Dr. Girard Named Physician of the Year

2010 marks the 25th anniversary of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.  The conference celebrated this event and culminated in a very special awards ceremony on Saturday, August 14th.  The awards included honoring the past recipients of the Physician of the Year award.  Past recipients were asked to come onstage with approximately twenty past honorees in attendance.  Dr. Carl Hangee-Bauer, President of the AANP, held the audience in suspense on the announcement of this year’s recipient by first describing the criteria for the Physician of the Year award and then the attributes of this year’s winner.  
 
The Association voted our very own Dr. Christine Girard as the AANP 2010 Physician of the Year in recognition of her significant accomplishments on three important fronts: advancing the quality of naturopathic medical education, inspiring residency programs, and expanding opportunities for research. 

Dr. Girard’s commitment to naturopathic medical education is experienced every day here at SCNM.  Dr. Girard helped spearhead the curriculum revision, instituted clinical academic assessments, and encouraged innovations in teaching methodologies.  She has been and is a vital component of Southwest College’s success.

After being the first naturopathic physician to complete a CNME-approved hospital-based residency, Dr. Girard expanded the program which is still in place today.  She continued to pioneer the entry of naturopathic physicians in hospitals as the Director of Naturopathic Medicine at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  

She recently founded the Naturopathic Post-Graduate Association whose focus is to provide students with a universal application and match process, and grow the number and enhance the quality of CNME-approved naturopathic residencies with a goal of a residency for every graduate.  
 
Dr. Girard conducted research at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center while serving as Co-Director of the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital.  This research was conducted with some of the most noted researchers in the field of complementary and alternative medicine.  She has also played a central role in highlighting research at the AANP convention by creating the Research Track eight years ago.  The research presentations started with few attendees – mostly the researchers themselves – and now are widely attended by researchers and clinicians alike.

Southwest College is thrilled to congratulate Dr. Christine Girard for this well-deserved honor.

Daniel Leek presented with Outstanding Achievement Award

Daniel Leek, ND candidate at SCNM was presented an Award for Outstanding Achievement: Best Student Research at the 25th Annual AANP Convention on August 14, 2010 in Portland Oregon.  This was for his presentation on our project entitled, "Regulation of Inflammatory Gene Expression by Immunostimulatory Botanicals".