SPEAKERS
Leonard Perlmutter
Yoga Science & Ayurveda Core Curriculum
Founder and director of The American Meditation Institute, Leonard is the author of “Transformation,” The Journal of Meditation as Mind/Body Medicine and The Heart and Science of Yoga® (the award-winning book that contains the entire curriculum for the Yoga Science and Ayurveda core curriculum). His Heart and Science of Yoga® entry-level course has been accredited by the Albany Medical College, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses and American Nurses Association to receive medical education credit. Leonard has been a student of Yoga Science since 1975 and a direct disciple of mind/body medicine pioneer Swami Rama of the Himalayas.
Michael Greger, MD
How Not To Die: Food as Medicine
Michael is a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, and founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He is an internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues, and author of “The New York Times” best selling book, How Not to Die.
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, PhD
Yoga’s Mind/Body Connection & Research
Sat Bir has conducted scientific yoga research since 2001 and is a practitioner/instructor of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. He is Director of Research for the Kundalini Research Institute, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has researched yoga for insomnia, stress, anxiety disorders, and workplace and school settings. He coordinates the annual Symposium on Yoga Research, is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, author of the Harvard ebook Your Brain on Yoga, and chief editor of the medical textbook The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care.
Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, MD
Yoga Science: Antidote for Burnout, Reimagining Medicine and Meditation-in-Action
Renee is currently the medical director of the Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center, Saratoga Springs, NY. She recently served as chairperson of the Department of Family Medicine as well as President of the Medical Staff at Saratoga Hospital. Renee is board certified in Family Medicine offering the principles of Yoga Science to her patients in the form of a nutrition Rx and complementary pain management program. Renee serves as serves as Co-Chair of the AMI’s Department of Medical Education.
Anthony Santilli, MD
Relieving Burnout, Reimagining Medicine and Meditation-in-Action
Tony received his medical degree from the University at Buffalo, having completed his fellowship at Weill Cornell University and his post graduate training at Brown University. He is board-certified in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine in Schenectady and Amsterdam, NY, and serves as Co-Chair of the AMI’s Department of Medical Education.
Joshua Zamer, MD
Reimagining Medicine
Joshua serves as medical director for Addiction Medicine, Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center and is also chairman of the Department of Family Practice He is board certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine, and previously served as the physician for St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center (SPARC) Inpatient Detox Unit and Outpatient Suboxone Clinic.
Janine Pardo, MD
Epigenetics, Meditation & Lifestyle Choices and Reimagining Medicine
Janine graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and is a Board Certified Internist emphasizing Preventive Care. She is the founder of the Weston Internal Medicine and Wellness Center in Weston, Massachusetts. Since 2015 she has been incorporating Yoga Science into her medical practice.
Lee Albert, NMT
Positional Therapy for Chronic Pain Relief
Lee is an acclaimed neuromuscular therapist and gentle yoga instructor who created, practices and teaches Integrated Positional Therapy (IPT)–protocols to reduce and eliminate chronic pain. He is the author of Yoga for Pain Relief: A New Approach to an Ancient Practice.
Anita Burock-Stotts, MD
Reimagining Medicine and Meditation-in-Action
A student at AMI since 2003, Anita Burock-Stotts is board certified in Internal Medicine. She currently practices Functional Medicine in Guilderland, New York, and serves as a member of the AMI Medical Education Department. Anita is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University (BS in pre-med, Phi Beta Kappa, 1976). She graduated Medical College of Pennsylvania (Alpha Omega Alpha, 1980). She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1983.
Kristin Kaelber, MD, PhD
Reimagining Medicine and Meditation-in-Action
Kristin graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics in Cleveland, Ohio. She serves as a member of the AMI Department of Medical Education, and has been practicing Yoga Science as Holistic Mind/Body Medicine since 2015.
Jesse Ritvo, MD
Reimagining Medicine
Jesse graduated from Harvard College and received his medical degree from the Brown-Dartmouth Medical Program. Jesse is currently the assistant medical director of inpatient psychiatry at the University of Vermont Health Center-Central Vermont Medical Center, as well as an assistant professor of medicine at UVM.
Gustavo Grodnitzky, PhD
Culture Trumps Everything and Meditation-in-Action
Gustavo is a speaker, author, consultant and psychologist. After obtaining his PhD in clinical and school psychology from Hofstra University, he completed post-doctorate degrees in both cognitive therapy and forensic psychology. He serves as Chair of The American Meditation Institute’s Psychological Education Department.
Bernie Siegel, MD
Healing a Life vs Curing a Disease
Bernie Siegel, an American medical pioneer, is a graduate of Cornell University Medical College. Throughout his illustrious career Dr. Siegel has cared for and counseled people whose lives have been threatened by illness. Bernie embraces an inspirational philosophy of living and dying that stands as a beacon of clarity for today’s medical ethics and spiritual issues. He is the originator of the Exceptional Cancer Patients therapy clinic in New Haven, CT, former president of the American Holistic Medical Association, and award-winning author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and How To Live Between Office Visits.
Jenness Perlmutter
Psychology of the Chakra System
A world-renowned artist whose paintings have often graced the covers of the “Transformation” journal, Jenness is co-founder of The American Meditation Institute. She has been a student of Yoga Science since 1975, and is a direct disciple of mind/body medicine pioneer Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Jenness is a gifted teacher who shares her practical understanding and insights into the similarities between Eastern and Western philosophies.