9:00 AM - 1:00 PM:
Becoming a Bioregional Herbalist: Experiential Learning in the Sonoran Desert with John Slattery
Location TBA near Tempe,($85 fee)

9:00 AM - 1:00 PM:
Medicine Making and Garden Delights with Katie Stage
Sonoran University Garden, ($85 fee) - 30 person limit

1:00 PM - 5:15 PM:
Pre-Conference Intensive: Unitive Medicine for Neurological Health with Donald Yance, CN, RH (AHG)
Online, ($85 fee)

9:00 AM - 10:30AM:
Nutritional/Botanical Therapies for Autoimmune Issues with Wendy Warner, MD, ABIHM, IFMCP

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM:
Herbal First Aid and First Aid Kits: Combining botanical medicine and first aid concepts at home, in the clinic and in the field with Sam Coffman, L.Ac, W-EMT, RH (AHG), Best-selling Author

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM:
Salicylate-Containing Herbs: Synergy, Safety, and Therapeutic Use with Paul Bergner, Medical Herbalist

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM:
Panel: Protecting Our Lungs: Offsetting the Impact of Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke with Paul Bergner, Medical Herbalist, Lillea Hartwell, ND, RH (AHG), and Jillian Stansbury, ND

9:00 AM - 10:30AM:
Panel: Optimizing Men's Health: Integrative Strategies for Body, Mind & Beyond with Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), Donald Yance, CN, RH (AHG), and Eric Yarnell, ND, RH (AHG)

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM:
Addressing the Cancer Terrain with Botanicals with Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, eMBA

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM:
Heavy Metal Exposure and Using Botanicals and Pharmaceutical Chelation with Marianne Marchese, ND

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM:
Acute Respiratory Illness in Pediatrics with Kenneth Proefrock, NMD

Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, eMBA began serving as Sonoran University of Health Sciences’s fourth President & CEO in July 2025. She is a naturopathic doctor with board certification in naturopathic oncology and has been practicing for over 30 years. She graduated from Brown University with an undergraduate degree in Medical Anthropology and received a doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University where she also completed her residency.  She is co-author of Definitive Guide to Cancer, now in its 3rd edition, and Definitive Guide to Thriving After Cancer. More about Lise.

Lectures

• Lecture 1: Addressing the Cancer Terrain with Botanicals

Bio Coming Soon!

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Psilocybin, Psychedelics and Wholistic Integration for Mental Health, Part 1 with Mary Rondeau
• Lecture 2: Psilocybin, Psychedelics and Wholistic Integration for Mental Health, Part 2 with Mary Rondeau

Robin Rose Bennett is a story-teller, writer, and herbalist, offering classes in Herbal Medicine and EarthSpirit Teachings since 1986 - at herb conferences, festivals, medical schools, and most joyously, outside with the plants. Robin Rose shares herbal medicine with gratitude for the loving generosity of the plants and the magic, mystery, and beauty of the web of life. She is the author of: Healing Magic - A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living, The Gift of Healing Herbs - Plant Medicines and Home Remedies for a Vibrantly Healthy Life,  The Young Green Witch’s Guide to Plant Magic - Rituals and Recipes from Nature, and A Green Witch's Pocket Book of Wisdom-Big Little Life Tips.  

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Herbs for Your Nerves: Preparations and Practices for Health and Inner Peace

The Director of the North American Institute of Medical Herbalismin Portland, Oregon, Paul Bergner offers seminar training in clinical skills, medical herbalism, nutrition, and nature cure. He has mentored more than 400 students through residencies in teaching clinics since 1996, and continues to mentor 20 or more students a year in two different school clinics. He has edited the Medical Herbalism journal since 1989, and is the author of seven books on herbal medicine, ethnobotany, nutrition, and naturopathic medicine.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1: Salicylate-Containing Herbs: Synergy, Safety, and Therapeutic Use
• Lecture 2:The Stagnant Liver: East and West
• Lecture 3: Saturday Panel: Protecting Our Lungs: Offsetting the Impact of Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke

Bevin Clare, M.S., R.H., CNS, is a clinical herbalist and nutritionist with a deep love of plants. Bevin has studied herbal medicine around the world and blends her knowledge of traditional uses of plants with modern science and contemporary healthcare strategies. After many years of witnessing the powers of medicinal plants in infectious disease situations when modern biomedicine was unavailable, she gained a MSc in Infectious Disease from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Bevin has continued her academic work on both a traditional and conventional front as an herbalist and nutritionist. As popular national and international speaker and with academic appointments at several universities, Bevin still sees her roots in community herbal medicine movement in this country. More about Bevin.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Using Spices as Therapeutic Herbal Medicines

A former army special forces medic, Sam Coffman, L.Ac, W-EMT, RH(AHG), Best-selling Author, is the founder and director of The Human Path, where he teaches botanical medicine, western pathophysiology, physiology, integrative medicine, austere and post-disaster medicine. He has taught herbalism for over 25 years, and has been a clinical herbalist for over 15 years. He is also the co-founder of Herbal Medics, which brings medicine for indigenous, local residents in remote areas. This organization has assisted with first aid and herbal first aid support at numerous gatherings and protests, as well as post-disaster medical and botanical medicine clinics along the Texas coastline and in Houston during hurricane Harvey. Sam is also the training director for Taos Search and Rescue (TSAR), where he serves on the canine team with his dog, Lucy. More about Sam.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Healing in Layers: Case Studies Involving the Integration of TCM and Western Herbalism - Perimenopause
• Lecture 2: Herbal First Aid and First Aid Kits: Combining Botanical Medicine and First Aid Concepts at Home, in the Clinic, and in the Field

Lillea Hartwell is a naturopathic physician and registered herbalist who practices in southwestern Arizona at the Saguaro Blossom Medical Center, where she specializes in autoimmune conditions using the full scope of naturopathic modalities including botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, mind-body medicine, intramuscular nutrients, intravenous nutrients and minor surgery. She holds a BS in plant sciences with an emphasis in medical ethnobotany and a minor in environmental sciences. She teaches in the botanical medicine department of Sonoran University (formerly Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine). More about Lillea.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:A Modern Yerberia: Controlled-Environment Agriculture for Growing Herbs in the Desert Southwest - Part 2
• Lecture 2: Saturday Panel: Protecting Our Lungs: Offsetting the Impact of Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke

Marianne Marchese is a naturopathic physician practicing in Phoenix, Arizona where she treats men, women and children of all ages. Her goal is to empower patients to play an active role in their own health and wellbeing. She utilizes the whole spectrum of health care – alternative and conventional medicine – with treatments individualized to each patient. She has presented new evidence pointing to everyday exposures as a cause for both male factor and female factor infertility, describing environment influences on infertility. She is the author of the book 8 Weeks to Women’s Wellness and adjunct faculty in gynecology here at SCNM.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Heavy Metal Exposure and Using Botanicals and Pharmaceutical Chelation for Treatment

Jason Miller, DACM, LAc, practices botanical and nutritional medicine,acupuncture, and Asian bodywork at his clinic,Jade Mountain Medicine, in Ashland, Oregon. He received his master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 2005 and completed a postgraduate internship at the “House of Celebrity Doctors” in Nanjing, China. He earned his Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in 2018. His approach bridges the frameworks of traditional and modern medicine in the management of chronic disease. At Jade Mountain, he specializes in the management of cancer, diabetes and neuromuscular disorders. He has taught advanced clinical training classes at the Mederi Foundation and worked closely withDonald Yance, RH (AHG) in his clinic.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:TBA
• Lecture 2:TBA

Kenneth Proefrock, NMD, graduated from Sonoran University of Health Sciences (formerly the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine) in 1996. Prior to naturopathic medical school, he received a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry and Zoology from Northern Arizona University. He now practices naturopathic medicine at his clinic, Total Wellness, in Sun City, Arizona, where he specializes in difficult to treat conditions in patients of all ages. 

He speaks at conferences across the country sharing his perspective on botanical medicine and the modern practice of naturopathic medicine. He is the Vice-President for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners and the chairperson for the biochemistry portion of the Naturopathic Physician’s Licensing Exam. In his spare time, when such a thing really exists, he is in the desert with his kids, honing his skills in primitive archery, wildcrafting, animal husbandry and gardening.

Dr. Proefrock's presentations are often included in our Naturopathic CE offerings.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Dysautonomia and POTS
• Lecture 2:Acute Respiratory Illness in Pediatrics

Dedicated to holistic healing and transformative mental health care, Dr. Mary is a passionate Co-owner of Wholeness Center, in Fort Collins, CO. Wholeness Center is one of the most innovative integrative mental health centers in the country and has been leading the field with cutting-edge mental health therapies since 2010. Her passion is to transform mental health by treating individuals as whole beings, and acknowledging the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. Her passion for travel and wellness extends to hosting immersive, transformative psychedelic retreats for professionals and patients, locally and abroad.

Throughout her career, Dr. Mary has prioritized comprehensive assessments to provide objective data for treatment guidance, a unique approach in the mental health field. As an educator, she lectures nationally on topics including nutritional psychiatry, botanical medicine, lifestyle medicine, and integrative psychiatry. Dr. Mary is a founding member of Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI) and is a core faculty at the Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI). Dr. Mary is the program director of the Nutritional Psychiatry CME certification program for IPI and created the Botanical Medicine in Psychiatry CE fellowship course for the Academy of Health and Medicine (AIHM). More about Mary.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Psilocybin, Psychedelics and Wholistic Integration for Mental Health, Part 1 with Suzanne Blaising
• Lecture 2: Psilocybin, Psychedelics and Wholistic Integration for Mental Health, Part 2 with Suzanne Blaising

John is a bioregional herbalist helping people develop relationship with wild plants. He founded Desert Tortoise Botanicals in 2005 which offers wildharvested plant medicines to the people of the Southwest. He maintains a clinical practice in Tucson, AZ and offers plant walks, foraging expeditions, field trips into Sonora, Mexico, and his annual Sonoran Herbalist Apprenticeship Program. More about John.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Field Study - Becoming a Bioregional Herbalist: Experiential Learning in the Sonoran Desert

Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), FABNG is a naturopathic physician and registered herbalist of the American Herbalists Guild. Her lectures are full of clinical information based on experience in her practice in family medicine at the Sonoran University Medical Center in Tempe, AZ, where she practices family medicine focusing on optimizing women’s/men’s health, gastrointestinal diseases, and mental health. Her lectures combine clinical information with a deep respect for indigenous healing and the ability to heal oneself through connection with nature and simple lifestyle practices. She is also a member of the Ric Scalzo Botanical Research Institute. More about Katie.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Friday Workshop - Medicine-Making and Garden Delights
• Lecture 2: Sunday Panel: Optimizing Men's Health: Integrative Strategies for Body, Mind & Beyond with Donald Yance, CN, RH (AHG) and Eric Yarnell, ND, RH (AHG)

Dr Jillian Stansbury is a naturopathic physician who has practiced in SW Washington for over 20 years specializing in women's health, mental health, and chronic disease. She holds undergraduate degrees in Medical Illustration and Medical Assisting and graduated with honors in both programs. She was the chair of the botanical medicine department at the National University of Natural Medicine(NUNM)for over 20 years. She also leads classes and Ethnobotanytrips in the Andes and Manu region of the Peruvian Amazon. More about Jillian.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Commiphora mukul: Traditional Wisdom and Modern Applications of Guggul
• Lecture 2: Botanical Influences on Autophagy
• Lecture 3: Saturday Panel: Protecting Our Lungs: Offsetting the Impact of Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke

A community herbalist and health educator, Jen Stovall believes that herbalism is a potent tool for social justice. Her work as a teacher and practitioner is informed by Western Herbalism, Southern Folk Medicine, and harm reduction practices. She has a BSN-RN and is a NADA Ear Acupuncture Detox Specialist and Trainer. She provides education and outreach for the Trystereo Harm Reduction Collective, a grassroots Syringe Access Program in New Orleans. Her herb school in North Carolina, Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine, is focused on centering concepts of bioregional herbalism, embodiment practices, and liberatory frameworks in herbalism.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Opiates

Dr. Wendy Warner is a board-certified gynecologist and expert in functional medicine and hormone health. After spending 14 years in conventional OB/GYN practice, she transitioned to a holistic, integrative approach, founding a collaborative medical practice in suburban Philadelphia. There, she worked alongside diverse healthcare practitioners to offer a wide range of therapeutic options. In 2022, she shifted exclusively to telemedicine, allowing her to provide care virtually.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Warner is an IFM Certified Practitioner, an herbalist, and a mesa carrier. She is a nationally recognized speaker and educator, serving on the faculty of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies. She also contributed a chapter to the latest edition of Rakel’s Integrative Medicine textbook and previously served as president of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Nutritional/Botanical Therapies for Autoimmune Issues

Donnie Yance, RH (AHG) is a clinical master herbalist and certified nutritionist who is internationally recognized for his comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the healing properties of plants and nutrition. Donnie conducts his clinical practice at the Mederi Center in Ashland, Oregon, utilizing his unique integrative model known as the Eclectic Triphasic Medical System, which he evolved over more than twenty years of successful patient care.

He is the founder and president of the Mederi Foundation, a not-for-profit organization for professional education and clinical research in integrative medicine. He is also the president and formulator of Natura Health Products, a line of advanced botanical and nutritional products for health care practitioners. Donnie is an avid researcher and lectures nationally on his pioneering work in the field of botanical and nutritional medicine. He is the author of "Herbal Medicine, Healing and Cancer" and "Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism".

Lectures:

• Lecture 1:Pre-Conference Intensive: Unitive Medicine for Neurological Health
• Lecture 2: Sunday Panel: Optimizing Men's Health: Integrative Strategies for Body, Mind & Beyond with Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), FABNG and Eric Yarnell, ND, RH (AHG)

Eric Yarnell is associate professor in the department of botanical medicine at Bastyr University and chief medical officer at Northwest Naturopathic Urology. He is the author and co-author of numerous articles and books for practitioners including Clinical Botanical Medicine and Natural Approach to Gastroenterology.

Lectures:

• Lecture 1: Sunday Panel: Optimizing Men's Health: Integrative Strategies for Body, Mind & Beyond with Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), FABNG and Donald Yance, CN, RH (AHG)

Saturday, February 14
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Pacific
Paul Bergner, Clinical Herbalist, Lillea Hartwell, ND, RH (AHG), and Jillian Stansbury, ND
Panel: Protecting Our Lungs: Offsetting the Impact of Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke

Sunday, February 15
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific
Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), FABNG, Donald Yance, CN, RH (AHG), and Eric Yarnell, ND, RH (AHG)
Panel: Optimizing Men's Health: Integrative Strategies for Body, Mind & Beyond