About Us
Our mission is to do everything we can to enhance the human potential for health
At the Institute for Natural Medicine (INM), we work for you. The you who wants to feel better than just okay. The you who wants honest and straightforward answers to your health concerns and questions. We believe in your body’s ability to heal when given the proper support. We want to empower you to take charge of your own health choices
In particular, we believe that naturopathic medicine, with its unique principles and practices, has the potential to be part of a prevention-focused, integrative healthcare system that can reverse the tide of chronic illness burdening the United States. Founded in 1993, we are an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that educates, raises awareness, and works to improve your access to evidence-based natural healthcare options. INM empowers patients to take control of their health journey by providing unbiased,evidence-based resources that address health promotion and disease prevention. Through our findanaturaldoctor.com database, we provide access to trustworthy and up-to-date information on licensed naturopathic doctors working in the U.S. and Canada.
INM is also deeply involved in the professional natural medicine community with our industry-leading residency consortium that provides quality medical residencies to newly graduated naturopathic doctors (NDs). We also founded and host the Naturopathic Medicine Collaborative, a collaborative group of 80+ stakeholder organizations in the natural medicine community. Our Primary Care Task Force (PCTF) seeks to address primary care physician shortages and provide better outcomes for underserved communities by integrating naturopathic doctors into Community Health Centers (CHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Our multi-modality MD/DO board is leading the way on interprofessional and integrative medical education between MDs and NDs, most recently with “Whole Person Pain Care,” a collaborative lecture held at the University of Colorado, Denver, featuring John Finnell, ND, PhD(C), MPH, and Sharad Kohli, MD.
Medical Integrity
The Institute for Natural Medicine holds its leadership, medical experts, and content team to the highest evidence-based and peer-reviewed research and medical standards. We recognize that our value is only as great as your trust in us to produce accurate, meaningful, and safe health content. We utilize a rigorous editorial process and commitment to medical ethics to earn that trust.
INM’s interprofessionally-acclaimed publication, “Naturopathic Physicians as Whole Health Specialists: The Future is Whole Person Health Care” (2020), has been instrumental in defining naturopathic medicine’s role in the greater healthcare landscape. INM’s leadership has continued to make significant contributions through the Integrative Medicine Clinician’s Journal and collaborations with the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (AIHM), the Integrative Health Policy Consortium (IHPC), and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Committed to impactful research that shows the efficacy of natural treatment options, INM’s research arm is continually developing new clinical studies and educational programs to expand the evidence base for natural and integrative treatment options. Our research is practical, seeking to identify areas where preventative, natural treatments can make significant impacts on community health and chronic disease.
INM has proudly partnered with the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) to advance the education of practitioners, patients, and consumers concerning the safety and quality of dietary supplements. INM also works toward safer, high-quality supplement education and usage with the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) and the American Botanical Council.
The Institute has also represented naturopathic medicine at the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)‘s Whole Person Healthcare Stakeholder meeting.
Content Team
Executive Editor
Staff Writers
Vision
Whole person health enriched by the medicine of nature
Mission
Do everything we can to enhance the human potential for health
History
Founded in 1993 as a non-profit 501(c)3 in Oregon, INM was initially established to engage in philanthropy and advance public education concerning naturopathic medicine. Here is an overview of our journey:
1997:
- INM reorganizes and advances under the new leadership of INM Chair and NCNM President, Clyde Jensen, PhD.
2001:
- INM helps launch the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) with core staff support. AANMC seeks to advance the naturopathic medical profession by actively supporting the academic efforts of accredited naturopathic medical schools.
2003:
- INM plays a key role in obtaining licensure for naturopathic doctors in California.
2013:
- INM restructures for the future. Michelle Simon, ND, PhD, from the Board of Directors of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), is nominated and confirmed as the new INM Board chair.
- INM launches the Naturopathic Medicine Collaborative (NMC), a profession-wide stakeholder assembly including AANP, AANMC, state associations, specialty societies, and the Naturopathic Medical Student Association (NMSA). Initially, 42 organizations are invited to join.
2015:
- Inaugural Naturally Well children’s nutritional education program launched at West San Gabriel Valley YMCA for both children and their families.
2016:
- INM’s Community Outreach Coordinator Heather Carrie, MAS launches the Ambassador Program to help amplify accurate and up-to-date information on naturopathic medicine.
2017:
- INM and AANP launch the Campaign for Naturopathic Medicine, the first sustained national public awareness campaign on naturopathic medicine with a goal to provide a foundation of accurate, positive, targeted information about naturopathic medicine in media.
- INM launches a Patient Gallery with grateful patient testimonials from naturopathic medicine featured on the INM website.
- 250 children are taught cooking, diet, and nutrition through the third Naturally Well health and wellness program.
2018:
- The Naturopathic Medicine Collaborative (NMC) Summit on the Future of Naturopathic Medicine is held on July 11, 2018.
- INM announces ten inaugural residency sites established for the INM Residency Consortium (IRC). It begins efforts to help educate and further the careers of naturopathic doctors by organizing and leading residency programs for graduating naturopathic doctors with grants, continuing education credits, and business best-practice classes to help them achieve greater success in their future clinical practice.
- INM launches the Primary Care Task Force (PCTF) to promote workforce expansion of community health centers to include ND primary care physicians.
2019:
- INM hosts the Future of Naturopathic Medicine Conversation over the course of the year, with over 700 NDs participating
- INM is awarded Guidestar Silver Transparency Status, a testament to its credibility and commitment to transparency, and continues to receive this distinction until awarded the Guidestar Gold Transparency designation in 2021.
2020:
- INM publishes and receives interprofessional acclaim for its groundbreaking publication: Naturopathic Physicians as Whole Health Specialists: The Future is Whole Person Health Care.
- An Online Housecall webinar series is launched featuring natural health best practices from naturopathic doctors during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- INM’s website receives a half million visitors, dwarfing the previous record.
2021
- Guidestar Gold Transparency awarded, which continues to the present.
- INM’s President & CEO, Michelle Simon, Ph.D., ND, presents at the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Strauss Wisneski Lecture series on “Developing Resilience in an Era of COVID.“
- INM’s ND and MD/DO Advisory Boards are established.
- INM’s President & CEO, Michelle Simon, Ph.D., ND, publishes alongside INM Board members, Joseph Pizzorno, ND, and Joseph Katzinger, ND, Modifiable Risk Factors in Sars CoV-2 in Integrative Medicine Clinician’s Journal (open source in PubMed).
2022
- NMSA-INM Business Series webinars launch to prepare ND students to run their clinics succcessfully.
- Dr. Simon participates as an invited panelist at the NIH NCCIH Sponsored Stakeholder Meeting for Research on Whole Person Health.
- INM reaches the top 8%, budget size-wise, of an estimated 1.7 million US non-profits.
- INM launches a new Find an ND directory at www.FindaNaturalDoctor.com
- INM Residency Consortium rolls out a pilot program with the first six of 82 drafted naturopathic primary care residency competencies known as Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs).
2023
- INM Interprofessional Educational Series Launched with Complex Pain Management Webinar at UC Anschutz Medical Center, John Finnel, ND, LAc
- Naturally Well classes launched at long-term partner Eje Academies Charter School, El Cajon, CA
- Inaugural Food as Medicine clinical research program launched with participants in rural Cabarrus County, NC
Affiliations
Naturopathic Medicine Collaborative (NMC): We host a group of more than 80 stakeholder organizations in the naturopathic medical community to collaborate on naturopathic medical research and partner on campaigns that support the profession.
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP): INM is proud to be collaborating with AANP on the dynamic Campaign for Naturopathic Medicine to increase awareness of naturopathic medicine through foundational articles, inspiring patient testimonials, social media outreach, and more.
Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC): AANMC was established in 2001 to advance the naturopathic medical profession by actively supporting the academic efforts of accredited and recognized schools of naturopathic medicine. We are proud to partner with AANMC in inspiring and supporting the next generation of naturopathic doctors.
American Botanical Council (ABC): Together, INM and ABC are collaborating on an herbal guide for consumers.
Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM): INM is an organizational member of the AIHM.
EJE Academies: EJE Academies, a bilingual charter school in El Cajon, CA, is licensed to deliver Naturally Well kids healthy living and nutritional education program to 3rd and 5th grade classes.
Naturopathic Academy of Primary Care Physicians (NAPCP): INM and NAPCP collaborate on educational events for the INM Residency Consortium and through the Primary Care Taskforce.
Naturopathic Medical Student Association (NMSA): INM and NMSA have an agreement to work collaboratively together. Together, they produced a business success webinar series and have successfully collaborated on joint fundraising efforts for mutually beneficial initiatives.
Northwest Rural Primary Care Association (NWRPCA): INM and the NWRPCA collaborate on the Primary Care Outreach Taskforce and on a job board in community health centers and FQHCs.
United Natural Products Association (UNPA: INM and UNPA have agreed to collaborate on educating practitioners, patients, and consumers concerning the safety and quality of dietary supplements.
World Naturopathic Federation (WNF): INM is an organizational member of the WNF and had participated in stakeholder position statements and letters.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Institute for Natural Medicine (INM) recognizes that health equity can only be achieved by meaningfully addressing the social determinants of health that contribute to health disparities in our communities. Each person possesses intersecting identities based on, but not limited to, their age, racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, gender, socioeconomic, and physical dis/abilities. INM strives to provide comprehensive whole person health education that honors the diversity of traditions, cultures, and ways of life within the human experience. We believe that awareness of how these factors interact with one another is the most effective way to provide equitable and comprehensive healthcare access, education, and research for all ages and people.
As an organization, we reaffirm that the foundations of whole health and integrative medicine are inseparable from the core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We strive to be an anti-racist institution that acknowledges the structural inequities in our society and, in particular, our healthcare system. Through our promotion of holistic practices, whole person health care, natural health, and integrative medicine, we seek to meaningfully contribute towards a society that equitably supports the health of all people.
In our messaging, we seek to elevate the voices of historically marginalized groups. We consider accessibility as a significant factor when disseminating our materials. We commit to considering diversity and cultural background when hiring.
INM is committed to adapting and collaborating across systems to empower all people in their health, including communities of color, indigenous populations, LGBTQIA2S+ Americans, and other historically marginalized and underserved communities.
Ads & Sponsorship
INM remains steadfast in its commitment to independent and unbiased content creation, prioritizing the interests of our audience and mission over the influence of paid ads or sponsors.
INM is funded through a combination of individual donors, corporate sponsors, and organizational partnerships. We transparently list all of our current donors and funders on our Donors and Sponsors page. Our content and editorial decisions are never influenced by our sponsors or donors.
Collaborative content with our partners (such as the AANP) or collaborative programs with any of our sponsors are clearly marked and co-branded. In such cases, partner organizations may review or provide input on programs or content. However, in all such cases, INM continues to hold all our collaborative work to our high standards of medical integrity, accuracy, and integrity.
We also choose not to display paid advertisements on our website or on any of our affiliate program websites. This is an intentional decision to protect the integrity of the information we share with our audience, ensuring that we only share accurate and trustworthy information on natural medicine.
Terms & Conditions
INM aims to educate, raise awareness, and work to improve your access to a system of natural healing led by naturopathic doctors. Content on this website is not meant to diagnose or treat individuals and is not a substitute for consulting with your doctor. Always seek assessments and treatment from qualified health professionals for your conditions and concerns. If you suspect you or a loved one are experiencing a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
Privacy Policy
INM is dedicated to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. We may collect information such as your name, email address, and other relevant details to improve your experience with our services. We will never share your information with third parties without your explicit consent, except when required by law. Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for enhancing functionality and tailoring content to your preferences.
We take all necessary precautions to protect your data, maintain its accuracy, and ensure its confidentiality. By using our services, you agree to this policy and any updates made to it. Please visit this page to view the full Privacy Policy:
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