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A Legacy of Advancing Natural Health

Our continuing commitment.

Decades of advocating. Decades of education. Decades of leading the conversation around natural health and access to natural medicine.

The world has evolved dramatically since our founding, yet the demand and opportunity for accessible, evidence-based natural health continues to grow stronger. The work that we and our partners have accomplished over the last 30 years has forever changed the landscape of natural health. And we’re just getting started.

Join us as we honor our legacy and advance toward a brighter future where whole-person health is accessible to all. 

Tax Deductible

1993

Institute of Natural Medicine (INM) is incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)3 in Oregon by James Sensenig, ND, Harry Swope III, ND, Vida Fassler, and Bob Timberlake. Founding board includes J. Sensenig (founding Chair), R. Timberlake, M. Werness, H. Swope, W. Fassler, V. Fassler, and J. Strohecker. Sue Yirku becomes founding Executive Director (until 2013).

FOUNDATIONS 1993 – 2013

1997

INM reorganizes and advances under the new leadership of INM Chair and NCNM President, Clyde Jensen, PhD.

2003

INM plays a key role in obtaining licensure for naturopathic doctors in California.

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.

2013

Joseph Pizzorno, ND, on the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) Board of Directors, is asked by Executive Director Sue Yirku to develop a plan for INM’s future. Dr. Simon nominates a new Board, which is approved by AANP President M. Cronin and existing INM Board members. INM inaugurates the new Board, including M. Simon, H. Lucille, M. Cronin, T. Kruzel, S. Stark, B. Milliman, and M. Werness. Dr. Werness is carried over from the founding board. New bylaws are drafted and approved.

INM 2.0
2013 – 2018

2013

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.

The NMC is launched by Dr. Simon, President and CEO, V. Campbell, P. Snider, and M. Beeson.

2015

Inaugural Naturally Well  program launches at the West San Gabriel Valley YMCA in collaboration with the Food as Medicine Institute based at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). Aiming to support lifelong health for children and their families in at-risk communities, the program is led by M. Simon, M. Fitzpatrick, and A. Santiago.

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 launches a Patient Gallery with grateful patient testimonials from naturopathic medicine featured on the INM website.

2017

INM and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (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.

2017

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, at the AANP Convention in San Diego, CA.

Felt by many as a “watershed moment” initiative to strengthen the culture of collaboration in the profession and address opportunities, tensions, diversity, unity, and the future.

The Summit is spearheaded by Margaret Beeson, ND, with Michelle Simon, Ph.D. (INM), Laura Farr (AANP), and Jeana Kimball, ND, LM, MPH (the Vision Group).

The planning team to “hold the whole” includes the Vision Group and the Planning Team: individuals from INM, AANP, AANMC (JoAnn Yanez, ND, MPH), NMSA (Blake Langley, ND candidate), the State Alliance (Emily Telfair, ND), Research (Joshua Goldenberg, ND), NMI (Harry Swope, ND, DHANP), ANR (Node Smith, ND), FNM (Pamela Snider, ND), and Maryland University of Integrative Health (Abigail Aeroya, ND, LM).

EXPANSION  2018 – 2022

whole person health

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.

2018

INM launches the Primary Care Task Force (PCTF) to promote workforce expansion of community health centers to include ND primary care physicians.

The founding taskforce includes Michelle Simon, Ph.D., ND, Pamela Snider, ND, Tom Bell, ND, Kelsey Klausmeyer, ND, Hannah Gordon, ND, RN, Stephen LaBreque (ND student), Eva Kozura, ND, and Nate Thomas from the Northwest Rural Primary Care Association.

2019

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.

2019

INM hosts the Future of Naturopathic Medicine Conversation over the course of the year, with over 700 NDs participating.

2020

INM publishes and receives interprofessional acclaim for its groundbreaking publication Naturopathic Physicians as Whole Health Specialists: The Future is Whole Person Health Care.

2020

An Online Housecall webinar series is launched featuring natural health best practices from naturopathic doctors during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

2020

INM’s website receives a half million visitors, dwarfing the previous record.

2021

Guidestar Gold Transparency is awarded to INM, which continues to the present.

2021

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.

2021

INM’s ND and MD/DO Advisory Boards are established.

2021

INM’s President & CEO, Michelle Simon, PhD, 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 successfully.

BUILDING A BOLD FUTURE 
2022 – ?

2022

Dr. Simon participates as an invited panelist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) NCCIH Sponsored Stakeholder Meeting for Research on Whole Person Health.

2022

INM launches a new Find an ND directory at www.FindaNaturalDoctor.com.

2022

INM reaches the top 8%, budget size-wise, of an estimated 1.7 million US non-profits.

2022

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

2023

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.

The NMC is launched by Dr. Simon, President and CEO, V. Campbell, P. Snider, and M. Beeson.

Naturally Well classes launch at long-term partner Eje Academies Charter School, El Cajon, CA

2023

Inaugural Food as Medicine clinical research program launches with participants in rural Cabarrus County, NC

2024

2024

2024

2024

2024

NMSA-INM Business Series webinars launch to prepare ND students to run their clinics successfully.

2024

2024

2024

Support the future of natural medicine.

It takes passion, determination, and vision to make change. But we can’t do it alone. 

Join us in our mission to share the healing power of nature and share the scientifically-backed principles of natural medicine with patients around the world. Your involvement with the Institute for Natural Medicine will enable us to make a profound impact in healthcare: stemming the tide of preventable chronic diseases and empowering individuals to lead healthier, more balanced lives. Everywhere.

The founding taskforce includes Michelle Simon, Ph.D., ND, Pamela Snider, ND, Tom Bell, ND, Kelsey Klausmeyer, ND, Hannah Gordon, ND, RN, Stephen LaBreque (ND student), Eva Kozura, ND, and Nate Thomas from the Northwest Rural Primary Care Association.

The NMC is launched by Dr. Simon, President and CEO, V. Campbell, P. Snider, and M. Beeson.

The Summit is spearheaded by Margaret Beeson, ND, with Michelle Simon, Ph.D. (INM), Laura Farr (AANP), and Jeana Kimball, ND, LM, MPH (the Vision Group).

Felt by many as a “watershed moment” initiative to strengthen the culture of collaboration in the profession and address opportunities, tensions, diversity, unity, and the future.

The planning team to “hold the whole” includes the Vision Group and the Planning Team: individuals from INM, AANP, AANMC (JoAnn Yanez, ND, MPH), NMSA (Blake Langley, ND candidate), the State Alliance (Emily Telfair, ND), Research (Joshua Goldenberg, ND), NMI (Harry Swope, ND, DHANP), ANR (Node Smith, ND), FNM (Pamela Snider, ND), and Maryland University of Integrative Health (Abigail Aeroya, ND, LM).

Led by M. Simon, G. Garcia, J. Rentz, M. Henriksen, N. Shiffler, M. Prenguber, and J. Guiltinan.

INM’s Naturally Well program launches at the West San Gabriel Valley YMCA in collaboration with the Food as Medicine Institute based at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). Aiming to support lifelong health for children and their families in at-risk communities, the program is led by M. Simon, M. Fitzpatrick, and A. Santiago.

Joseph Pizzorno, ND, on the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) Board of Directors, is asked by Executive Director Sue Yirku to develop a plan for INM’s future. Dr. Simon nominates a new Board, which is approved by AANP President M. Cronin and existing INM Board members. INM inaugurates the new Board, including M. Simon, H. Lucille, M. Cronin, T. Kruzel, S. Stark, B. Milliman, and M. Werness. Dr. Werness is carried over from the founding board. New bylaws are drafted and approved.

1993: Institute of Natural Medicine (INM) is incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)3 in Oregon by James Sensenig, ND, Harry Swope III, ND, Vida Fassler, and Bob Timberlake. Founding board includes J. Sensenig (founding Chair), R. Timberlake, M. Werness, H. Swope, W. Fassler, V. Fassler, and J. Strohecker. Sue Yirku becomes founding Executive Director (until 2013).

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