SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES 2012
DEBORAH ARUTA is a breast cancer survivor and advocate. She completed NBCC’s Project LEAD Workshop, Institute and Clinical Trials Study in 2010. She was a recipient of an Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation Scholarship and attended the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 2010. She is an advocate for Young Survival Coalition, SHARE and NBCC. She has participated in the New York State Breast Cancer Network’s Education and Lobby Day for the last two years. She is a Team Leader for NBCC and has participated in their Lobby Day since being diagnosed. She has moderated workshops at the NBCC Advocacy Conference, C4YW and has served as a Co-Chair at the Era of Hope Symposium. She has also spoken at Young Survivor Support Groups and Community Outreach Programs about her experiences as a survivor and advocate.
SCOTT BERLINER R.PH. is a Registered Pharmacist, and certified in Basic, Sterile, and Veterinary Compounding. Scott is also a Natural Pharmacist and a Nutritional Educator as well as a member of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, IACP (International Association of Compounding Pharmacists) and The Professional Compounding Center of America.
An accomplished speaker, Scot has lectured on nutrition, anti-aging, natural hormone replacement therapy, AIDS, hepatitis, and cancer, among other critical health topics for many organizations including: GMHC, NOMADOCS at The Children’s Aid Society, Beth Israel Medical Center’s Continuum Center for Health and Healing, and speaks regularly at Friends in Deed. In addition, he has spoken in 2004 at Omega Institute on women’s health issues and in 2005 at the Open Center in N.Y.C. on integrating functional medicine into a traditional medical practice. He presently practices clinical nutrition at the Wellness Center in New York City with Dr. Frank Lipman and Dr. Alejandro Junger. He also volunteers as a nutritional counselor at Friends in Deed. Scot also works with Beth Israel’s Continuum Center for Health and Healing as a consulting pharmacist, and in May 2007 Scott began work as the primary consulting pharmacist for the Greenwich Hospital: Center for Integrative Medicine. Mr. Berliner also specializes in veterinary compounding with an emphasis on equine medicine and specializes in formulating products for targeted issues in all animals.
ELIZABETH BOHAM, MD, RD, is Board Certified in Family Medicine, with a strong background in nutrition and functional medicine. Dr. Boham joined Dr. Mark Hyman and The UltraWellness Center team in 2007. Prior to that she practiced integrative medicine at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA and was a partner with Albany Clinical Nutrition Specialists. Dr. Boham learned how difficult it can be to navigate through the health-care system, after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. Functional Medicine has helped Dr. Boham to realize how important it is to look at the systems in the body to discover the underlying cause for dysfunction. Through this functional medicine approach Dr. Boham works with patients to decrease their risk of getting ill, as well as, to nutritionally support their body so that it can heal. Her training in nutrition has contributed to her success in helping many patients with insulin resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes, heart health, digestive health, autoimmune conditions, Celiac Disease, other cancers, as well as those seeking to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Dr. Boham lectures on a variety of topics, including Women’s Health and Breast Cancer Prevention, insulin resistance, heart health, weight control and allergies. She is on the advisory board for Breast Cancer Option. Currently, she is on the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine, and serves on the Nutrition Advisory Board where she is developing the Advanced Function Nutritional Therapy Module for the Institute and on the advisory board for Breast Cancer Options. Dr. Boham has been an online expert for Self Magazine and has been a contributing author to a variety of magazines and books. Through her practice and lecturing, she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness.
DAVID M. BRADY, ND, DC, CCN, DACBN is a licensed Naturopathic Physician, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, and a Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. He presently is the Vice Provost of the Division of Health Sciences, the Director of the Human Nutrition Institute, and an Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. He also serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Designs for Health, Inc., a technical consultant for Metametrix Clinical Laboratories and also maintains a private practice, Whole Body Medicine, in Trumbull, CT, specializing in “Functional, Nutritional and Metabolic Medicine”. Dr. Brady has been the author and contributor for numerous books and professional publications. His newest release is Dr. Brady’s Healthy Revolution: What You Really Need to Know to Stay Healthy in a Sick World.
REVEREND DIANE EPSTEIN is an Interfaith Minister, NYS Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Process Acupressure practitioner, Reiki Master and Certified Imago Educator. In 2004 she developed Transforming Your Surgery. Using Process Acupressure, Reiki and imagery, she works with people undergoing all types of medical procedures to shift pain and suffering into transformation and growth. Her goal is to reframe medical processes—changing what for many is a fearful and traumatic experience into something positive and empowering.
She has created a protocol for preparing patients for medical procedures and works with them in surgery and recovery, as well as for a period of time afterwards. Patients report significant decrease in pain, the use of pain medications and time in the recovery room and in their rate of recovery, overall healing and their sense of well-being.
TZEITEL EPSTEIN is the mother of three children and at age 35 was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is manager of the Hurley Ridge Market, West Hurley NY. She is the support group leader of the Young Survivor Breast Cancer Support group for Breast Cancer Options.
HOPE NEMIROFF has worked on an environmental study with Sheldon M. Feldman, MD, to look at the pesticide levels in body fat of breast cancer patients and she designed the research questionnaire for the project, which was funded by national foundations. She is co-author of “DDT May Be a Contaminant in Green Tea from China" with Devra Davis, PhD, and Sheldon M. Feldman, MD. She provided material for the Vassar College interactive CD Rom, “Environmental Risks and Breast Cancer” and developed a Healthy Lifestyle Calendar, an annual informational digest with practical information on how to minimize environmental exposures and choose a healthier lifestyle for the consumer.
She has written and compiled the Breast Cancer Resource Guide which is distributed throughout the Hudson Valley and an Ovarian Cancer Resource Guide for the Linda Young Ovarian Cancer Support Program at Benedictine Hospital, Kingston NY. She has been a speaker at conferences in the US and Canada on environmental risk factors and most recently on How to Integrate Complementary Therapies into Treatment.
ROUFIA PAYMAN, DT,CDN is Director of Nutritional Counseling and education at Northern Dutchess Hospital and a licensed nutritionist and dietitian. She helped create the New Leaf and Get Real Weight Results programs at Northern Dutchess Hospital to help women meet their health and fitness goals. She teaches patients how to use nutrition to combat disease risk factors and how to incorporate healthy eating into an active lifestyle. Her programs look at the whole person– and help them take control of their diet, and their life.
TARI PRINSTER, RYT has studied with Cyndi Lee, Genevieve Kaupler, Judith Lasater and Gerard Arnaud. Tari published an abstract entitled, One-Size-Does-not-Fit-All: Teaching teachers how to teach yoga to cancer survivors, and was selected to present it at SYTAR Conference, 2007, sponsored by Intentional Association of Yoga Therapists. She is a frequent presenter at Yoga Journal Conferences and leads special training and workshops.
ROB SANDUCCI, PhD is co-founder of the Mindbody Centre in Kingston, NY where he conducts a private practice specializing in dreamwork, relationship problems, psycho-physical symptoms. He also offers a creative approach to clinical supervision and training for psychotherapists and health practitioners.
MICHELE SANZ, CAM-M.A., is the Medical Division Manager and Iscador® specialist at Weleda N.A. Trained in European clinics, she has gained extensive experience counseling doctors and patients about its use as a part of an integrative approach to cancer. Over the past 12 years, she has participated in several Iscador® seminars and conferences internationally. She is a cancer survivor and is passionate about helping other patients empower themselves.
MICHAEL B. SCHACHTER, M.D., CNS is a magna cum laude graduate of Columbia College, and received his M.D. degree from Columbia’s Physicians & Surgeons in 1965. He is board certified in psychiatry, a Certified Nutrition Specialist, and has achieved Advanced Proficiency in Chelation Therapy from the American College for Advancement in Medicine -- ACAM. Dr. Schachter has been involved with alternative and complementary medicine since 1974. He is a recognized leader in orthomolecular psychiatry, nutritional medicine, chelation therapy for cardiovascular disease, and alternative cancer therapies.
Co-author of The Food Connection and Food, Mind and Mood and author of The Natural Way to a Healthy Prostate), Dr. Schachter was a major contributor to Alternative Medicine’s Definitive Guide to Cancer. His latest book is What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Depression. Being involved with several complementary medicine organizations, Dr. Schachter was president of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine, ACAM, from 1989-91 and is a past president of the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine, FAIM. A frequent lecturer to both professionals and the public, Dr. Schachter is also a frequent guest on radio and television, speaking about health and related topics.
JOY SIMHA is Co-Founder & Board Member of the Young Survival Coalition, Board Member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, CEO of her household and the Mother of two children. She is a 17 year breast cancer survivor and one of the three Co-Founders of the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), an innovative and unique support network for young women affected by breast cancer. She represents the Young Survival Coalition on the Board of Directors of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Trained through NBCC's Project LEAD®, she has put that science training to good use as a member of the Integration Panel of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, a member of the CDC Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women and a panel member on the Institute of Medicine's Evidence Communication Innovation Collaborative.
DR. MICHAEL WALD is Director of Nutritional Services at Integrated Medicine & Nutrition. He is the author of over a dozen books and CDs about health and nutrition designed to educate and empower health professionals and the public. Dr. Wald has presented seminars to health care providers and the public throughout the US and Canada. He was given the name Blood Detective by a grateful patient who appreciated Dr. Wald’s relentless commitment to uncover the causes of illness and fifi nd effective, natural solutions that restore health. Dr. Wald has developed the Blood Logic Anti-Aging and Nutritional Microscopic software; highly advanced laboratory diagnostic and interpretation systems that uncover each person’s biochemical and nutritional uniqueness. Dr. Wald has appeared as a nutrition and health expert on numerous television and radio programs, including Channel Five Fox News, Good Day New York, The Food Network, Channel 13, and Gary Nulls Naturally Living. He is the author of The Anti-Aging Encyclopedia, The Male Infertility-Fertility Connection, Hepatitis C & Nutrition, Cancer and Nutrition, Novel Nutritional Approaches for Gastrointestinal Disorders, Intravenous Nutrition Protocols from A-Z, and The Phlebotomy Handbook.
DAVID WALES is President and Co-founder of American BioSciences, Inc. After losing both parents to cancer, David’s true passion was realized when he and his partner, Rick Jahnke, founded American BioSciences, Inc. in Blauvelt, NY in 1999. The corporate goal is to identify and offer natural compounds that are supported by significant medical research, with educational information that helps doctors and consumers put these products into context with regard to all their health options. David strongly believes that the more knowledgeable consumers are about their health conditions, the better they understand their options, the better choices they make, and the better their health outcome. David Wales has earned his reputation in the natural health industry by offering exceptional products, at a fair price, and staying very close to his customers