Conference Highlights
THANK YOU FOR A SUCCESSFUL 20TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) 20th Annual Conference was held on October 31-November 3, 2019, at the Westin Copley Place in downtown Boston, Massachusetts.
Pre-Conference: Thursday, October 31, 2019
- Lyme Fundamentals- an all day track and preliminary step for the ILADEF Physician Training Program.
- Exploratory Treatments for Tick-Borne Diseases- an all day track
- Social – Documentary Movie produced by Pi Ware concerning Morgellons Disease.
- ILADS Committee meetings were also held.
Scientific Conference: Friday - Sunday
The Scientific Conference on November 1-3, 2019, included the following:
- Plenary Sessions – mornings Friday through Sunday
- Practical Skills Expansion (PSE)- Friday and Saturday afternoons
- Poster Sessions - Friday morning through Sunday morning
- Pioneer in Lyme Award Dinner - Friday evening social event honoring Bernard D. Raxlen, MD
- Annual Members’ meeting Saturday late afternoon
3 major themes:
- Chronic infection = Chronic disease?
- Novel antimicrobial strategies
- Big Data
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME credits* were offered for the following live activities:
ILADS Lyme Disease Fundamentals Course, with a beginning date of 10/31/2019, was reviewed and is acceptable for up to 8.00 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
2019 ILADS Annual Scientific Conference, with a beginning date of 11/01/2019, was reviewed and is acceptable for up to 19.00 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
* Please note that welcomes, announcements, introductory remarks, course overviews do not qualify for CME credit. When issuing the credit determination, please be advised that we have adjusted the total number of credits requested based on this policy.
Exhibitors
60 on-site exhibitors showcased products and services relevant to medical professionals who treat tick-borne diseases.
Photos from 2019 ILADS Conference in Boston
Pre-Conference Tracks
ILADS is pleased to announce that its popular pre-scientific conference programming will be presented this year in Boston on Thursday October 31, 2019. There are two excellent full-day tracks to enhance your education as a practitioner:
- Learn about the Lyme Fundamentals Track
- Learn about the Exploratory Therapies Track
Lyme Fundamentals
Lyme Fundamentals is devoted to reviewing the basics of the complexities of appropriately diagnosing and treating tick-borne disease patients. This track is meant to be the first steppingstone to becoming a Lyme expert, and ample time will be provided for registrant questions.
Upon successful completion of the Lyme Fundamentals course, participants may move on to the second step of becoming a Lyme expert: our Physician Training Program. In this program, participants shadow a seasoned ILADEF-designated expert in her/his office for one to two weeks, during which the clinician observes firsthand how doctors come up with their diagnosis and treatment plan. Additionally, clinicians observe how to handle follow-up appointments and all their complexities. There is a grant available upon successful completion of this shadowing for qualified participants.
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
This live activity, ILADS Lyme Disease Fundamentals Course, with a beginning date of 10/31/2019, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 8.00 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Please note that welcomes, announcements, introductory remarks, course overviews do not qualify for CME credit. When issuing the credit determination, please be advised that we have adjusted the total number of credits requested based on this policy.
Go to Lyme Fundamentals Schedule.
Exploratory Therapies
Exploratory Therapies is meant to be an introduction to cutting edge treatment protocols that clinicians may hear about from their patients. Speakers will give practical insights and information which may be helpful to the clinician in analyzing the benefit of such protocols. Because of the innovative nature of these talks, there will be no CME for this track.
Lyme Fundamentals – Thursday, October 31, 2019
7:50 am - 8:00 am
Welcome and Introduction
Moderator: Beatrice Szantyr, MD
8:00 am - 8:20 am
Overview
8:20 am - 10:00 am
Tick Bites and Early Lyme Borreliosis
10:00 am - 10:15 am
Networking Break with Exhibitors
10:15 am - 12:15 pm
Late, Untreated and Persistent Lyme Borreliosis
12:15 pm - 12:45 pm
Panel Discussion with Faculty
12:45 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch for all registrants
1:30 pm - 1:45 pm
Afternoon Cases
1:45 pm - 2:30 pm
Co-Infections I: Babesia and Bartonella
2:30 pm - 3:15 pm
Co-Infections II: Rickettsias and Opportunistic Infections
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break with Exhibitors
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Putting It All Together: Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Complex Presentations and/or Multiple Tick-Borne Infections
4:30 pm- 5:30 pm
Panel Discussion with Faculty
Lyme Fundamentals Faculty
Christine M. Green, MD; Elizabeth Maloney, MD; Thomas Moorcroft, DO; Beatrice Szantyr, MD
Exploratory Therapies – Thursday, October 31, 2019
8:00 am - 8:05 am
Moderator Welcome
Andrew Petersen, DO
8:05 am – 8:45 am
Cell Danger Response, the Healing Cycle, Toxins and Chronic Disease
Eric D. Gordon, MD
8:45 am – 9:30 am
A New Modality in Treating Lyme Disease: Calibrated Plant-Based EFAs Significantly Help Lyme Disease Patients
Brian S. Peskin, BSEE
9:30 am – 10:00 am
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
10:00 am – 10:40 am
The Role of Herbs in Chronic Complex Illness
Susan McCamish, CTN, Herbalist
10:40 am – 11:20 am
Endocrine Intervention for Lyme Patients
Kent Holtorf, MD
11:20 am – 12:00 pm
Detoxification Support Before and During Tick-Borne Illness Treatment
Nafysa Parpia, ND
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch
Afternoon Moderator: Leona Gilbert, PhD
1:30 pm – 2:05 pm
A Deeper Look into the Byron White Formulas
Wayne Anderson, ND, PA
2:05 pm – 2:40 pm
How to Heal Your Brain with Light, Sound & Vibration
Patrick K. Porter, PhD
2:40 pm – 3:15 pm
Combined Xenon and Ozone Therapy as a New Alternative Treatment for Patients with Chronic Tick Borne Illness and Other Types of Chronic Infections Accompanied with Chronic Fatigue
Edward Dulitsky, PhD, MD
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:45 pm – 4:15 pm
Clinical Evaluation of Morgellons and Lyme Disease
Eboni N. Cornish, MD
4:15 pm – 6:15 pm
Documentary film, "Skin Deep: The Battle Over Morgellons"
Pi Ware
20th Annual Scientific Conference Program Schedule
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
This Live activity, 2019 ILADS Annual Scientific Conference, with a beginning date of 11/01/2019, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 19.00 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Use the buttons below to go directly to that day's schedule. Schedule will be updated as the conference approaches.
Note: Practical Skills Expansion (PSE) take place on Friday and Saturday afternoons. (Choose one PSE option in each time period.)
Friday, November 1, 2019
Moderator: Garth Ehrlich, PhD
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Registration Open
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Exhibits Open
7:00 am - 7:45 am
Breakfast Chat A: How to Write an Abstract: A Step-by-Step Guide for Clinicians
Leona Gilbert, PhD
Breakfast Chat B: Lyme Disease: Politics in the United States: How We Got Here & How We Need to Change
Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner, JD
Breakfast Chat C: The Health Effects of Mycotoxins and Glyphosate on the Gut and Microbiome
Matthew Pratt-Hyatt, PhD
8:00 am - 8:10 am
Welcome
Leo J. Shea III, PhD, President: ILADS
8:10 am - 8:40 am
Disulfiram in the Treatment of Lyme Disease and Babesiosis - Report of Experience of First Applications in Humans
Kenneth B. Liegner, MD
8:40 am - 8:55 am
Specific Phages as New Strategies for Diagnostics and Treatment
Louis C. Teulieres, MD, PhD
8:55 am - 9:15 am
One Health: Forming Collaborations that Transcend Disciplinary Boundaries
Cheryl M. Stroud, DVM, PhD
9:15 am – 9:45 am
Bartonella henselae Infection of Human Breast Epithelial Cells Triggers Pro-Tumorigenic Molecular Effects
Neil L. Spector, MD
9:45 am – 10:30 am
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
10:30 am – 11:30 am
KEYNOTE: Synthetic Biology-Based Diagnostics for Early Lyme Disease
James J. Collins, PhD
11:30 am - 11:45 am
Together, Transforming Lyme Anecdotes into Data and Action
Kristen T. Honey, PhD, PMP
11:45 am - 12:15 pm
Brain Mast Cells, Exosomes and Mitochondrial DNA Involvement in Lyme Disease
Theoharis C. Theoharides, MS, MPhil, PhD, MD, FAAAAI
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch for all Registrants
Lunch Table Hosts:
1. Louis C. Teulieres, MD, PhD - Phages
2. Kenneth B. Liegner, MD - Disulfiram
3. Cheryl M. Stroud, DVM, PhD - Collaborations
4. Neil L. Spector, MD - Bartonella Tumorigenic Effects
5. James J. Collins, PhD - Synthetic Diagnostics
6. Kristen T. Honey, PhD, PMP - Big Data
7. Theoharis C. Theoharides, MD - Brain Mast Cells
12:45-1:15: Sponsored Lunch Lecture: Joseph J. Burrascano, MD - Borreliosis in American Patients - A New Paradigm
FRIDAY - PSE A - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and Mold
Moderator: Laura R. Stone, MD
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
A Systematic Review of the Role of Mycotoxin Exposure in Immune Dysregulation and the Subsequent Risk for Persistent Infections
Sonia Rapaport, MD
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Gene Expression Changes in Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Inflammation from Biotoxin Exposure: A Case of Hypometabolism?
James Ryan, PhD
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS): A Treatment Approach
Jacquelyn Meinhardt, NP
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:05 pm
It is Lyme and Mold, Now What
Jill Crista, ND
4:05 pm - 4:40 pm
Mold Assessment & Testing for Individuals with an Environmental Acquired Illness
Corey Levy, CMI, CIE, WELL AP
4:40 pm - 5:00 pm
Question and Answer with Faculty Panel
FRIDAY - PSE B - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
[1:30 pm - 3:00 pm] The Complexities of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome vis-à-vis Lyme and Associated Diseases
Moderator: Lawrence B. Afrin, MD
[3:30 pm - 5:00 pm] The Promise of Big Data in Lyme and Related Diseases
Moderator: B. Robert Mozayeni, MD
1:30 pm - 1:50 pm
Triggers of Mast Cell Activation and Escalation of MCAS
Lawrence B. Afrin, MD
1:50 pm - 2:10 pm
Practical Considerations of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome in the Lyme and Related Diseases Patient
B. Robert Mozayeni, MD
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm
Clinical Applications of Brain Mast Cells, Exosomes and Mitochondrial DNA Involvement in Lyme Disease
Theoharis C. Theoharides, MS, Mphil, PhD, MD, FAAAAI
2:30 pm - 2:50 pm
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: A New Paradigm for Understanding Autoimmune Encephalopathy and Polyneuropathy
Tania T. Dempsey, MD
2:50 pm - 3:00 pm
Question and Answer with Faculty Panel
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 3:55 pm
Together, Transforming Lyme Anecdotes into Data and Action
Kristen T. Honey, PhD, PMP
3:55 pm - 4:20 pm
Big Data: A Researcher’s Perspective
Joshua Earl, PhD
4:20 pm - 4:45 pm
Essential Concepts in Big Data - Moving from Anecdotes and Opinions to Data-Driven Care Pathway Engineering
B. Robert Mozayeni, MD
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Drawing with Numbers: The MyLymeData Chart Book
Lorraine B. Johnson, JD, MBA
FRIDAY – PSE C - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Emerging Research and Trends in Tick-Borne Diseases
Moderator: Leona Gilbert, PhD
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
The Use of TickPlex Plus in Diagnosing Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Diseases: A Comparison to the Standard Two Tier System
Sarah O’Loughlin
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Infections and Multiple Inflammatory Processes in ASD Patients
Tatjana Mijatovic, PhD
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
IL-26 Mediated Human Macrophage Activation and Antimicrobial Effect on the Lyme Disease Spirochete
Jorge Cervantes, MD, PhD
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Molecular Detection of Borrelia in Human Tissue
Vett Lloyd, MD
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Challenging the Tick-borne Paradigm: Congenital Lyme
Sue Faber, RN, BScN
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, ME/CFS, Parkinsonism, Alzheimer´s and Other Illnesses: Associations with Tick-Borne Diseases in the Complexity of Multiple Infections
Armin Schwarzbach, MD, PhD
FRIDAY - PSE D - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Innovative Clinical Therapeutics: Clinician and Patient-Driven Advances
Moderator: Kenneth B. Liegner, MD
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Doxycycline and Atovaquone Levels in a Chronic Lyme Disease Practice: Optimizing Blood Levels to Improve Patient Outcomes
Hope A. McIntyre, MD
2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
Lyme and Autism
Charles Ray Jones, MD
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Disulfiram in the Treatment of Lyme Disease and Babesiosis - Report of Experience of First Applications in Humans
Kenneth B. Liegner, MD
4:00 pm - 4:40 pm
Hyperthermia and Lyme Disease
Marcio Abreu, MD
4:40 pm - 5:00 pm
Bartonella/Pleural Effusion
Zijad Sabovic, MD and Claire Wiley, VMD
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Pioneer Award Dinner
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Moderator: Mualla McManus, PharmD
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Registration Open
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Exhibits Open
7:00 am - 7:45 am
Breakfast Chat:
How To Organize a Lyme Practice
Samuel M. Shor, MD
8:00 am - 8:10 am
Welcome
Leo J. Shea III, PhD, President: ILADS
8:10 am - 8:40 am
Nanomaterial Antimicrobials
Vincent M. Rotello, PhD
8:40 am – 9:10 am
The Pathobiome and Pathogenesis: Advancing Our Understanding of the Pathogenesis of Vector-Borne Diseases Using New Reporters, New Tools and New Techniques
Marna E. Ericson, PhD
9:10 am – 9:45 am
Molecular Methods for Detecting Vector-Borne Infections: How Do They Work, When Do They Work and What Do the Results Mean?
Lynne T. Bemis, PhD
9:45 am – 10:30 am
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
10:30 am – 11:30 am
KEYNOTE: Chronic Respiratory Tract Infection by Exclusively Human Bacterial Pathogens: How Do They Adapt?
Timothy F. Murphy, MD
11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Parallel Genomic and Phenotypic Changes in Burkholderia Cenocepacia During Long-Term Chronic Infection of Cystic Fibrosis Lungs
Josh Chang Mell, PhD
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch for all Registrants
Lunch Table Hosts:
1. Vincent M. Rotello, PhD - Nanomaterial Antimicrobials
2. Marna E. Ericson, PhD - Pathogenesis Reporters
3. Lynne T. Bemis, PhD - Molecular Vector Detection
4. Timothy F. Murphy, MD - Chronic Respiratory Infections
5. Josh Chang Mell, PhD – Burkholderia
12:30-1:15: Sponsored Lunch Lecture: Thomas Moorcroft, DO - Modulating the Oral Microbiome, Mold, and Mycotoxins in Lyme Disease
SATURDAY - PSE A - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Integrative Medicine
Moderator: Eboni N. Cornish, MD
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Immunomodulation with Indian Medicinal Herbs
Vinkata N. Joshi, MD, PhD
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
The Use of Botanical Medicines in the Treatment of Lyme Disease and Coinfections
Darin J. Ingels, ND, FAAEM, FMAPS
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Nutritional Biochemical Replacement Needed with Borrelia Infection
Bernarda M. Zenker, MD
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 as a Diagnostic Tool in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome
Thalia Farshchian, ND
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Endocannabinoid Physiology and Medical Cannabis in Tick-Borne Disease
Dustin Sulak, DO
4:30pm - 5:00 pm
Electromagnetic Sensitivity
Lisa Nagy, MD
SATURDAY - PSE B - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Bartonella and One Health Insight for DX and RX
Moderator: B. Robert Mozayeni, MD
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Bartonella - Co-Infection or Primary Infection?
B. Robert Mozayeni, MD
2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
The Pathobiome and Pathogenesis: Advancing Our Understanding of the Pathogenesis of Vector-Borne Diseases Using New Reporters, New Tools and New Techniques
Marna E. Ericson, PhD
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Molecular Methods for Detecting Vector-Borne Infections: How Do They Work, When Do They Work and What Do the Results Mean?
Lynn T. Bemis, PhD
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Bartonellosis and the Trifecta: MCAS, EDS, and Dysautonomia
Tania T. Dempsey, MD, ABIHM
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
One Health: Forming Collaborations that Transcend Disciplinary Boundaries
Cheryl M. Stroud, DVM PhD
SATURDAY - PSE C - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Emerging Research and Trends in Tick-Borne Diseases
Moderator: Leona Gilbert, PhD
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Global Species Level Characterization of Tick-Borne Diseases via MCSMRT Full Length 16s rRNA Microbiome Analysis
Kayla M. Socarras, MS
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Prevalence of Tick-Borne Co-Infections: Why It Is Important to Include Testing for Lyme and Co-Infections in Patients with Lyme-like Symptoms, and Why a Panel Approach is Necessary
Jyotsna Shah, PhD
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
A Biological Basis for Chronic Infection-triggered Neuropsychiatric and Behavioral Symptoms: Antineuronal Antibodies Against the Basal Ganglia and Their Association with Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Lyme and Strep Infected Patients
Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Understanding Women Living with Lyme
Amanda Gorham, BA and Dale Jones, PhD
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Year in Review of Tick-borne Diseases: What are the emerging trends?
Leona Gilbert, PhD
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Question and Answer with Faculty Panel
SATURDAY - PSE D - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Basics and Beyond
Moderator: Steven J. Harris, MD
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Neuropsychiatric Manifestations of Tick-Borne Infections (TBI) in Children and Adolescents
Rosalie Greenberg, MD
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Borreliosis and Co-infection as an Underlying Factor in Autism
Magdalena Cubala-Kucharska, MD PhD
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Frequency Scans for Guiding Highly Target Treatments and Remedies for Neurological Lyme Disease and Co-Infections
Greg Lee, LAc
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Low Dose Immunotherapy: A Novel Treatment for Tick-Borne Disease
Darin J. Ingels, ND, FAAEM
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Managing the Visual Consequences of Lyme Disease
William V. Padula, OD
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Question and Answer with Faculty Panel
SATURDAY - PSE E - 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Protecting Your Practice: Legal Insights
Panelist Presentations
Moderator: Gregg P. Skall, JD
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Panelist Presentations
Gregg P. Skall, JD
Susan R. Green, JD
Jacques G. Simon, JD
Daniel R. Dutko, JD
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
3:30 pm - 4:50 pm
Panelist Presentations
Gregg P. Skall, JD
Susan R. Green, JD
Jacques G. Simon, JD
Daniel R. Dutko, JD
4:50 pm - 5:00 pm
Question and Answer with Expert Panel
5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
Annual ILADS Members’ Meeting
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Moderator: B. Robert Mozayeni, MD
7:00 am - 12:00 pm
Registration Open
7:00 am - 12:00 pm
Exhibits Open
7:00 am - 7:45 am
Networking Breakfasts
Breakfast Chat A: Alexis Chesney, ND: Naturopathic Doctor Networking Breakfast
Breakfast Chat B: Samuel M. Shor, MD: Affiliate Degree Networking Breakfast
8:00 am - 8:10 am
Welcome
Leo J. Shea III, PhD, President: ILADS
8:10 am - 8:40 am
Pathogenic Biofilms in Chronic Diseases: Borrelia Biofilm in Lyme Disease
Eva Sapi, PhD
8:40 am – 9:10 am
Neurotropic Tick-Borne Powassan and Mosquito-Borne West Nile Viruses are Common Co-Infections in Patients Presenting with Suspected Tick-Borne Disease
Konstance K. Knox, PhD
9:10 am – 9:30 am
Poster Presentation (award winner)
TBD
9:30 am - 10:15 am
Networking Break and Poster Viewing
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Metagenomic Sequencing Diagnosis of Lyme Disease and Technical Challenges
Sin H. Lee, MD
10:45 am - 11:15 am
Neuropathology in Patients with late Lyme Neuroborreliosis and Persistent Disease/Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome: CNS Vasculitis, Hypoperfusion, Inflammation and Neuropathy
Francine B. Hanberg, MD
11:15 am – 11:45 am
Diagnostic and Treatment Parameters For Patients Suffering with Chronic Lyme disease/PTLDS and Associated Co-infections
Power of Lyme Awardee: Richard I. Horowitz, MD
11:45 am – 12:15 pm
Question and Answer with Panel of Experts
Francine B. Hanberg, MD
Richard I. Horowitz, MD
Steven E. Phillips, MD
Steven J. Harris, MD
Boston 2019 Conference Speakers
Marcio Abreu, MD
Innovator, medical doctor and academician, Dr. Abreu has a background from Harvard Medical School and Yale University, where he served as clinical faculty in the Department of Anesthesiology and was a post-doctoral fellow and faculty in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. He is a pioneer in research on body thermal energy and brain thermodynamics, who discovered the brain thermal tunnel brain thermal tunnel (BTT), which for the first time in history enabled noninvasive, continuous measurement of human brain temperature.
Dr. Abreu also developed proprietary thermal measurement systems, devices and applications based on the BTT. This technology helps medical professionals, employers, coaches and individuals capture brain thermal signatures, which can be used to prevent death from high or low body temperature, and has the potential to detect and manage a host of human conditions and diseases.
Lawrence B. Afrin, MD
After training at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Dr. Afrin practiced and researched hematology/oncology at MUSC 1995-2014 while also working in educational administration and medical informatics. Since the mid-’00s, his clinical/research work has come to focus in mast cell disease. Since 2014-17 furthering this work at the University of Minnesota, he has been developing an independent institute (located in the greater New York City area) for advancing care, research, and education in mast cell disease. His publication record includes some of the most highly accessed articles about mast cell activation syndrome and a popular book in the field.
WAYNE ANDERSON, ND
Wayne Anderson, ND has an independent practice at Gordon Medical Associates in Sonoma and Marin counties, with a concentration on chronic illness, using tools and experience from both conventional and integrative medicine. Ove the years of seeing patients, with a growing focus on Lyme disease, he developed a deeper understanding of chronic illness, its treatment, and the frontiers still available as possible solutions.
A curious and dedicated clinician, Dr. Anderson is committed to the ongoing process of learning and teaching. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Anderson maintained his initial focus on teaching. For over 20 years he taught medical students at Touro Osteopathic Medical School, and supervised residents from Sutter Hospital and interns from the Physician Assistant programs in the clinic setting. He is also a popular speaker on the topics of Lyme disease and neurotoxin illness. He has spoken at conferences for the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), Orthomolecular Health Medicine (OHM), and Lyme Induced Autism (LIA), as well as select private symposiums on CFIDS, Lyme, and Autism. He is a contributing author to the book, New Paradigms in Lyme Disease Treatment, and is author of the Byron White Formulas Guidebook.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Anderson has known that his patients are partners in the process of learning about and treating their illness, whether they choose conventional or alternative medicine or a combination of both. He listens to understand each patient’s strengths and challenges and improve his effective interaction with them. He sees every person as complex, integrated, and unique, and believes that treatment should optimize health and well-being.
NATALIYA V. BANADYHA
Nataliya V. Banadyha was born in Ternopil, Ukraine, where in 1988 she graduated from Ternopil Medical Institute. After graduating she began working as a pediatrician, before transitioning into a role at the medical university. She has now served as the Chief of Pediatrics at Ternopil State Medical University for 18 years.
Lynne T. Bemis, PhD
Dr. Bemis received her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire. While an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, her research focused on extracellular cancer biomarkers and microRNA. She currently is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she works with students to identify biomarkers of Lyme disease. She has developed assays for noncoding RNA to identify novel molecules for the earlier detection and confirmation of tick-borne infections
Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano
Dr. Burrascano is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and associated complex infectious diseases, and the chronic illnesses that accompany them. He is best known for his educational presentations and his monographs on diagnostic and treatment guidelines for Lyme disease and related tick-borne diseases. With over two decades of experience and research in this field, he has advised the CDC and NIH, testified before the U.S. Senate, an armed services joint subcommittee, and at various governor's councils. Dr. Burrascano is a founding Board Member of ILADS and has served as a Director of the ILADS Educational Foundation.
Jorge L. Cervantes, MD, PhD
Jorge L. Cervantes, M.D., Ph.D is an Assistant Professor at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso. Dr. Cervantes obtained his M.D. degree from Cayetano Heredia University in Peru. He received research training in tropical medicine in Japan and conducted dengue surveillance in the Amazon, before pursuing a Ph.D. degree in biomedical sciences in Japan. He has worked on immunology and infectious diseases, focusing on the innate immune aspects of phagocytes as a postdoctoral fellow in Japan and later in Connecticut, USA. His interests include host-pathogen interactions, phagocytosis, TLR signaling, recognition of bacterial nucleic acids, and applying this knowledge to public health problems such as Lyme disease.
James J. Collins, PhD
James J. Collins is Termeer Professor of Bioengineering in MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering and Institute for Medical Engineering & Science. He is also affiliated with the Broad Institute and the Wyss Institute. His research group works in synthetic biology and systems biology, with a particular focus on using network biology approaches to study antibiotic action, bacterial defense mechanisms, and the emergence of resistance. Professor Collins' patented technologies have been licensed by over 25 biotech, pharma and medical devices companies, and he has helped to launched a number of companies, including Sample6 Technologies, Synlogic and EnBiotix. He has received numerous awards and honors, including a Rhodes Scholarship, a MacArthur "Genius" Award, an NIH Director's Pioneer Award, a Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Award, as well as several teaching awards. Professor Collins is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and a charter fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
Eboni N. Cornish, MD
Dr. Eboni Cornish graduated from Brown University undergraduate with honors and Brown University Medical School. She completed her family medicine residency at Georgetown University. In 2003, as a Howard Hughes Medical Fellow, Dr. Cornish conducted translational research at the National Human Genome Research Institute of NIH. She was an apprentice in the laboratory of Francis Collins, M.D Ph.D. the current Director of NIH and leader of the Human Genome Project. Under his leadership, she analyzed genetic associations of chronic illnesses. She has combined her passion for integrative/functional medicine, interest in chronic illness and extensive genetic research experience at NIH to manage the challenges facing many patients of Amen Clinics.
Jill Crista, ND
Dr. Jill Crista is a naturopathic doctor, best-selling author, and nationally recognized health educator. Her passion is bridging medical research with clinical practice. Dr. Crista graduated with Honors from the National University of Naturopathic Medicine in 2003, and also completed Advanced Botanicals training with Dr. Jillian Stansbury. In 2012, she completed the ILADS Physician Training Program. Her clinical experience as the director and practicing member of two integrative medical clinics in Southern Wisconsin, allowed her to experience the synergy and efficacy of a team approach to patient care. She’s now focusing on research, teaching, and writing on neuroinflammatory conditions.
Magdalena Cubala-Kucharska, MD, PhD
Dr. Cubala-Kucharska is Director of Arcana Institute of Integrative Medicine Poland. Dr. Cubala-Kucharska developed an interest in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2004, which led her to research co-morbidities in autistic patients, including Lyme disease. She has consulted for the Council of Natural Therapies in the Polish Ministry of Health, and at the Autism Treatment Trust in Edinburgh. Her practice is focused on ASD, tick-borne, autoimmune and environmental diseases. Her research, conducted in affiliation with the Medical University of Lodz and published in peer-reviewed journals, is in the field of autism and tick-borne infections.
Tania T. Dempsey, MD
Dr. Dempsey is a board-certified internist and diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. She received her MD degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and her BS degree from Cornell University. She did her Internal Medicine Residency at New York University.
Since 2011, Dr. Dempsey has been in private practice in Armonk, NY. She is an expert in Lyme disease and tick-borne infections and in mast cell activation syndrome and its connection to chronic diseases. In addition to seeing patients, Dr. Dempsey is an accomplished international speaker and writer.
Edward Dulitsky, MD PhD
Dr Edward Dulitsky is a Russian Wholistic Doctor, Integrated Neurologist and Medical Scientist, who dedicated his research and career towards integration of modern science with the rich medical heritage of Natural Therapies. He developed a unique method of detection, prevention and treatment of chronic health conditions that is currently used in Australia, Russia, Ukraine, Taiwan. He is currently practising in Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
Dr Dulitsky was born in USSR in 1971. In 1994 he has completed I.M Sechenov Moscow medical academy as MD. Later, he specialized in Neurology (RU). From early stages of his medical training Dr Dulitsky has recognized the strength of integrating the power of modern medicine with the time proven benefits of Natural Therapies. Through his medical journey He found that regeneration is a key element of our battles with chronic illnesses.
In late nineties, inspired by the work of the Russian Professor L. Garkavi in Adaptation medicine, Dr Dulitsky with a small team of Russian and Ukrainian scientists had developed a new concept of using Medical gases as Super-Adaptogens to treat a large number of chronic illnesses which became a revolutionary turning point in his clinical and research practice. In 2005 Dr Dulitsky was awarded Ph.D degree in medicine for his work on the use of Ozone therapy in the treatment of knee arthrosis. From 2012 Dr Dulitsky and his team researched clinical application of medical gases for Tick born illnesses and CFS.
Daniel Dutko, JD
Daniel Dutko is a litigation attorney in private practice in Houston, Texas. His practice focuses on representing plaintiffs in the areas of personal injury, class action, wrongful death, anti-trust, insurance, RICO, and product liability matters. Mr. Dutko is currently working with a team of lawyers representing Lyme patients in an anti-trust and RICO lawsuit in federal court.
Garth Ehrlich, PhD, FAAAS
Dr. Ehrlich is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. He also directs three Research Centers of Excellence within the University’s Institute of Molecular Medicine and Infectious disease: the Center for Genomic Sciences (CGS); the Center for Advanced Microbial Processing (CAMP); and the Center for Chronic Infections and Biofilms. Dr. Ehrlich’s team utilize a broad array of microbiological analyses, comparative genomic techniques and bioinformatic tools, many developed in-house, to identify and characterize virulence genes within pathogens, and susceptibility genes to pathogens within their hosts. Dr. Ehrlich is also one of the founders of the field of Clinical Molecular Diagnostics (MDx), having been involved in the original application of PCR for the detection of human retroviruses in 1985. Dr. Ehrlich received his PhD from Syracuse University in molecular biology in 1987.
Marna E. Ericson, PhD
Dr. Ericson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she is director of the Dermatology Imaging Center. In examining the role of biofilms in vector-borne disease persistence and opportunities for effective treatment, she uses advanced microscopes and imaging techniques and incorporates new biomarker tools when analyzing blood and tissue samples. Her work has opened new doors to understanding the pathogenesis of vector-borne infections and has revealed the importance of the dermal niche in tick-borne disease.
Sue Faber BScN, RN
Sue Faber BScN, RN is the co-founder and President of LymeHope, a national Canadian charitable organization focused on education, public outreach, research, awareness and advocacy for Lyme Disease. Sue is firmly committed to transparent, collaborative partnerships with Federal and Provincial government, academia, research institutions, healthcare colleagues and industry stakeholders to collectively identify challenges and knowledge gaps and identify fresh opportunities to examine and develop transformative health policy, best practice guidelines and research priorities which are undergirded in patient voice, values and preferences. Sue’s specific area of expertise and research is the literature that exists on in-utero transmission and congenital Lyme borreliosis and supporting and powering urgent research initiatives to investigate this alternate mode of transmission with the ultimate goal of providing accessible care, treatment and support for children and families affected.
Thalia M. Farshchian, ND
Dr. Thalia Farshchian is an associate doctor at Medical Options for Wellness. Dr. Farshchian completed her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
She specializes in the treatment of Lyme disease and its co-infections, mold illness, chronic inflammatory response syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome. Dr. Farshchian works closely with her patients to piece together the constellation of symptoms to ultimately understand the core issue.
Leona Gilbert, PhD
Gilbert is a Docent of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland and she is the CEO of Te?ted Oy, a university spinoff company that has a goal to get the patient tested so they can be treated. She has a doctorate in biotechnology and a very long experience in bio-innovation and biobusiness. She supervises various PhD, MSc and BSc students and is extremely active in lecturing undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Jyväskylä. Her numerous peer-reviewed articles span turning research results into translational value with developing novel delivery vectors that can be used for imaging and biotechnological tools as well as to developing diagnostic lab-on-chip platforms. In addition, Gilbert’s publications also demonstrate the thorough investigation of how a common virus or bacterium can contribute to autoimmune diseases. Her goal is to get the patient tested so they can be treated and recover quicker.
Eric Gordon, MD
Eric Gordon, MD is the founder and Medical Director of Gordon Medical Associates, a medical practice serving patients with complex chronic illness in Santa Rosa and San Rafael, CA. In addition to his practice, he is now consulting with practitioners on complicated patients. Dr. Gordon is also engaged in research into poorly understood illnesses. Dr. Gordon organized and served as medical advisor and moderator for a series of medical symposia in Northern California, bringing together extraordinary faculties consisting of 30 leading international academic medical researchers and cutting-edge clinicians, respectively focusing on CFS, Lyme, autoimmune diseases and autism.
In 2016, Dr. Gordon was a co-author of a groundbreaking study on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, “Metabolic Features of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). Dr. Gordon is currently designing outcome studies to be used across multiple practices to evaluate the effectiveness of non-standard tests and correlate them with patient experiences. In 2019, GMA is participating in a pilot study with the Lyme Disease Biobank to collect blood samples from patients with chronic Lyme disease. These samples will be used by researchers to better understand the disease and to evaluate solutions.
For Dr. Gordon, knowledge and understanding does not come primarily from research, but from interaction and direct experience with his patients. He is first and foremost a private practice physician. Understanding chronic illness requires a larger perspective than the traditional one. Most of medicine consists of identifying the triggering event, removing it, counting on the body to heal, and a subsequent return to health. In chronic illness the healing cycle is not completed, the path leading to a return to health is interrupted. This interruption in the completion of the healing cycle healing is often due to a toxic exposure or an infection. The healing cycle is a multifactorial dance between an individual, genetics, and their physical and emotional environment. Dr. Gordon’s goal is to help direct the science of medicine toward the treatment of the person on their road to healing.
Amanda Gorham, BA
After receiving a B.A., as well as obtaining licensure, in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts, Amanda spent 5 years working as the Testing and Evaluation Specialist for the Worcester Public School district. In the Fall of 2017, she enrolled in the REMP program at UMASS with the intent of impacting the way assessments are perceived and carried out by end users, but also to provide a stable life for her two children. Her current interests include multivariate generalizability theory, psychological assessment, and rating scale analysis. Amanda hopes to complete her degree in the spring of 2020 and use her acquired skills to give voice to marginalized populations, with special interest in postpartum depression.
Christine L. Green, MD
Dr. Green practices family and integrated medicine in Mountain View and San Francisco, California. She is committed to direct patient care and the practice of patient- centered, evidence-based medicine. Dr. Green's future aspirations are to develop clinical research to explore treatment options for those with chronic infectious disease.
Dr. Green has been the director of education for the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) and led the group that created the curriculum for ILADS’ Fundamentals of Tick Borne Disease course. Dr. Green served on the ILADS board for six years and currently serves on the board of LDo (Lyme Disease dot org). She sits on the scientific advisory board for Bay Area Lyme Foundation and the Dean Center for Tick Borne Illness Treatment, Rehabilitation and Recovery at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.
Susan R. Green, JD
Ms. Green is a member of the Maryland Bar, the Florida Bar, and the District of Columbia Bar and has been engaged in the practice of law since 1983. Her practice currently focuses on medical malpractice, serious personal injury and criminal cases.
Since 2008, Ms. Green also has focused on legal matters arising out of Lyme disease. In 2010, Ms. Green authored the blueprint for Virginia HB1933 and Maryland HB 399, better known as the Patient Information Disclosure Act. These bills required notification to patients of the inaccuracy of the two-tier antibody test currently being used by many commercial labs. Both bills passed by a significant margin. Ms. Green continues to draft Lyme-related legislation and has testified before State General Assemblies as well as the HHS Federal Lyme and Vector-Borne Disease Working Group.
Rosalie Greenberg, MD
Rosalie Greenberg, MD, FAPA, DFAACAP is a Board Certified Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in private practice in Summit, New Jersey, specializing in the diagnosis and psychopharmacological treatment of pediatric mood disorders, psychiatric symptoms secondary to tick-borne infections and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes. Dr. Greenberg is a graduate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where she did her adult and child psychiatric training and had served as an Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychiatry for several years. She has published multiple articles in the medical and lay press and has presented nationally and internationally on childhood mental illness.
Debby Hamilton, MD MPH
Dr. Debby Hamilton is an integrative pediatrician who founded Holistic Pediatric Consulting in Colorado in 2005. Her practice focuses on treating children with chronic diseases such as autism and ADHD and preconception counseling based on her book, Preventing Autism and ADHD: Controlling Risk Factors Before, During & After Pregnancy. She is board-certified in Pediatrics, Physician Nutrition, and Integrated/Holistic medicine (AIHM), and has a master’s degree in Public Health (MPH). In 2017, Dr. Hamilton joined Researched Nutritionals where she focuses on clinical research, product development and education of healthcare professionals.
STEVEN J. HARRIS, M.D.
Steven Harris, M.D. has been in private practice since 2001. Dr Harris is a medical doctor (MD), board certified in Family Practice. His private practice was opened as a sole proprietorship until 2006, after which he formed a California medical corporation, Pacific Frontier Medical, Inc.
Since 2001 Dr Harris has focused his practice on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne co-infections. In his approach to Lyme disease he incorporates strategies found in conventional, functional and complimentary medicine. He believes that there are many effective treatments available to those with chronic and persistent Lyme.
Dr Harris has taken a leadership role in lymedisease.org (formerly CALDA -The California Lyme disease Association), a research, patient advocate group which has been largely responsible for spearheading favorable legislation protecting patients rights, expanding Lyme disease awareness and fostering continued public health education. Dr Harris is also an active member of ILADS (The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society). This is a professional medical society of physicians and scientists which has become the authority on effective treatment for chronic Lyme disease.
Kent Holtorf, M.D.
Kent Holtorf, M.D. is the medical director of the Holtorf Medical Group and a founder and director of the non-profit National Academy of Hypothyroidism (NAH), which is dedicated to dissemination of new evidence-based information to doctors and patients on the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism and advanced integrative diagnostic and treatment protocols. He has personally trained numerous physicians across the country in the use of bioidentical hormones, hypothyroidism, peptide therapy, complex endocrine dysfunction and innovative treatments of chronic fatigue syndrome, weight loss, fibromyalgia and chronic infectious diseases, including Lyme and related diseases. Lyme and associated diseases has been the focus of the Holtorf Medical Group centers and has been a passion of Dr. Holtorf for well over ten years.
Dr. Holtorf is a guest editor and peer-reviewer for a number of medical journals, including Endocrine, Postgraduate Medicine and Pharmacy Practice. Dr. Holtorf has published a number of peer-reviewed endocrine reviews, including on the safety and efficacy of bioidentical hormones, inaccuracies of standard thyroid testing, testosterone replacement for men and women, the diagnosis and treatment of growth hormone deficiency and on the diagnosis, treatment of adrenal dysfunction in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, peripheral thyroid hormone conversion and its impact on TSH and metabolic activity and the clinical applications of thyroid hormone transport into cellular tissue. He has helped to demonstrate that much of the long-held dogma in endocrinology and infectious disease is inaccurate. He is a fellowship lecturer for the American Board of Anti-aging Medicine and was the Endocrinology Expert for AOL Health. He is a contributing author to Denis Wilson’s just published Evidenced-Based Approach to Restoring Thyroid Health.
Kristen T. Honey PhD, PMP
Dr. Honey served as Vice-Chair of the national Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG) from its 2017 inception through March 2019. She co-authored the first-ever TBDWG report with 28 recommendations to the U.S. Congress and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). As an HHS “Innovator in Residence”, Dr. Honey launched “Lyme Innovation” in November 2018 for government to co-create Lyme solutions with patients and all stakeholders. Prior, Dr. Honey worked in the White House for three years across two Administrations. Dr. Honey earned her Ph.D. at Stanford University (interdisciplinary biology) with a Ph.D. minor in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Richard I. Horowitz, MD
Dr. Richard Horowitz is a board-certified internist and medical director of the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, where he has treated over 13,000 Lyme and tick-borne disease patients during the past 30 years. He is the author of two best-selling books, Why Can’t I Get Better? & How Can I Get Better? An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme and Chronic Disease. Dr Horowitz was also a member of the HHS Tick-borne Disease Working Group and Co-chair of the “Other Tick-borne Diseases and Coinfections” subcommittee which provided recommendations to Congress to improve the care of those suffering with tick-borne disorders.
Darin J. Ingels, ND, FAAEM
Dr. Ingels is a respected leader in natural medicine with more than 28 years experience in the healthcare field. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs. Dr. Ingels has been published extensively and is the author of “The Lyme Solution: A 5-Part Plan to Fight the Inflammatory Autoimmune Response and Beat Lyme Disease”, a comprehensive natural approach to treating Lyme disease. He has also been a Lyme and MS patient and has been able to reverse and control his symptoms using natural methods. Dr. Ingels specializes in Lyme disease, autism and chronic immune dysfunction. He uses diet, nutrients, herbs, homeopathy and immunotherapy to help his patients achieve better health.
Charles Ray Jones, MD
Dr. Jones received his MD in 1962 from New York Medical College, interned in pediatrics at St. Luke's Medical Center in New York City, and later became chief resident there. He went on to become attending physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Jones moved to Hamden, CT, to practice pediatrics in the late 1960s. Within a few months after arriving, he noticed clusters of patients diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and discovered that many of these patients actually had Lyme disease. Since then, Dr. Jones has treated more than 10,000 children for Lyme disease from virtually every state and from around the world.
Dr. Jones is a past recipient of ILADEF’s Pioneer in Lyme Award.
Dale M. Jones, PhD
Dr. Jones, with a doctorate in Education, has studied interpersonal cultural relationships in the United States. She has lifelong experiences in social justice and entrepreneurship. After becoming stricken with Lyme disease, she has become an advocate for Lyme literacy, education, and awareness and is currently investigating the socio-economic impacts of Lyme Disease upon women.
Venkata N. Joshi, B.A.M.S., M.D.-Ayu, Ph.D.-Ayu
Dr. Venkata N. Joshi (B.A.M.S., M.D.-Ayu, Ph.D.-Ayu) is an Ayurvedic scholar and the only practitioner in the United Kingdom with a Ph.D in Ayurveda. He did his post-doctoral studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Currently he is a Senior Lecturer at the College of Ayurveda UK Ltd in Milton Keynes.
Dr. Joshi is on the board of All Parliamentary Party Group in the UK Parliament, an advisory body to integrate Yoga and Ayurveda into conventional health care. In 2016 he received the Honor of Distinction for Ayurveda from the UK Parliament at the Palace of Westminster.
Kati Karvonen, MSc, PhD candidate
Kati Karvonen, MSc; PhD candidate, Department of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Ms Karvonen graduated in 2016 with a profound interest to continue her research career to a PhD in the fields of immunology, virology and/or microbiology. She worked for two years as a project researcher in Dr. Leona Gilbert's lab at the University of Jyväskylä, before starting her PhD studies. She is currently investigating the cell entry mechanisms of Borrelia burgdorferi as a possible immune evasion technique of the bacterium. Furthermore, her thesis topic focuses on the chronicity of the infection.
Konstance Knox, MSM PhD
Dr. Knox received her PhD in experimental pathology from the Medical College of Wisconsin and is co-founder of Coppe Healthcare Solutions and its diagnostic subsidiary Coppe Laboratories. Her research has focused on the role of persistent viral infections in chronic complex diseases of humans especially as it relates to the central nervous system. Currently her lab is investigating how frequent or persistent infections with arthropod-borne flaviviruses such as Powassan and West Nile could disrupt adaptive and innate immunity pathways, impeding immunologic clearance of both viral and bacterial pathogens and thereby contributing to symptoms observed in unresolved Lyme Disease.
Greg Lee, LAc
Greg Lee is the driving force behind the Two Frogs Healing Center and GoodbyeLyme.com. He is experienced in using essential oils, Chinese herbs, and alternative medicines and treatments for healing persistent Lyme disease and multiple chronic infections.
Greg began his career as s a software engineer and manager, and worked on many NASA projects including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Goddard Robotics Lab, and the Antarctic Ozone Hole. He later obtained a Master’s degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. He now has a private clinical practice where he has treated numerous patients with chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, and Lyme disease. He collaborates with other infectious disease researchers on identifying natural remedies for killing drug-resistant and biofilm infections and teaches online and live training courses for medical providers on the GoodbyeLyme System for Stopping Persistent Lyme Disease and Co-infections. He also is the founder of the Lyme CLEAR Research Community for developing next-generation anti-microbial remedies for persistent Lyme disease and co-infections.
Sin Hang Lee, MD
Sin Hang Lee, MD graduated from Wuhan Medical College in China. After a residency-fellowship at Cornell-New York Hospital and Memorial Hospital for Cancer, Dr. Lee was certified by the American Board of Pathology and obtained the F.R.C.P. (C) degree by examination in 1966. He was on the faculty of McGill University and Yale University from 1968-2004 while practicing hospital-based pathology. Dr. Lee is currently the director of Milford Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Milford, Connecticut. In the past 15 years, Dr. Lee has developed Sanger sequencing-based testing methods for HPV, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Lyme disease borreliae and Ebolavirus implementable in community hospitals.
Corey Levy, CMI, CIE, WELL AP
My focus is to help guide those with complex medical issues back to health through the environmental assessment of their homes and buildings. I identify sources of mold, mycotoxins, and other indoor environmental pathogens, then create roadmaps for restoration, continued maintenance and proper re-build and design.
Kenneth B. Liegner, MD
New York State born & bred, a graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University and New York Medical College, Dr. Liegner is an internist with additional training in anatomic pathology and critical care medicine. He has been actively involved in diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases and related disorders since 1988 and has published articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented at national and international conferences on tick-borne diseases.
Elizabeth L. Maloney, MD
Dr. Maloney is a family physician from Minnesota. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School and its affiliated Family Medicine residency. Her current focus is on tick-borne diseases education and policy and she is the founder and president of Partnership for Tick-borne Diseases Education, a 501(c)(3) organization providing educational programs and materials on tick-borne diseases for medical professionals and the general public. Much of Dr. Maloney’s work is focused on the development of accredited continuing medical education courses for primary care physicians.
Dr. Maloney frequently speaks at medical conferences and hospitals across the US. She has authored or co-authored several papers on Lyme disease, including ILADS’s 2014 treatment guidelines. She also acts as a consultant to government agencies and private organizations. Dr. Maloney recently served on the Pathogenesis, Transmission and Treatment subcommittee of the federally mandated Tick-borne Diseases Working group. Her presentations on tick-borne diseases for the general, emphasizes the need for primary and secondary prevention.
Susan McCamish, CTN, Herbalist
Susan McCamish, CTN, Herbalist is Board Certified with the American Naturopathic Medical Certification and Accreditation Board and is the formulator of the Beyond Balance herbal formulas. She has over 25 years of experience in research and development of herbal extracts. She has lectured internationally on herbal solutions for chronic complex illness and is the founder and director of The Forum for Integrative Medicine.
Hope A. McIntyre, MD
Hope McIntyre MD obtained her bachelors degree in Pre-medicine from the Pennsylvania State University in 1986. She received her MD from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1990. After completing a residency in Family Practice at the Harrisburg Family Practice Residency Program, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1993, she worked briefly in Northern Virginia at Urgent Medical Care of Vienna, Vienna Virginia.
In 1994 she joined Parkview Medical Group in Mount Airy, Maryland. She remained with that practice until 2010 when she opened her solo practice in Towson, Maryland to focus on tick-borne disease. She completed two ILADS one week mini-fellowships, the first in 2006 with Dr. Ann Corson and a second in 2010 with Dr. Charles Ray Jones.
As a family physician, Dr. McIntyre is trained to treat patients of all ages, but she is especially interested in treating children with Lyme disease who were previously underserved in Maryland. She is grateful to ILADS for the training program and for the various conferences she has attended which have made it possible for her to help many patients with this disease since that first fellowship in 2006. She wishes to thank Dr. Corson and Dr. Jones as well as Dr. Kenneth Singleton for their invaluable advice, teaching and wisdom.
Mualla McManus, BSci(Hons) MSci, BPharm, PhD, MBA, MPSA, AACP, FPGA
ILADS Board of Directors
Dr. McManus is a member of the Tick Borne Diseases Unit, School of Medical Sciences (Pharmacology), University of Sydney. Dr. McManus graduated from Monash University with Honours in immunology, and holds an MSci in cancer biology from University of Melbourne, a BPharm from Monash University, and a PhD in neurosciences from University of Sydney. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Garvan Institute, Sydney. She is the founding director of the Karl McManus Foundation and Director of Gold Cross Pharmacy in Redfern NSW. As an advisor to the Chief Medical Officer of Australia, she was pivotal in the formation of the Clinical Advisory Committee on Lyme Disease. She is active in tick-borne disease research, and advocating for patients and liaising with stakeholders to better understand tick- and arthropod-borne diseases.
Jacquelyn Meinhardt, DNP
Jacquelyn Meinhardt is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner committed to the health and wellness of all patients. Recognizing the unique needs of each encounter, Jacki places emphasis on active patient engagement, critical thinking and patient education to achieve optimum and sustainable results. With a Bachelor of Science from Villanova University, a Master of Science in Health Studies as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from Georgetown University and a Master in Health Sciences in Integrative Medicine from the George Washington University. Jacki is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Georgetown University with a focus on CIRS, genetics and health policy.
Jacki’s focus at the Virginia Center for Health and Wellness includes Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, vector borne illnesses, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, thyroid and adrenal management, detoxification and auto-immune diseases.
Jacki’s research interests include neuro-inflammation and biotoxin exposure, the stress response and neuroendocrinology, hormone regulation and vector borne illnesses.
Josh Chang Mell, PhD
Tatjana Mijatovic, PhD
Tatjana Mijatovic holds Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. T. Mijatovic authored 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals (21 as first or senior author/ 29 as co-author) and holds 2 granted patents as first author. Since 2011 T. Mijatovic is Project Leader, Lab Manager and CSO at R.E.D. Laboratories. R.E.D. Laboratories is Belgium-based Biotech Company developing and performing specialty tests to assess multifactorial afflictions like CFS, chronic immune dysfunctions, chronic infections, intestinal dysfunctions, autism, etc. Dr Mijatovic is active in number of international scientific groups and networks aiming to advance knowledge in biological markers of autism. Previously, Dr Mijatovic performed as (i) R&D Project Leader and Head of Biology in Biotech Company specialized in the discovery of new anti-cancer agents, (ii) Pubications Manager consultant for Pharmaceutical Companies and (iii) scientist at Free University of Brussels (ULB) in Belgium.
Thomas A. Moorcroft, DO
Dr. Moorcroft received his DO from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2005. He is board certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment. He has been in private practice since 2008 and focuses on patients with chronic illnesses, including chronic tick-borne illness, mold illness, and infection-induced autoimmune encephalitis. Dr. Moorcroft’s personal and professional medical philosophy focuses on supporting optimal function of the core body systems responsible for health with simple, natural interventions; utilizing more conventional approaches when needed.
B. Robert Mozayeni, MD
President-elect, ILADS Board of Directors
Dr. B. Robert Mozayeni was trained in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Yale and at NIH. He has had pre- and post-doctoral Fellowships in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, and also at NIH where he was a Howard Hughes Research Scholar at LMB/DCBD/NCI and later, Senior Staff Fellow at LMMB/NHLBI/NIH. He is an expert in Translational Medicine, the science and art of advancing medical science safely and efficiently. He is a Fellow of the non-profit Think Lead Innovate Foundation and is a co-founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases. He is a Founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases to crowd-source medical solutions for complex conditions using existing knowledge, diagnostic methods, and therapies to meet patient needs immediately. He is the Chief Medical Officer of Galaxy Diagnostics, LLC. And, he was recently appointed to be a Board member of the Human-Kind Alliance. Dr. Mozayeni has held admitting privileges (since 1994) on the clinical staff of Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine and an affiliate of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.
Timothy F. Murphy, MD
Lisa Nagy, MD
Lisa Lavine Nagy M.D. graduated Magna Cum Laude from The University of Pennsylvania and then from Cornell Medical College in 1986. After Emergency Medicine residency in NYC she practiced in Los Angeles until becoming severely–as a result of a complex medical condition known as Chemical Sensitivity or Environmental Illness.
Her story of survival and journey of discovery which led her to learn about the field of Environmental Medicine and it’s focus on finding the causes of disease including genetic, hormonal, nutritional, allergic, and environmental factors. She has delivered talks at: National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences in 2016, Congressional Subcommittee on Veterans Health 2015, The University of Pennsylvania Medical School, the EPA in Boston, and was the keynote speaker on the health effects of mold after Super Storm Sandy in NYC in 2013.
Sarah O'Loughlin
Sarah O'Loughlin is a medical student studying at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland. Sarah is currently conducting research under Prof. Lambert in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Ireland, focusing on improving the diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease. Previously to studying medicine, Sarah qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist with a first class honours degree from UCD.
William V. Padula, OD
William V. Padula, OD is Director of the Padula Institute of Vision Rehabilitation in Guilford, CT. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the Founding President of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA). Dr. Padula is on the faculty for Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry and Salus University of Health Sciences College of Optometry. He is the past Treasurer of the National Academy of Practice (NAP) and Senior Fellow of NAP. He is the Founding Chairperson of the American Optometric Association Vision Rehabilitation Section. Dr. Padula has been a consultant to the National Academy of Sciences Committee of Vision. Research has been conducted by Dr. Padula discovering Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS) and Visual Midline Shift Syndrome (VMSS). Dr. Padula also served as the National Consultant in Low Vision Services for the American Foundation for the Blind and Director of Vision Research to the Gesell Institute of Human Development. He is on staff at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, CT and consults with many programs for head-injured persons throughout the United States.
Nafysa Parpia
Prior to joining Gordon Medical, Dr. Parpia was the lead Lyme Disease doctor at Amitabha Medical Clinic and Healing Center. Previous to this she worked at San Francisco Natural Medicine. Soon after she graduated from medical school, she worked at Dr. Dietrich’s Klinghardt’s clinic while she trained with him and his lead physicians for one year. Dr. Parpia is also a certified yoga instructor and taught vinyasa yoga for several years.
Brian S Peskin, BSEE
Brian Peskin, BSEE-MIT, is a theoretical research scientist specializing in lipids-based pharmacognosy—a class of drug derived from plant-based sources; specifically, seed oils. He is a translational science expert with a long-term interest in diabetes and its underlying pathophysiology. In 2002, he began extensive research on the relationship of plant-based EFAs and their metabolites to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Mr. Peskin’s work is focused on pathways that maximize oxygen delivery and blood flow to the human cell and maximizing tissue functionality. This knowledge allowed him to design a novel Investigational New Drug to heal chronic diabetic ulcers / wounds. Applications are far-reaching.
Andrew Petersen, DO
ILADS Board of Directors
Dr. Petersen is the founder of WholeHealth Medical Group, an integrated medical practice with offices in Provo and West Jordan, Utah. He received his medical degree from the University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2001 and did residency at a Penn State program in Altoona, Pennsylvania. His first ten years of practice were focused on rural primary care and emergency medicine, before transitioning to integrative care of chronic diseases. Dr. Petersen is a board-certified family physician. He serves as a fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine and has completed the A4M fellowship in stem cell therapy.
Steven E. Phillips, MD
Steven E. Phillips, MD is a Yale-trained physician specializing in Lyme, bartonella, and other zoonotic infections. Well-published in the peer-reviewed medical literature, he’s treated over 20,000 patients from over 20 countries, and repeatedly served as a Lyme disease expert for the states of CT, NY, RI, and VT, providing testimony during their respective public hearings which resulted in changes to existing healthcare laws. Phillips has lectured at numerous medical schools, societies and hospitals, is an in-demand guest expert for TV and other media, and has been a longstanding public face of the Lyme and bartonella pandemic.
Dr. Phillips was also one of a handful of physicians from the United States invited to provide expert testimony at the Infectious Diseases Society of America Hearing in Washington, DC in 2009. His written testimony for that hearing is 81 pages long with 226 medical references and is one of the most comprehensive reviews on the topic of complex late-stage Lyme disease as of that date. With over two decades of experience in successfully treating patients with complex chronic illness, he has been on the leading edge of teaching that inflammatory and rheumatic conditions can be caused by occult infection with Lyme, bartonella, and other microbes.
Patrick K. Porter, PhD
Patrick K. Porter, PhD, is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and speaker. He is best known as the founding pioneer of “brain wave entrainment,” which uses frequency-following technology and guided visualization to improve mental performance and quality of life.
Since winning Product of the Year in 1989, Porter has continued to research and make improvements to “brain wave entrainment” giving the end-user the best product science has to offer.
Porter’s latest breakthrough discovery is that the brain responds best when multiple brain waves are stimulated in a predetermined pattern. Described as “a symphony of brainwaves,” it is the basis for the new BrainTap Pro mobile app and hardware headset, which are uniquely powerful brain training tools to unleash potential.
Porter has produced over 800 custom sessions, and has sold more than 3-million books and recordings worldwide. With stress-related health and lifestyle issues at an all-time high, His BrainTap, has emerged as a leader in digital health and wellness.
Matthew J. Pratt-Hyatt, PhD
Matthew Pratt-Hyatt received his PhD in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Michigan. He has trained under Dr. Paul Hollenberg, a prominent researcher on drug metabolism and Dr. Curtis Klaassen, one of the world's leading toxicologists. He has over a dozen publications in well-known research journals such as PNAS and Cell Metabolism. At The Great Plains Laboratory, he is focused on assisting with diagnosis and treatment of mitochondrial disorders, neurological diseases, chronic immune diseases, and more. He specializes in developing tools that examine factors at the interface between genetics and toxicology. His work is bringing new insight into how genes and toxicants interact and how that may lead to mental health disorders, chronic health issues, and metabolism disorders.
David W. Quig
David received his BS and MS degrees in Human Nutrition from Virginia Tech and a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Illinois. After a five year stint as a Research Associate studying lipid biochemistry and cardiovascular disease at Cornell University, he was a Senior Cardiovascular Pharmacologist for seven years. For the past 23 years David has been the Vice President of Scientific Support for Doctor’s Data, Inc. He has focused on toxic elements, methylation and amino acid metabolism, the applied biochemistry of endogenous detoxification, and the influence of the gastrointestinal metabolome on overall health.
Sonia Rapaport, MD
Sonia Rapaport, MD is the Director and founder of Haven Medical in Chapel Hill, NC. The founding president of the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI), she focuses on the treatment of complex medical conditions due to environmentally acquired illnesses such as Lyme disease, biotoxin illness, mast cell activation, and dysautonomia. She received her medical degree from the University of Virginia, and has been Board Certified in Family Medicine, and is a Diplomate of NBPAS and ABIHM.
Gretchen B. Rossman, PhD
Gretchen B. Rossman received her Ph.D., M.S., and B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. After 32 years of active service, she currently serves as Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her interests include research design, qualitative inquiry, and international education reform. She provides advising and mentoring to a number of Ph.D. candidates from both the College of Education and across the University.
Vincent M. Rotello, PhD
Vincent Rotello is the Charles A. Goessmann Professor of Chemistry and a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He received his B.S. in Chemistry in 1985 from Illinois Institute of Technology, and his Ph. D. in 1990 in Chemistry from Yale University. He was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1990-1993, and joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts in 1993. He has been the recipient of the NSF CAREER and Cottrell Scholar awards, as well as the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, the Sloan Fellowships. More recently, he has received the Langmuir Lectureship (2010), and in 2016 he received the Transformational Research and Excellence in Education Award presented by Research Corporation, the Bioorganic Lectureship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), the Australian Nanotechnology Network Traveling Fellowship, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President's International Fellowship for Distinguished Researchers. He is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and of the Royal Society of Chemistry (U.K.). He is also recognized in 2014, 2015 and 2018 by Thomson Reuters/Clarivate as “Highly Cited Researcher”. He is currently the Editor in Chief of Bioconjugate Chemistry, and is on the Editorial Board of 14 other journals. His research program focuses on using synthetic organic chemistry to engineer the interface between the synthetic and biological worlds, and spans the areas of devices, polymers, and nanotechnology/bionanotechnology, with over 550 peer-reviewed papers published to date. He is actively involved in the area of bionanotechnology, and his research includes programs in delivery, imaging, diagnostics and nanotoxicology.
James C. Ryan, PhD
James Ryan, PhD is a Clinical Research Scientist, focused on diagnostic tools and therapies for chronic inflammation initiated by a wide variety of biotoxins, such as Lyme disease, ciguatera fish poisoning, sick building syndrome and others. He is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina and holds Bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry and physics. He is a co-founder in the medical diagnostics company, Progene DX, LLC, using cutting edge genomic technologies to identify pathophysiology in a personalized medicine setting. His recent investigation into Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) has led to the development of a gene expression assay, that is currently being commercialized, to track metabolic shifts in patients with chronic fatiguing illnesses.
Zijad Sabovic, MD, BE BAAFM
Zijad Sabovic, MD is a family physician with 20 years of experience. He has a private medical practice located in Bridgeport, CT. The vast majority of his patients are tick-borne disease patients. Dr. Sabovic finished his medical training in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina 1980. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine and a long time member of ILADS.
Eva Sapi, PhD
Dr. Sapi received her Ph.D. degree in Genetics from the University of Eotvos Lorand (Budapest Hungary). She is a Professor at the University of New Haven (Connecticut) where she teaches undergraduate and graduate level biology courses and carries out Lyme disease research with her students. To date, over 80 graduate students have received training in Lyme disease related research.
Her recent studies investigate the different forms of Borrelia burgdorferi to better understand how Borrelia can hide from the immune system as well as from antimicrobial therapies. Her recent research shows that Borrelia burgdorferi is capable forming a protective layer around itself – called biofilm – which could render it to be very resistant to antibiotics and provide a logical explanation as to why extensive antibiotic treatment for patients with a tick-bite history could fail. The goal of her research group is to fully characterize this novel form and to identify novel antibacterial agents that are effective in killing all forms of Borrelia burgdorferi. Dr. Sapi also organized and chaired seven Lyme Disease Symposiums at the University of New Haven during the last several years.
Armin Schwarzbach, MD, PhD
Dr. Armin Schwarzbach, Medical Doctor and Specialist for Laboratory Medicine, founder of ArminLabs, has been at the forefront of tick-borne research for more than 20 years and is an expert in diagnosing and treating infectious diseases. He is an Advisory Board member of AONM London, England, and Board Member of the German Borreliosis Society and Member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) and has served as an expert on advisory committees on Lyme Disease in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, England, Sweden and Germany.
Leo J. Shea III, PhD
President, ILADS Board of Directors
Dr. Shea is Clinical Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Rusk Institute, a division of New York University Langone Health, where he is also a senior psychologist and co-director of the Family Therapy Training Program. Dr. Shea is President of Neuropsychological Evaluation and Treatment Services, with offices in New York City and Quincy, Massachusetts. His practice focuses on injuries and illnesses of the central nervous system, tick-borne diseases, forensic and medico-legal matters. Treatment modalities include individual cognitive remediation and psychotherapy, family and spousal therapy and executive life coaching. He was formally the Chairman Emeritus of the National Research Fund for Tick-borne Diseases, Inc. which funded scientific research at major medical and academic institutions.
Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA
Dr. Shimasaki is co-founder and CEO of Moleculera labs, a neuroimmunology diagnostic laboratory focused on neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders triggered by autoimmune response, based upon the research of Dr. Madeleine Cunningham at the University of Oklahoma. He has over 35 years of biotechnology industry experience, starting his career at Genentech. His research and development work included epitope mapping for an HIV vaccine, SNP-based genetic breast cancer risk prediction biomarkers, a rapid influenza diagnostic, and therapeutic and biologic products for infectious and neuropsychiatric diseases. He co-founded nine companies and led five clinical diagnostic tests through FDA 510(k) approval and is a co-inventor on several patents. He was involved in raising over $30 million for these companies and participated in taking five companies public in the U.S. and Canadian stock markets.
Dr. Shimasaki received his BS in Biochemistry from University of California at Davis, his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Tulsa, and his MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Business. He an Adjunct Professor at the University of Oklahoma, Price School of Business and teaches biotechnology entrepreneurship. Dr. Shimasaki has authored and edited two books “The Business of Bioscience: What Goes Into Making a Biotechnology Product” and “Biotechnology Entrepreneurship."
Samuel M. Shor, MD
Past President, ILADS Board of Directors
Dr. Shor is an Associate Clinical Professor at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Dr. Shor received his MD from Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, and subsequently cultivated an interest in managing chronic fatigue syndrome and associated conditions, which ultimately led to his expertise in Lyme disease. Dr. Shor has presented to Congress on Lyme disease, appeared on NPR’s nationally syndicated Diane Rehm Show twice, and in 2010, was invited to serve on the Virginia Governor's Task Force on Lyme disease. Dr. Shor serves as Chair of the Loudoun County Lyme Commission, while actively pursuing clinical activity in the management of complex patients, and overseeing research and contributing to publishing in peer-reviewed literature.
Jacques G. Simon, JD
Since 1989, Mr. Simon has been engaged in the private practice of law with a focus on litigation and trial work in courts of various jurisdictions. Since 1999, he has focused on the representation of health care practitioners and health care entities on regulatory compliance, insurance issues, and other health-related matters. He also assists health care practitioners with preventive measures such as audits and compliance, practice structure and billing compliance, and preliminary dispute resolution.
Gregg P. Skall, JD
Mr. Skall is a partner in the Washington, DC, office of Womble Bond Dickinson and focuses on matters in the areas of real estate, telecommunications, international communications, antitrust, and government regulatory affairs. He actively represents telecommunications companies in domestic and international telecommunications enterprises in their regulatory matters and business dealings.
Mr. Skall is also the Pro Bono Counsel for the National Capital Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Association. He works with teams of lawyers to represent medical professionals in their practices with respect to the treatment of Lyme and tick-borne diseases.
Kayla M. Socarras, MS
Kayla Socarras is a PhD student currently research on tick-borne diseases at Drexel University College of Medicine. She has been focusing her research on the further understanding the tick microbiome and its impact on the different co-infections that can be attained within several regions throughout the United States. Previous to starting her PhD degree at Drexel University, she was involved in numerous Lyme disease studies during her Master's at the University of New Haven. These studies centered on the susceptibility of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato on natural antimicrobials.
Laura R. Stone, MD
ILADS Board of Directors
Dr. Stone has been a practicing physician for over twenty years and received her medical degree from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. Today Dr. Stone practices at her private practice in Alexandria, Virginia and her clinical interests include hormone replacement, adrenal and thyroid management, stress management, treatment of autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, diabetes management, detoxification, anti-aging medicine, mold toxicity, and vector borne illnesses. Dr. Stone has participated in several advanced educational opportunities including, the Surviving Mold conference hosted by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, training in Membrane Stabilization with Patricia Kane PhD, and attending the ILADS conference. Dr. Stone is a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine, A4M and the American Menopause Society.
Cheryl M. Stroud, DVM, PhD
Dr. Stroud has enjoyed professional experiences in Industry, Academic Research / Teaching, Private Veterinary Practice and as a One Health practitioner. Growing up in central Mississippi surrounded by cows, horses, cats, dogs and open spaces, after her veterinary training she completed a PhD in endocrine physiology where she cut her first One Health baby tooth when she realized that there are endocrine disrupters in the environment. She has performed basic research on variant molecular forms of prolactin and growth hormone in sheep and bull calves and reproductive cycles of women from populations around the world. After years of research she returned to small animal veterinary practice where she enjoyed teaching clients about One Health issues. In 2010 she was instrumental in creating the North Carolina One Health Collaborative, Chairing its Steering Committee for over three years and facilitating collaborative formation of an interinstitutional One Health course, One Health: Philosophy to Practical Integration of Human, Animal and Environmental Health, cross-listed at Duke, UNC and NC State, that has been offered continuously for 8 years. In 2013 she served on a National Biodefense Science Board working group on Situational Awareness, Strategic Implementation and Bio-Surveillance.
Currently as Executive Director of the One Health Commission Dr. Stroud’s primary focus is educating, locally, nationally and globally, about the need for One Health when addressing issues like
Dustin Sulak, DO
Dr. Dustin Sulak is an integrative osteopathic physician and medical cannabis expert. His clinical practice focuses on treating refractory conditions in adults and children. Dr. Sulak is the founder of Integr8 Health, a medical practice in Maine that follows over 8,000 patients using medical cannabis, and Healer.com, a medical cannabis patient education resource. He sits on the board of directors of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, has published in the peer-reviewed literature, and lectures to healthcare providers internationally on the clinical applications of cannabis.
Beatrice M. Szantyr, MD, FAAP
Dr. Beatrice Szantyr, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and member of the American College of Physicians, has been board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. She received her undergraduate degree from Fordham University, her doctorate in medicine from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at St. Louis University Hospitals and Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital for Children. She made her way to Maine over 30 years ago in fulfilment of a National Health Service Corps commitment. Through her private Internal Medicine and Pediatrics practice in rural Maine she has provided a broad range of clinical services in a variety of settings for people of all ages. Her current professional activities are focused in education.
Dr. Szantyr has lectured on Lyme disease and related tick-borne disorders throughout Maine and New England to both professional and community groups. She is an active member of Maine CDC’s Vector Borne Disease Work Group as well as the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society. She is the medical advisor for MaineLyme, a Maine-based non-profit formed in 2010 and dedicated to decreasing the occurrence of Lyme and related tick-borne diseases in Maine through awareness, prevention, education and advocacy.
Louis Teulieres, MD, PhD
Louis Teulieres is a medical doctor, who received his degree at the University in Nice France. He completed specializations in immunology, haematology, immunopathology, bacteriology and epidemiology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and at the CDC in Atlanta. Immunology and infectious diseases have always been an interest of him. Working for the Red Cross, research and organizing epidemiological surveys at the Pasteur Institute gave him a wide spectrum of experience in immune and infectious diseases such as HIV as active member of the immunology department and the research team who received the Nobel Prize 2008 for discovering the HIV virus in 1983.
Theoharis C. Theoharides, MS, MPhil, PhD, MD, FAAAAI
Dr. Theoharides is Professor of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, as well as Director of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, in the Department of Immunology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. He received all his degrees (BA, cum laude, MS, MPhil, PhD, MD) from Yale University, and was awarded the Dean’s Research Award and the Winternitz Price in Pathology. He trained in internal medicine at New England Medical Center, which awarded him the Oliver Smith Award “recognizing excellence, compassion and service.” He also received a Certificate in Global Leadership from the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and the Rare Diseases Hall of Fame. He has received the Tufts Excellence in Teaching ten times, the Tufts Distinguished Faculty Recognition Award twice, the Tufts Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence, Boston Mayor’s Community Award, and the Dr. George Papanicolau Award. He was the 2018 Marquis Who is Who Lifetime Achievement Award and Distinguished Humanitarian Award. He has published over 420 papers with 32,456 citations. He has been placed in the top 5% of authors most cited in pharmacological and immunological journals.
KAREN VANDERHOOF-FORSCHNER, LLM, JD, MBA, BS, CPCU, CLU, DHL
Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner is the President of the Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc., which she co-founded 1988 after her son was diagnosed with congenital Lyme. Karen completed her J.D. law degree in 2006, with a specialty in Healthcare Law from Quinnipiac University; L.L.M. Doctorate in Insurance Law from the University of Connecticut (“UCONN”); M.B.A. Master’s in Business from UCONN; B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Muskingum College; Doctor in Humane Letters from Muskingum College; Legal Mediation Certificate from a joint UCONN Law School/Quinnipiac Law School program; Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter degree from The Institutes; and Chartered Life Underwriter from the American College. In 2017, Karen was selected as one of seven Special Government Employees to the Health and Human Services Tick-borne Disease Working Group.
In keeping with awareness campaigns, Karen appeared in national pet prevention programs for Hartz and L’Oreal. Over the 20 years of her fulltime volunteer services, she and the LDF received numerous awards including from: The National Institutes of Health; Family Circle; the Points of Light Foundation; Governors from New Jersey, Connecticut, and Texas; Veterans of Foreign Wars (Ladies Auxillary); Daughters of the American Revolution; and her favorite … from ILADS.
Pi Ware
Pi Ware is an Emmy award winning editor, a Sundance filmmaker, and a former board member of the International Documentary Association. Pi has created documentaries and narrative films for Warner Bros, Universal, Fox Searchlight, Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment. From American Idol to The Academy Awards to Netflix’s Fastest Car, Pi has edited television shows for every major network and cable channel in the US. His latest work is the feature-length documentary, Skin Deep: The Battle Over Morgellons.
Claire A. Wiley, VMD
Claire Wiley is a Clinician Investigator at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After completing her veterinary degree and rotating internship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Wiley moved to NC State for a residency in small animal internal medicine. Dr. Wiley achieved board certification in 2017 and is now pursuing a PhD in the comparative genetics of canine and human urogenital cancers. As an internist she has expertise in diagnosing and treating dogs and cats with infectious disease.
Min Zhang
Min Zhang is a M.S. candidate of Cellular and Molecular Biology program at the University of New Haven.
Bernarda M. Zenker, MD
Bernarda Zenker, MD is a Board-Certified Family Physician through the American Academy of Family Medicine, and is also Board-Certified in Integrative Medicine. Her special interest is in integrating physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Dr. Zenker has a particular concern for finding solutions to chronic health problems. She utilizes nutritional supplements and diet recommendations to assist traditional medicine in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. Some areas of specific focus are preventing age-related memory loss, detoxification of toxins, increasing neurotransmitter levels when needed, reestablishing gastrointestinal health, evaluating and treating mycotoxin illness, and diagnosing and healing from Lyme disease. To her 20 years of family practice experience using traditional medicine, Dr. Zenker has added expertise in non-Western alternative, nutritional, and complementary treatment of chronic diseases. Her methodologies include nutritional supplements and the use of functional medicine testing to assess neurotransmitter, genetics, hormones, mycotoxins, tick-borne illnesses and gastrointestinal function.
ILADS Boston 2019 Exhibitors
