningham and Sue Evans that will shine the light on sustainability of herbs from an international perspective.
Sue Evans
Senior Lecturer Complementary Medicines
University of Tasmania
Melbourne, VIC
Sue has worked as a herbalist, as practitioner, teacher and researcher, for nearly 40 years. She was foundation lecturer in herbal medicine at Southern Cross University 1995-2013 in the first Australian state-funded university course in naturopathy. Currently she lives in Melbourne’s inner north, teaches at the University of Tasmania and is Deputy Chair of the Jacka Foundation for Natural Therapies. Her particular interests are in the history, philosophy and politics of herbal practice. She is a Fellow and Life Member of the NHAA.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 10:30 – 11:30am
Sustainability and Herbal Medicine
Session Synopsis: A conversation between Sue Evans and Professor Tony Cunningham that will shine the light on sustainability of herbs from an international perspective.
Shona Taranto
Clinical Naturopath
Merimbula, NSW
Trained through the University of Western Sydney (UWS), as as recipient of the UWS Dean’s award, Shona is a highly skilled, dedicated and caring naturopath.
Passionate about delivering healthcare of the highest professional and ethical standards, Shona thrives off seeing positive results for her clients and is continually humbled to work with each and every client. With over 10 years’ experience treating patients using herbal medicine and naturopathic medi-cines, Shona is continuously amazed to experience first hand the life changing efficacy of plant medicine.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 10:00am – 12:00pm
Herbal Medicine Healing through Catastrophes
Session Synopsis: Shona will be joined by fellow practitioners Gemma Pokrzywa, Kerrie Oakes and Erin Lovell Verinder in a panel discussion facilitated by Kathleen Murphy. Please see Kathleen Murphy’s biography for the full session synopsis (session 2).
Heidi Merika
Naturopath & Medical Herbalist
Sunshine Coast, QLD
Heidi is an experienced naturopath, educator and author. She has lectured in nutrition at RMIT University (Victoria), has been a lecturer and clinical supervisor in nutrition and naturopathy at Endeavour College of Natural Health (Brisbane) and a guest lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She runs regular courses and workshops both online and in person and is a regular guest speaker at conferences, seminars and community events. She is the author of the book Wildcraft. The science and spirit of wild plants as food and medicine.
Session time & topic:
Saturday 28 May – 3:30 – 4:30pm
Wildcrafting as Herbal Security and Connection to Place
Session Synopsis: During this session, Heidi will be introducing local wild plants that can be collected from backyards, local gardens and farms, as a means of herbal security during times when supply chains have been disrupted by climate crisis or social/political disturbance. By familiarising ourselves with these plants and collecting them regularly, we will develop strong connections to the plants in our environment and know when and how to use them and where to collect them, during times of crisis. She will also touch on the value of working with local plants as a means of spiritual and psychological healing for the wounds of displacement many people feel living away from ancestral homelands or in a culture that has been colonised.
Emeritus Professor Stephen P Myers
Faculty of Health
Southern Cross University
Northern Rivers, NSW
Emeritus Professor Myers is in the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University. He is one of Australia’s leading academics in natural, complementary and integrative medicine. He has qualifications in naturopathy (ND), western medicine (BMed) and pharmacology (PhD). Stephen commenced lecturing in the private colleges in 1984 and became Dean of Naturopathy at the NSW College of Natural Therapies in 1986. Stephen was the Head of the School of Natural and Complementary Medicine at Southern Cross University between 1995-2001; and he led the development and implementation of the Batchelor of Naturopathy program that graduated 500 Baccalaureates.
He has raised over $8 million in research funding; supervised 17 higher degree research students to completion; authored 3 books, 12 book chapters, 144 peer-reviewed research papers; and acted as a consultant to industry, government and academia across a broad range of issues. Despite all of this, he has a delightful sense of humour, is very down to earth and is a fundamentally good man.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 1:30 – 2:30pm
The Last Fifty Years: A Herbal Retrospective
Session Synopsis: This talk will be a personal narrative of Australia’s herbal and naturopathic profession over the past 50 years. It will cover people, politics, and places; and discuss the critical landmarks on a journey that commenced in Darwin in the mid-nineteen seventies up to the present day. Part historical, part personal, part philosophical and part whimsical; the opportunity to tell a tale of a road less travelled to destinations we all share is too good to pass up.
Gemma Pokrzywa
Founder
Gem Nettle
Northern Rivers, NSW
Her wisdom is birthed from all corners of the globe, living, studying and learning alongside some of the earthly maters in both herbal and energetic medicine. Gem walked the Camino De Santiago, on her own spiritual journey, connecting with the old and the new of the ancient trails below her feet. She’s studied Aboriginal spirituality and womens lore with the Minmia A Koori, Wirradjirri Lore-Woman. She found herself living amongst a community on a biodynamic farm deep in the forests of Finland tending to the plant world on an energetic level, taking with her an understanding of the cosmic concept of ecology and the power and spirit of plants. Her time with plant spirit healers allowed her to connect with the plant world in a way unseen by the eye.
Session times & Topic:
Saturday 28 May – 3:30 – 4:15pm
Saturday 28 May – 4:30 – 5:15pm
Sunday 29 May – 12:00 – 12:45pm
Botanical Elixirs and Infusions for the Modern Kitchen Witch
Workshop Synopsis: A workshop delving into herbal elixirs and infusions for the modern kitchen witch. Exploring herbal medicines in different forms, tinctures, glycetracts, decoctions, ferments, hydrosols, infusions & essences. Gem will be sharing her aromatic journey as a herbalist, her travels through the Middle East and her herbal inspiration from teachers around the world.
As these workshops are for small groups only, please register to attend when you check-in to the conference.
Session time & topic
Saturday 28 May – 10:00am – 12:00pm
Herbal Medicine Healing through Catastrophes
Session Synopsis: Gemma will be joined by fellow practitioners Shona Taranto, Kerrie Oakes and Erin Lovell Verinder in a panel discussion facilitated by Kathleen Murphy. Please see Kathleen Murphy’s biography for the full session synopsis (session 2)
Annette Lambert
Managing Director
Herbal Extract Company
Sydney – NSW
Annette is the managing director of the Herbal Extract Company who manufacture high quality, full-spectrum liquid herbal extracts. As a strategic thinker, with the ability to take a vision through to reality, Annette was chosen to lead the Herbal Extract Company team when her father, Lyndsay Shume, decided to slow down and take a step back from the day to day running of the business. This transition means Annette is the fifth generation to continue the Shume family tradition. Annette’s passion for herbal medicine has a firm grounding, solidified by the many childhood memories she has of her grandfather, Archie Shume, at his farm in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Archie was a plant expert, known as ‘Mr Nature’, who achieved remarkable results in his patients using herbs he had wildcrafted himself. He passed this knowledge onto his son Lyndsay. This background has given Annette speciality expertise, skill and a culture in the business of manufacturing liquid herbs.
Session time & topic:
Sunday 29 May – 11:30 – 12:30pm
Working on our Supply Chains
Session Synopsis: Annette will be joining the panel discussion focused on sustainable processing and securing supply.
