National University’s naturopathic medicine students are back to their studies with renewed vigor after attending the recent 2012 Naturopathic Gathering. The annual event was hosted here at NUHS, and serves as a conclave of naturopathic students, physicians and leaders from across North America. Lectures, small group discussions and a variety of social activities offered a chance for mentoring for ND students from seasoned naturopathic medicine practitioners.

During the Gathering at NUHS, each naturopathic school was represented by a special willow wreath.

“From the dancers, drummers, talking stick and wreath hanging in the opening ceremony to the heartfelt poetry in the closing ceremony, it was an experience of a lifetime!!” says Shaon Hines, ND student at National University.

“The 2012 Naturopathic Gathering was an amazing chance for students to hear from experienced naturopathic practitioners about subjects important to the profession,” says Joshua Burns, president of the university’s Naturopathic Medicine Student Association.  “The speakers presented a variety of subjects and students had various options to choose from depending on their interests.

Judy Fulop, ND, faculty member at NUHS, spoke from
her experience as an integrative medicine professional.

“I was ecstatic to see the smiles on the faces of students from NUHS and elsewhere.  From the number of happy students and speakers I spoke to, the NUHS students really did an amazing job putting on this event!”

Organizers made every effort to keep the event green and respectful of nature by serving natural, healthy foods and providing compost bins and compostable tableware.   Water coolers were available to refill personal water bottles to discourage pre-bottled water.

“We had such an amazing turn-out from the other schools,” says Alison Egeland of NUHS, one of the event planners. “It was very inspiring to learn from ND’s with fifteen or more years experience.”

Another ND student active in organizing the event, Tim Ammons, wrote about his reflections on the Gathering in his student blog.

Students benefitted from the experience of long-time ND physicians and experts.

Each year, a special vote near the conclusion of the Gathering determines which naturopathic school will host the next year’s event. The students from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine were chosen to host the 2013 Gathering.  National University was especially proud to have been chosen as host this year, given that it is the newest accredited naturopathic medicine school, and the only accredited program in the Midwest.