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SIO Webinar: Ayurveda in cancer care Feb 15, 2024 12-1pm EST

SIO is proud to host a timely webinar addressing a hot topic in the integrative oncology field, “Ayurveda in cancer care” on February 15, 2024 12-1pm EST. Q&A will be available after the formal presentation.

Registration for this webinar is open for all. Click here to register.

Title: Ayurveda in cancer care

Speakers: Dr Rammanohar, Dr. Eran Ben-Ayre, Dr. Jeffrey White, Dr. Julia Arnold, Dr. Anand Dhruva, Dr. Santhosshi Narayanan,

Moderator: Dr. Krupali Desai

Topics covered in the webinar:

  1. Ayurveda and its status in cancer care in India (10 minutes) – Dr. Puthiyedath Rammanohar
  2. Global status of Ayurveda, with a focus on European activities (10 minutes)- Dr. Eran Ben-Ayre
  3. Ayurveda research in cancer: past, current, and future (10 minutes)- Dr. Jeff White/Dr. Julia Arnold
  4. Ayurveda in Integrative Oncology care models in US (15 minutes) – Dr. Anand Dhruva, Dr. Santhosshi Narayanan

 

Bios and Headshots of the speakers and moderator:

 

  1. Dr. Puthiyedath Rammanohar, MD BAMS (Ayurveda)

Dr. Puthiyedath Rammanohar received BAMS and MD (Ay) degrees from Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru respectively. He has been contributing in the field of Ayurvedic research since the last 30 years He has made research visits to United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Latvia, Russia, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, Singapore and Sri Lanka for the promotion of Ayurveda. He is presently serving as Research Director at Amrita School of Ayurveda managed by Amrita University. He also served as faculty in several institutions that are imparting courses and training in Ayurveda like Southern California University of Health Sciences, USA, European Academy of Ayurveda, Germany and so on.  He is an approved guide for the PhD program in Ayurveda at Amrita University. He was PI on Indian side of NIH funded research study on Ayurveda and Rheumatoid Arthritis that won the Excellence in Integrative Medicine Research from European Society of Integrative Medicine. He is member of National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine (NCISM), Govt of India, Research Advisor (History of Science) for Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Govt of India.

 

  1. Eran Ben-Aytre, MD

Eran Ben-Arye is a Clinical Professor, presently serving as the Chairman, Department of family Medicine, in the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. He is the Director, Integrative Oncology Program, Lin, Carmel & Zebulun Medical Centers, Israel. Prof. Ben-Arye is the Primary Researcher of the Middle East Research Group in Integrative Oncology (MERGIO) within the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC) and is an elected member of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Board of Trustees and serves as the SIO Regional Ambassador to Europe and the Middle-East. He has authored and co-authored 187 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals published in Pubmed/Medline and 9 chapters in oncology textbooks concerning integrative oncology, doctor-patient communication, sociology, and nutrition. Prof. Ben-Arye has constructed and co-conducted more than 15 clinical studies in the area of complementary and integrative medicine, including three randomized controlled studies.

 

  1. Jeffrey White, MD

Jeffrey D. White, Associate Director, Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Cancer Institute

Dr. White is a board-certified medical oncologist and a cancer researcher.  Dr. White graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics in 1979 and received an M.D. from Howard University in 1984. He completed a residency in internal medicine in 1987 and fellowships in oncology and hematology in 1990 at The Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.  Dr. White joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 1990 initially working in the then Metabolism Branch (now the Lymphoma Branch) as a Medical Staff Fellow and later as director of the Clinical Trials and Clinical Care Program.  From 1995 to 1998, Dr. White also served as an oncology consultant to the director of the NIH’s Office of Alternative Medicine. In October 1998, he was chosen to direct a new office in the NCI titled the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM). This office promotes and supports research and the generation of good quality information on the various disciplines and modalities associated with the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as they relate to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer.

 

  1. Julia Arnold, PhD, MS (Ayurveda)

 

Special Volunteer – NIH-National Cancer Institute, Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCI-OCCAM)

Dr. Arnold joined NCI- OCCAM in 2023 as a Special Volunteer. She has 40+ years of cancer research experience in cell biology, cancer prevention and mechanisms of tissue microenvironmental regulation of cancer cells. Dr. Arnold received her PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and did her post doctoral studies at NCI and at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Her 22 years at NIH include 11 years in the intramural lab at the NIH-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM; now NCCIH) and 11 years of as a Program Director in the Translational Research SPORE Program at the NIH-NCI. She received a master’s degree in Ayurveda in 2021.

Dr Arnold has published 2 book chapters and over 34 peer-reviewed manuscripts including a recent comprehensive 2-part review on “Integrating ayurvedic medicine into cancer research programs”. Dr. Arnold serves as a Guest Editor for the Journal of Ayurvedic Integrative Medicine (JAIM)-Special Issue on “Integrative Approaches to Cancer Care and Research”.

 

  1. Anand Dhruva, MD

Dr. Dhruva is a medical oncologist and hematologist. He is a clinician, educator, and researcher specializing in medical oncology, integrative oncology, Ayurveda, and Yoga. He is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at UCSF’s School of Medicine. He is the Director of Education at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, where he also serves on the research and clinical faculty. He is an Associate Program Director of the UCSF Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program.

Dr. Dhruva is a graduate of the University of Arizona Fellowship in Integrative Medicine. Dr. Dhruva has completed Ayurvedic Practitioner training along with other ongoing training in Ayurvedic medicine.

The primary focus of Dr. Dhruva’s research program is the study of complementary and integrative medicine therapies, specifically Ayurveda and Yoga, for cancer palliative and supportive care. He was the recipient of a National Institutes of Health K23 Career Development Award from National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH/NCCIH). He is currently the Principle Investigator on an R01 grant from NIH/NCCIH investigating Ayurvedic approaches for cancer survivors

 

  1. Santhosshi Narayanan, MD

Dr. Santhosshi Narayanan is a Clinical Associate Professor of integrative medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, USA. She co-chairs the Global committee and Ayurveda special interest group and is a board member of the Society of Integrative Oncology. Dr. Narayanan co-founded and served as the associate director of the MD Anderson Onco-hospitalist fellowship program in 2015, emphasizing a comprehensive patient care approach. In 2018, she transitioned to the integrative medicine center, focusing on incorporating diet, exercise, and mind-body approaches into cancer treatment plans. A co-author of multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, she has presented her work at various national and international conferences. Dr. Narayanan’s impact extends to awards recognizing her educational and leadership contributions in medicine.

 

  1. Krupali Desai, MD (Ayurveda), MPH

Krupali Desai is a Project Coordinator and Ayurveda program lead at the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). She has an MD in Ayurvedic Medicine from India and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Thomas Jefferson University. She is deeply passionate about integrating complementary and alternative medicine such as Ayurveda and Yoga into the evidence-based cancer care. Krupali was a part of the Integrative Medicine research team at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focused on understanding the use of yoga among cancer patients. Currently, her work at MSKCC is focused on evaluating and expanding integrative medicine programs for cancer patients and survivors.