Conference Presenters
Lisa Amerine, ND DABHM
Dr. Lisa Amerine, ND DABHM is a Naturopathic Doctor with an expertise in homeopathy practicing in Lafayette, Colorado. After attaining her Naturopathic Doctorate degree from Sonoran University of Health Sciences in 2004, Dr. Amerine went on to become one of few doctors in the country who have achieved Diplomate status with the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (DHANP).
Dr. Amerine has been passionate about homeopathy since childhood and has dedicated her entire life to this medicine. She founded her practice, Pure Homeopathy in 2004, where she treats people of all ages and all ranges of disease with a goal of restoring a vibrant health. In addition to her busy practice, she is the current President of the American Institute of Homeopathy, the oldest national medical organization in the United States. She represents the United States as the National Vice President for an international organization known as the Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis. Dr. Amerine also serves on the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians where she is a past president and the current treasurer. Dr. Amerine has spoken nationally and internationally sharing and teaching her passion of homeopathy.
Stephan Baumgartner Ph.D.
University of Witten-Herdecke, Institute of Integrative Medicine, University of Bern, Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine
Born 1965 in Munich, Germany. 1990 Master in Experimental Physics (University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland). 1995 PhD in Environmental Sciences (Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland). 2013 Habilitation in Experimental Medicine (Faculty for Health, University of Witten-Herdecke, Germany).
1996–2008 Senior Research Scientist (Hiscia Institute, Society for Cancer Research, Arlesheim, Switzerland, as well as at the Institute of Complementary Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland). Since 2009 Lecturer at the University of Bern, and since 2019 deputy director of the Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Since 2011 Senior Research Scientist and since 2023 Professor at the University of Witten-Herdecke, Germany.
Undergraduate and graduate teaching for students of medicine and pharmaceutical sciences; thesis advisor; professional formations for physicians, pharmacists, and homeopathic practitioners.
Research focus: basic, preclinical and clinical research as well as systematic reviews in homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine. 96 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 75 other scientific publications.
Leoni Bonamin, DVM, MSc, PhD.
Leoni (born in 1965) is a Veterinarian from the University of São Paulo (USP, 1987), with a Master degree (1990) and a PhD (1995) in Experimental and Comparative Pathology from the same university. In 2015, she completed her post-doctorate in Environmental and Experimental Pathology at the University Paulista (UNIP, São Paulo), where she has been a professor since 1991. During her PhD program, she completed a “sandwich” internship at the École Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon (ENVL), France (1992-1993), with financial support from the Brazilian government entity CAPES.
She is a Full Professor of Pathology in the undergraduate program in Veterinary Medicine and a permanent professor in the Graduate Program in Environmental and Experimental Pathology, both offered by UNIP, São Paulo, since 2003.
She has been involved in basic research in homeopathy and high dilutions since 1997, when she met her primary scientific mentor, Prof. Madeleine BASTIDE, from the University of Montpellier I. In 1998, she was accepted as a member of the scientific society GIRI (“Groupe International de Recherche sur l´infinitésimal”), founded in 1986. She later served as President (2002-2008) and Vice-President (2008-2014) of GIRI and has since served as Editor of this society. She has edited two books on the most relevant topics addressed at GIRI conferences, the first published in 2008 (Springer, ISBN: 978-1-4020-8534-5) and the second published in 2019 in partnership with Prof. Silvia Waisse (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-5275-3252-6). Since 2015, she has served as Deputy Editor of the “Homeopathy” journal (Thieme Publishers), which is maintained by the Faculty of Homeopathy in London. Since 2017, she has served as Editor-in-Chief of the “International Journal of High Dilution Research” (IJHDR), which GIRI and its partner institutions maintain. In 2024, Leoni had significant scientific production with 136 articles published in scientific journals, 4 organized books, and 12 book chapters, resulting in Factor H = 12 (according to Web of Science).
Leoni’s research topics are varied. At the beginning of her career, she studied the systemic effects of dynamized high dilutions in rodents, then went on to study the cellular and molecular effects in vitro. Currently, she is researching bio-resilience as the primary mode of action of dynamized high dilutions. For this, she uses alternative animal models, such as Artemia spp. Leoni has recently dedicated herself to field studies on the traceability of the physical-chemical signals of dynamized high dilutions in lakes and watercourses, enabling their rational and large-scale use in agriculture, livestock, and environmental management. This initiative consolidated a new line of research called “environmental homeopathy.” In 2016, she organized an educational website about the research in this area since the 1980s (www.biodilutions.com).
Prof. Jayesh Bellare Ph.D
Prof. Jayesh Bellare is “BIS Chair Professor” of Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and former Head of Biosciences and Bioengineering. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Science, India, and presently he is its General Secretary. He is also a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and the Electron Microscopy Society of India, amongst others. He is an expert in nanomedicines (across all systems of medicine); biomedical devices; biodegradable implants for regenerative medicine; hollow fiber membranes, 3D printed resorbable scaffolds; and cryo-electron microscopy. His group was the first to provide concrete proof of presence of a highly-potent class of nanoparticles in Homeopathic medicines despite high dilution well beyond Avogadro’s limits of dilution, and that the nanoparticles are capable of biological action despite their low concentration through the biological process of hormesis. He has set up a cGMP facility at IITB and obtained a trial manufacturing license from DCGI/CDSCO for a bone graft study that was successfully completed at AIIMS Delhi. This innovation is now the basis of a startup. Another innovation is in membranes for pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. His major awards include: the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Government of India for his work in nanomedicines; Lifetime Achievement Award of Cryo Electron Microscopy and 3D Image Processing Society of India; the Presidential Award of the Electron Microscopy Society of America; the H H Mathur award for Excellence in Research at IITB; and the NASI-Reliance Platinum Jubilee Award for application-oriented research. He has been on the research or governing councils of several leading institutions; on several Government panels; and has served on the board of directors or advisors of several companies, and as mentor with several deep-tech startups.
Dr. Abhijit Chakma, MD (Hom)
Dr. Abhijit Chakma, MD, (Hom) is a Research Officer (Homoeopathy)/Scientist-2 for the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) (Under Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India). He is currently working at the Regional Research Institute of Homoeopathy, Agartala (Under CCRH, Ministry of AYUSH, GoI)
His current research activities are focused on:
- Clinical Research (OA Knee, Assessment of susceptibility, drug validation in chronic cough, Clinical verification, Chronic Kidney Disease, Molluscum Contagiosum, Homoeopathic Adverse Drug Reaction)
- Public Health Research (School Health Program)
- Nodal officer for NABH/NABL, SC camps, SRP camps (earlier), Pharmacovigilance on ASU&H Drugs
- Nodal Officer for IT related
- Apart from these other works- day to day works includes protocol preparation, looking after reporting of monthly reports of all projects, health camps, melas, CMEs & horticulture works, OPD/IPD issues of the institute.
Steven Cartwright, Ph.D
Steven Cartwright holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in molecular biology. After 10 years at the universities of California Santa Cruz and Oxford developing techniques in cryoenzymology, he went on to train in homeopathy. Dr Cartwright has been carrying out basic research in homeopathy using solvatochromic dyes since 2010. In 2021 he set up and now runs the Cherwell Laboratory for Fundamental Research in Homeopathy in Oxford, dedicated to understanding the physico-chemical nature of homeopathic potencies. He has published extensively on the subject.
Dr. Juan Carlos Gamba, MD
Dr. Juan Carlos Gamba is a Colombian physician (MD) with postgraduate studies in homeopathy. He integrates homeopathy as a key element in his medical practice, particularly in the treatment of challenging pathologies, for which he is widely recognized in his professional field. Dr. Gamba has had the privilege of training under renowned homeopaths, including his two main mentors, André Saine and George Dimitriadis. He has delivered lectures both in Colombia and internationally, earning broad acclaim for his contributions. He graduated as a physician from the National University of Colombia and obtained his specialization in homeopathy from the Luis G. Páez University Foundation (UNIPAEZ). Dr. Gamba is also a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Homeopathy. He is an active member of the Homeopathic Medical Association of Colombia (ASMHOC), where he serves on the academic committee.
In 2023, Dr. Gamba received TBRm teacher certification from the Hahnemann Institute in Sydney, further underscoring his dedication to advancing homeopathic practices.
Dr. Gamba’s medical practice focuses on the management of refractory chronic pain, autoimmune diseases, and support for oncology patients, all through an integrative approach that incorporates homeopathy.
Michelle Dossett MD, Ph.D.
Dr. Michelle Dossett is an Associate Professor in Residence and Associate Director of Physician Well-Being at the University of California, Davis. She is board-certified in both internal medicine and integrative medicine. She received her MD and PhD in immunology from the University of Washington. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine and research fellowship in complementary and integrative medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. In addition, she received her MPH degree from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Dossett’s research interests include mind-body medicine, the therapeutic effect of the patient-clinician interaction, clinician well-being, and homeopathy.
Michael Frass, MD
Michael Frass, MD, is a retired Professor of Medicine, Medical University of Vienna (MUV), Vienna, Austria. He is a specialist in Internal Medicine and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, Classical Homeopathy
From 1992 to 2004 he was Director, Intensive Care Unit, Department of Internal Medicine I, MUV. From 2004 to 2019 he served as Director, Outpatient Unit “Homeopathy in Malignant Diseases”, Division of Clinical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine I, MUV.
He is currently the Vice President ”Doctors Association for Classical Homeopathy,” President of the “Austrian Umbrella Association for Medical Holistic Medicine,” and Chairperson of WissHom: Scientific Society for Homeopathy
He invented, developed, and evaluated the Esophageal Tracheal CombitubeTM. The Combitube is included as a Class IIa device in the Guidelines of the American Heart Association (AHA).
Dr. Frass is known for his research in multiple fields of intensive care medicine, airway management and homeopathy.
Alastair Gray Ph.D
Alastair Gray has a PhD in Public Health. More specifically he is an expert at the intersection of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) and education. Much of his research has a focus on technologies in TCIM practice and learning technologies in the education of future CM practitioners. He is the Research Director at HOHM Foundation. Further, he teaches at and heads the academic and operations departments at the Academy of Homeopathy Education (AHE). In addition, he holds various consulting roles: academic (College of Health and Homeopathy, NZ), educational (National Centre for Integrative Medicine, UK), as well as consulting to many organizations on homeopathic provings and e-learning world-wide. A regular seminar and conference presenter globally and having spent a decade in the higher education arena in Australia, he is the author of 26 books and innumerable peer-reviewed and industry articles on primary research in TCIM and homeopathy. Originally educated as an historian, he teaches the history of health, healing and medicine at schools, colleges and universities in multiple countries. Alastair has been in clinical practice for 36 years.
Paul Herscu, ND, DHANP, MPH
Dr. Paul Herscu, ND has practiced since 1986 and is an original thinker, international teacher, and prolific author in the field of homeopathy. He is the AANP 2016 Vis Award Winner. His first book, The Homeopathic Treatment of Children: Pediatric Constitutional Types is required reading in many training programs. His philosophy of homeopathic medicine, Cycles and Segments offers a unified and organized approach to this often difficult-to-teach modality. Dr. Herscu also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health and has numerous published papers on study design for natural medicine and in the application of natural medicine approaches in the public health sector. He also creates clinical prediction tools to share with colleagues and has been a prolific writer on current health care challenges. Dr. Herscu was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts to serve as the inaugural chair of the Naturopathic Licensing Board in 2018, a position he continues to enjoy, helping articulate the rules and regulations for the naturopathic profession in the state. He teaches through the New England School of Homeopathy. In his spare time, he enjoys the good life with family and friends in Western MA including a new granddaughter, and can be found over the chess board, making creations in the kitchen, and on the ballroom dance floor.
John A. Ives, Ph.D.
Now a consulting bio-scientist, Dr. Ives was Senior Director of the Center for Brain, Mind, and Healing at the Samueli Institute for 16 years. Research efforts under his direction included the use of dietary supplements for the treatment of leukodystrophies and traumatic brain injury, and a vigorous research program into the underlying mechanisms of homeopathy, its anti-viral and anti-cancer effects, and the modification of the immunological response in general. Dr. Ives led a worldwide Institute effort in systems biology. He has spoken on these topics at scientific meetings as well as written book chapters and numerous research papers on these and related topics. Within the scientific homeopathic community, he is probably best known for his “silica hypothesis” and the role of nano-particles in homeopathy and the treatment of cancer.
Dr. Ives received his Ph.D. in Biology from Georgetown University where he went on to hold a position as Associate Research Professor. Under an Intergovernmental Personnel Act award, Dr. Ives established and managed the Biophysics Laboratory at the Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) in Bethesda, Maryland from 1986 – 1989. While at NMRI, John studied the electrophysiology of rat pineal gland and cellular mechanisms underlying biorhythm regulation. He also has published work on the neuroimmunological regulation of human immune cells. He was Senior Director at the Samueli Institute from its inception in 2001 until its closing in 2016.
Wayne Jonas, MD
For more than 30 years, Dr. Wayne Jonas has studied the science of healing. Whether in the lab at NIH, in the field as an Army physician, or in practice at a civilian hospital, Dr. Jonas has spent his career investigating how to activate the body’s inherent healing capacity.
His intense curiosity drove him to explore healing traditions around the globe with the World Health Organization and seek best practices in the healer’s art. Later, while serving as the first Director of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine, Dr. Jonas brought scientific scrutiny to these healing traditions and helped build the evidence base for therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, and meditation. As a family physician, Dr. Jonas incorporated evidence-based healing practices to help his patients find non-pharmacological relief for chronic pain and stress.
A true pioneer in providing integrative health that is focused on prevention, wellness and optimal health, Dr. Jonas will, through stories from his military career, his scientific investigation and his personal practice as a family physician, inspire audiences of practitioners, patients or policy-makers to rethink their role in creating health and wellbeing.
Dr. Lee Kayne Ph.D
Lee Kayne graduated in Pharmacy in Birmingham, UK and gained a PhD in Molecular Biology in Nottingham, UK before a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, USA. He returned to his native Scotland in 1999, becoming managing director and chief pharmacist at Freeman’s Homeopathic Pharmacy in Glasgow. With his father Steven, he established Saltire Books in 2007, an independent publishing company for homeopathy textbooks.
Lee is President of the UK Faculty of Homeopathy, Chair of the Scottish Homeopathic Research & Educational Trust (SHRET) and an active participant in both the European Committee for Homeopathy (ECH) and the LMHI. He is involved with pharmacy education in both homeopathy and conventional practice and has taught around the world. He is the co-author of the book Homeopathic Prescribing.
Raj Manchanda, MD (H), MBA
Chairperson, Homoeopathic Sectional Committee, Ayush Department, Bureau of Indian Standards, Govt. of India; Special Secretary for Organizational development & Public Policy, Liga Medicorum Homoeopathica Internationalis (www.lmhi.org) ; Board Member, Traditional Complementary and Integrative Health Coalition (www.tcih.org) ; Chief Medical Officer (H) Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, New Delhi, India (e-mail: rkmanchanda@gmail.com).
Lakshmi Sreedharan Nair, MPhil, PhD, FNAI
Dr. Nair is an Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Program Director, Skeletal Biology and Regeneration Graduate Program. She received her Ph.D. from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST) and was a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Drexel University
Dr. Nair was selected as a Fellow of the United States National Academy of Inventors and the Society of Biomaterials and Artificial Organs
She was also selected as the Core Member of NIH Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) Musculoskeletal, Orthopedic, Oral, Rheumatology, Rehab, Skin, at the National Institutes of Health
A significant part of Dr. Nair’s research is committed to developing injectable and biomimetic biomaterials and identifying bioactive molecules that could accelerate tissue regeneration. She has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has edited several books in the area of Biomaterials and Regenerative engineering.
Menachem Oberbaum, MD
Menachem Oberbaum, MD, is the founder and former Director of the Center for Integrated Complementary Medicine at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, where he served until his retirement. He also founded the “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” module at the Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which remains active.
Dr. Oberbaum earned his medical degree summa cum laude from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Vienna, Austria, in 1977. He received formal training in homeopathy at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Homeopathy in Vienna and pursued further specialization in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, and Greece.
From 1982 to 1987, he served as Chair of the Israeli Organization of Homeopathic Physicians. He was a founding member and Vice President (1991–1993) of GIRI (International Research Group on High Dilution Research), later serving as its President from 1993 to 1995. Since 2004, he has been a Fellow of the British Faculty of Homeopathy and a member of the Israeli Society for Complementary Medicine of the Israel Medical Association.
Dr. Oberbaum was awarded the Hans Reckeweg Award in 2005 for his contributions to homo-toxicological research. He established the first academic course in Complementary Medicine at an Israeli medical school—at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva.
He currently serves as Deputy Editor of Homeopathy, the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the field, and sits on the editorial boards of several scientific journals. Dr. Oberbaum has authored and co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and five book chapters.
Biplab Kumar Paul, Ph.D.
Dr. Biplab Kumar Paul is an Associate Professor at the University of Engineering and Management, Kolkata, India. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Jadavpur University and has over a decade of research and teaching experience in materials science and its industrial applications. Alongside his extensive work on advanced functional materials, Dr. Paul has carried out pioneering studies on the physical and electrical properties of homeopathic medicines, demonstrating that metallic nanoparticles in ultra-high dilutions exhibit distinct morphology, dielectric behaviour, and charge storage capabilities. His findings have been published in reputed journals such as Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, Journal of Electronic Materials, Materials research innovations, Journal of Electroceramics, Homeopathy, etc.
Through his interdisciplinary approach, Dr. Paul bridges modern materials science and homeopathy, highlighting the role of nanostructures and quantum-level interactions in ultra-diluted medicines. He has presented his work at national and international forums, contributed to books and conferences, and collaborated with research institutes, universities, and industries. His research not only provides a scientific foundation for understanding homeopathic remedies but also opens new pathways for their application in advanced electronic and energy storage devices.
Rachel Roberts, FSHom, FFHom (Hon)
Chief Executive
Rachel has a First-Class Honours degree in Biological Sciences specialising in Physiology from the University of Birmingham. She graduated from the College of Homeopathy, London in 1997 and was in private practice as a homeopath until 2012. Rachel has lectured in homeopathy and medical sciences at various colleges in the UK and overseas. She held the post of Research Consultant for the Society of Homeopaths from 2008-2012 and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in 2013 to acknowledge her outstanding contribution to Homeopathy. Rachel joined the HRI part-time in 2010 and has worked for the Institute on a full-time basis since 2012. In 2018 Rachel was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Faculty of Homeopathy for her highly regarded work in the field of homeopathic research.
Elio Rossi, MD
Medical Doctor Specializing in Homeopathy in Integrative Oncology, Italy
Graduated with honors in Medicine at the University of Milan in 1979. Specialized in Infectious Diseases, began practicing homeopathy in 1979. Member of Homeopathia Europea since 1984. Lecturer of the University course on Integrative oncology at the University “La Sapienza”, Rome (2020-24) and Camerino (2023-2025). Fellow of the Faculty of Homoeopathy of London (FFHom) since 1991. Scientific director of the journal Medicina Integrata. Since 1998 till 2023 Director of Complementary Medicine Outpatient Clinic – Hospital of Lucca, Regional Referral Center for Homeopathy and former head of CM in Oncology Clinic since 2013 till 2023. Advisor for CAM projects in international cooperation programs of UNOPS (United Nations) since 1999 and consultant of ART/UNDP Geneve-Bruxelles. Scientific reference of Tuscan Region of the chapter Complementary and alternative medicine in cancer care of the WP7 “Healthcare” of the European Partnership for Action Against Cancer (EPAAC). Member of the Quality Assurance Scheme Development Group of the European Initiative on Breast Cancer. Co-president of the 5th European Congress of Integrative Medicine and of the 2nd World Congress of Integrative Medicine and Health, Rome 2023. Currently Director of the Regional Centre for Integrated Medicine of the Region of Tuscany (CRMI) which includes 77 public complementary medicine clinics, 19 of these offer integrative oncology services. Author of numerous articles published in international peer reviewed journals and books on homeopathy and complementary and integrative medicine.
Prof. Shailendra K Saxena, PhD, FRSC (London), FRSB (UK), FAcadTM (Austria), MASM (USA), MASV (USA)
Dr Shailendra K. Saxena is Vice Dean and distinguished Professor at King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India. He distinguished himself in biomedical profession and has gained worldwide recognition for his immense contributions in eradication of various infectious diseases with an excellent track record working overseas including USA, United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) for several years. His research interests are to understand the molecular mechanisms of host defense during human viral infections and to develop new predictive, preventive, and therapeutic strategies for them using JEV, HIV and emerging viruses as a model, via stem cell and cell culture technologies. He has authored several Books and Book Chapters, which are taught in several countries worldwide, and published several prestigious papers in quality peer-reviewed international journals with high impact factor (Science, PNAS, Nature Medicine) with high citation. His work has been highly cited by numerous investigators globally in various peer-reviewed journals and prestigious books of Microbiology/Virology and monographs. He has been invited to present his research work in various conferences abroad. He has received many awards and honors in India and abroad including various Young Scientist Awards; BBSRC India Partnering Award, UK; Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, USA, funded HIV/AIDS prevention research MERIT Fellowship; Dr. JC Bose National Award of Department of Biotechnology, Min. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India; KGMU-Academic Excellence Award, Springer Nature Award 2018 and Fellow of various national and international prestigious societies/academies including The Royal Society of Chemistry London (FRSC), The Royal Society of Biology UK (FRSB), Academy of Translational Medicine Professionals, Austria, The Academy of Environmental Biology, India (FAEB), Indian Virological Society (FIVS), The Biotech Research Society, India (FBRS), Elected Full Member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society (USA), and is named as the “Global Leader in Science” by The Scientist magazine (USA) and “International Opinion Leader/Expert involved in the vaccination for JE” by IPIC (UK). He has been recognized among the ‘World’s Top 2% Scientists’ by Stanford University, California, USA; ScholarGPS™ (USA) World’s Top 0.05% or better Highly Ranked Scholar-Lifetime™; and ‘Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers.’ His inclusion in these prestigious databases is a testament to his exceptional contributions to global research.
Rajesh Shah, MD
Dr. Rajesh Shah, MD (Homeopathy), is a medically trained homeopath with a distinctive global homeopathic practice in Mumbai, India. His patients include the underprivileged people from the slums in India or Brazil, to scientists, medical doctors, university professors, politicians, Bollywood, and Hollywood stars. He is a physician, researcher, author, academician, and activist. After about ten years of successful practice, he became skeptical about homeopathy around 1995, as he was not satisfied with mere clinical results without having scientific answers to specific fundamental questions. So, he took the challenge personally to prove the scientific efficacy of homeopathy. He started preparing new drugs from scratch and examining their effectiveness. And his research journey has remained ceaseless to this day. He has been thoughtfully and persistently working on New Drug Discovery since 1995. He has conducted experiments in fundamental research, as well as pre-clinical trials, animal trials, experiments using chick-embryo models, plant models, and double-blind, placebo-controlled human trials, in collaboration with approximately fifty mainstream scientists at ten elite government and non-government institutions and universities. He has 39 peer-reviewed publications and fifteen granted patents. He has introduced a scientific method for the development of new nosodes and also developed 12 nosodes demonstrating their immunomodulatory efficacies.
Gary Smyth MD
MB ChB DGM DMH DRCOG DFSRH MRCGP FRSM FRSPH FFHom
Immediate Past President, Faculty of Homeopathy
Dr Gary Smyth is the Immediate Past President of the Faculty of Homeopathy in London. He qualified as a Medical Doctor at the University of Dundee and later enrolled on the Faculty of Homeopathy’s Post-Graduate training at the former Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital and the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, gaining the MFHom qualification in 2013.
Dr Smyth has been a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners since 2008 and a Member of the Faculty of Homeopathy since 2013. Since then, he has been closely associated with many activities of the Faculty of Homeopathy, serving on the Faculty’s Members Committee, Academic Board and Faculty Council, in the roles of Treasurer and Vice President. He was then elected as the 81st President of the Faculty of Homeopathy following the death of Dr Peter Fisher in 2018, a role in which he continued until March 2025. In 2018, he was also awarded a Fellowship of the Faculty of Homeopathy in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Homeopathy. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health.
Dr Smyth is also an Academic Tutor and is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate education. In addition, he has an interest in the licensing and regulation of Homeopathic medicines and has an interest in research and acts as a peer reviewer for the international research journal, “Homeopathy”.
He advocates an integrative approach to healthcare, with Homeopathy at the centre of his practice, ensuring that patients can avail of the best of a range of treatment options. He is passionate about promoting and supporting the highest standards of practice, education, and research in Homeopathy and raising awareness of Homeopathy amongst healthcare professionals worldwide.
Denise Straiges, MA, RSHom(NA)
Denise Straiges MA, RSHom(NA), AIH is fiercely committed to raising the bar in academic and clinical training for all Homeopaths. She is the President and Clinical Director of The Academy of Homeopathy Education (AHE), and the founder of The Institute for the Advancement of Homeopathy / HOHM Foundation, whose initiatives include the Homeopathy Help Network (HHN), a not-for-profit, research-based initiative delivering high quality, affordable Homeopathy care, and HHN Comfort Care, delivering homeopathy services in the palliative and end-of-life realm. Under her leadership, AHE was named preferred educational provider for the American Institute of Homeopathy (AIH), the oldest medical society in the US. Denise is a member of the Faculty of Homeopathy UK Research Board. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
With HOHM Foundation, Denise has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on clinical outcomes and education in integrative medicine, and has conducted extensive, primary research on the intellectual origins of Homeopathy, with specific focus on Hahnemann’s The Chronic Diseases and the chemical origin of his medicine. She teaches around the world in Homeopathy, integrative wellness, and spirituality in medicine. Denise maintains a busy practice in classical homeopathy with a focus on complex neurological and autoimmune conditions. and provides clinical supervision and mentorship to homeopaths around the world.
Dr Alex Tournier Ph.D.
Dr Tournier studied Physics at Imperial College, and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University, before writing his PhD on the Biophysics of water at the interface with biological molecules at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Dr Tournier also holds a degree in homeopathy from the Center for Homeopathic Education, London. Dr Tournier worked for 10 years at Cancer Research UK as a researcher working on problems at the interface between biology, physics and mathematics. Dr Alexander Tournier is a founding director of the Homeopathy Research Institute, London, a charity dedicated to promoting high-quality research in homeopathy. He is currently a research associate at the Institute for research into complementary medicines (IKIM) at Bern university, where he pursues basic and fundamental research into homeopathy.
Dr Esther van der Werf (MSc, PhD, Dip IACH)
Dr Esther van der Werf (MSc, PhD, Dip IACH) is a Senior Epidemiologist/Clinical Research Lead at the Homeopathy Research Institute (HRI), London, United Kingdom. Esther holds an honorary Senior Lectureship in Primary Care Infection Epidemiology at the Bristol Medical School of the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, and is a visiting Research Fellow of the Australian Research Centre for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), University of Technology, Sydney. She is a qualified classical homeopath, trained in homeopathy at the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy (Professor George Vithoulkas, Greece).
Her research strongly focuses on antimicrobial stewardship and Integrative Medicine (IM), specifically on reducing inappropriate antibiotic use by studying complementary prevention and treatment strategies, with a special emphasis on homeopathy. The evaluation of IM-prevention and treatment strategies is central to her research, and as a principal investigator or co-applicant, she has designed, secured funding for, led and implemented various (international) projects (Clinical trials and Systematic Reviews).
After obtaining her PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 2002, she subsequently worked as an epidemiologist at the University Medical Centre Utrecht and the University of Applied Sciences Leiden in the Netherlands. In 2015, Esther joined the Centre of Academic Primary Care of the University of Bristol, UK, to continue her research on Integrative Medicine and infectious diseases. From August 2018 until August 2019, she initiated and led the research group on Integrative Medicine at the School of Medicine of Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, followed by 2 years of leading the Integrative Medicine research department of the Louis Bolk Institute in The Netherlands.
Esther co-founded the worldwide research network on Integrative Medicine and Antimicrobial resistance (GIFTS-AMR). Esther’s Publications (ORCID): https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5330-5735
Dr Michel Van Wassenhoven, MD
Dr. Michel Van Wassenhoven is the Project Coordinator at DynHom (Research group), conducting basic research on homeopathic medicines. He is the Former President of FAMHP (Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products) and the former President of the professional Union: Unio homeopathica Belgica, Brussels, Belgium. He is founder of the European Committee for Homeopathy and also served as the Research secretary of the LMHI (Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis).
Ronald D. Whitmont, MD
Ronald D. Whitmont, MD, is an Internist, a former president of the American Institute of Homeopathy (AIH), America’s oldest, extant, national medical association (established 1844), and the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York (established 1862). He was board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and was a founding diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. As a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at New York Medical College, he directed a fourth-year student elective in Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine (CAIM) with a special focus on homeopathy. He is currently president of the National Homeopathic Product Certification Board (NHPCB), a trustee of the Board of the AIH, and medical advisor to the national consumer organization Americans for Homeopathy ChoiceI. He is the former Chief Medical Officer for the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, a second-generation homeopathic physician, and maintains a private practice using classical homeopathy in Rhinebeck, NY.