ACNEM 2023 Annual Conference: Long COVID – Navigating the Complexity

Enrol today

Access

Format

Presenters

Long COVID - Navigating the Complexity

A Clinician’s Roadmap

The ACNEM 2023 Annual Conference explores the complexity of long COVID, offering clinicians a comprehensive roadmap to simplify diagnosis and develop effective treatment protocols to address this complex condition successfully. This two-day event brings together evidence-based content from international thought leaders on long COVID. It is relevant and an important conference for all modalities in Integrative Medicine.

The educators contributing to this conference are recognised as international experts in their fields, including Professor David Putrino, Dr. Leo Galland, Dr. Elizabeth Steels, Dr. James Read, Hugh Dunstan PhD, Dr. Christabelle Yeoh, Dr. Jason Kaplan, Professor Kerryn Phelps AM, Tracey Spicer AM, Anne Wilson, George Sondergeld & Gerald Quigley.

Our 2023 conference structure features both plenary and case study learning, to ensure deep understanding of the physiological processes of long COVID and practical insight into treatment strategies.

This event brings together an outstanding group of academics and clinicians, discussing the latest research and therapeutic strategies for managing the complexities of long COVID.

Predisposing

Online quiz

post-video

Feedback Survey

Fantastic! Very informative, up to date, evidence-based information including a lot of detail on practical implementation. Highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about Long Covid or be upskilled in this area.

ACNEM MEMBER

I came away with a scientific, evidence-based understanding of post-covid conditions and with some clear, person-centred protocols which I have already started applying in clinical practice.

ACNEM MEMBER

MBBS, FACNEM, FASLM

Dr. Mark Donohoe, ACNEM President, graduated from Sydney University in 1980, opening his medical practice on the Central Coast New South Wales in 1983. The patients of his new practice led him into the fields of Environmental Medicine and Nutritional Medicine. He was awarded fellowships from the Australian Society of Environmental Medicine (ASEM), the Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine (ACNEM), and more recently the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (ASLM). Over his 38 years in practice, Mark has specialised in the fields of chronic fatigue syndrome, environmental and occupational toxicology, and sensory sensitivities including multiple chemical sensitivity. Mark works with his wife, Fiona, at Mosman Integrative Medicine in Sydney. While he focuses on causes of illnesses and diseases, Fiona manages the healthcare side of the practice where she and other natural healthcare practitioners provide consultations and classes in yoga, Qi gong, pregnancy yoga, meditation, mindfulness and movement. Mark and Fiona work together with an underlying philosophy that health in all its forms is the best prevention of disease, and that most disease is best managed by clean air, clean food, clean water and a commitment to a diet and lifestyle that is health enhancing.

PT, PhD

David is a physical therapist with a PhD in Neuroscience. He is currently the Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, and a Professor of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He develops innovative rehabilitation solutions for adults and children in need of better healthcare accessibility, and in 2019, he was named “Global Australian of the Year” for his contributions to healthcare. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, David has been recognized globally as a leading expert in the assessment, treatment and underlying physiology of long COVID. His team has managed the care of almost 2000 people with long COVID and published multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers on the topic.

MD, FACP, FACN, Author

Leo Galland, MD, is a board-certified internist practicing in New York City and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Nutrition. He has received the Linus Pauling Award (2000) from the Institute of Functional Medicine for creating basic principles of functional medicine. Since the onset of the pandemic he has devoted most of his time to research on covid-19 and to the education of other health practitioners in understanding the complex biology of the disease and its aftermath. His analysis and recommendations for prevention and treatment have been posted regularly on his website. He has created a series of videos on the long covid syndrome, intended for the general public and for health professionals. Educated at Harvard University and the New York University School of Medicine, he has received the Albert Norris Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who for his contributions to medical innovation. He is recognized in The Leading Physicians of the World and America’s Top Doctors. Dr. Galland has contributed to world medical literature with several dozen articles in scientific journals and chapters in medical textbooks. He created the section on Functional Foods for the Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition.

PhD, BA(Clin Biochem), BA(Nutr Diet)

Dr. Elizabeth Steels is a biomedical scientist, biochemist, and nutritionist. Having completed her PhD 30 years ago focussed on cellular oxygenation and regeneration, her interests became firmly fixed on the value of polyphenols in health and disease. Her career has ranged from pharmaceutical to natural medicine manufacturing, product development, formulations, clinical trials, clinical practice and regulatory affairs. She is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the Dept of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Queensland and mentors a growing team of MPhil and PhD students. She is a principal for a CRO specialising in innovative and unique clinical design with a regulatory and commercial focus of natural medicine focussing on innovative claims and clinical trials of polyphenols, eco-cannabinoids and botanicals. She is also Head of Research & Development at Integria Healthcare. She is well-published and often speaks at academic and industry events.

MBBS, FRACGP, FACNEM, MPH(Nutr), GradDip

Dr. Read is a holistic GP who practices both integrative holistic medicine in private practice and as a procedural rural GP practicing both anaesthesia and emergency medicine in rural hospitals. He is an internationally renowned medical educator having taught nutritional environmental medicine at conferences in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand for organisations including the CSIRO, ACNEM, AIMA, MINDD and the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. His post graduate qualifications include a Master of Public Health majoring in Nutrition, a Fellowship of General Practice, Rural Medicine, and Nutritional Environmental Medicine. Dr. Read is a teaching faculty member and previous Vice President of ACNEM. His private practice focusses on complex conditions including chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, intolerances, chronic pain, mental health particularly PTSD, obesity, and endocrine conditions. He has recently moved to a farm in the Riverina where he will be running health retreats for health practitioners. His new practice All in Health will be located at the Pro Patria Centre an integrative multidisciplinary centre spread over 7 acres of an ex-monastery in Wagga Wagga, where veterans and emergency services workers can access care from art, music, horticultural therapy to transcranial magnetic stimulation, neurofeedback and hyperbaric medicine.

MBBS, MRCP(UK), MSC(Nutr), FACNEM

Christabelle is the Medical Director and a Medical Practitioner at Next Practice GenBiome – Edgecliff. Her work with patients focuses around optimising gut health, microbiome, mitochondrial and brain performance. She applies the premise that dysfunctions can be corrected with established practices of nutritional and environmental medicine. She is passionate about sharing her in-depth knowledge on the interconnectedness of human metabolism, biology, and behaviour. Dr. Yeoh dedicates her practice to working with patients with complex chronic conditions, neuro-immune mediated, or chronic inflammatory illness. Christabelle graduated from medicine at the University of London in 1999 and obtained her membership with the Royal College of Physicians (UK). She has a Masters degree in Nutrition from King’s College London. After practicing hospital medicine, she has been working as a general physician with an interest in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. She was a director (2014-2021) and president (2016- 2018) at ACNEM and is active on the teaching faculty.

BSc(Med), MBBS(Hons), FRACP, FCSANZ, FACC

Dr. Jason Kaplan is a cardiac imaging specialist and preventative cardiologist who studied Medicine at UNSW and graduated with Honours in 1999, completing his Internal Medicine Training at St George and Prince of Wales hospitals and Adult Cardiology training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Dr. Kaplan has done additional training in all aspects of echocardiography at international centres including the Mayo Clinic and has been involved in training echo sonographers for the last 10 years. Prior to training in cardiology, Dr. Kaplan completed additional advanced training in medical oncology and pharmacology. His training in these areas allows him to adopt a more holistic approach to patient care, particularly those with multiple medical issues This training has also led to a special interest in the emerging field of cardio-oncology, which is the cardiac care of patients who are undergoing or have previously completed cancer treatment. He is an accredited specialist in Cardiac CT and teaches on a regular basis to other specialists in this discipline. Dr. Kaplan is also a proponent of Integrative Cardiology incorporating principles of cardiovascular, nutritional, functional and Mind – Body Medicine in the care of his patients. In 2019 Dr. Kaplan became a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology being recognised for his contribution to cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Kaplan is currently a senior clinical lecturer in Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Macquarie University teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students.

AM, MP, MBBS, FRACGP, Hon DLitt

Professor Kerryn Phelps AM is well known in Australia as a GP, health and political commentator and social justice activist. Prof. Phelps was the founder of Cooper Street Clinic and the multidisciplinary Bourke Street Clinic where she is the lead clinician. She is a conjoint Professor at NICM at University of Western Sydney.

As the first woman to be elected as President of the Australian Medical Association, Prof Phelps was able to influence health policy at State and Federal level. Whilst AMA President, Kerryn forged a solution to the looming medical indemnity crisis, enabled changes to medical workforce policy, encouraged the development of the first AMA Indigenous health report card and initiated the organisation’s first health policies on complementary medicine, and on sexuality and gender diversity. Prof. Phelps was President of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association from 2009 to 2012, and has argued for the integration of evidence-supported natural therapies into conventional medical practice. In 2003 she was awarded the Centenary of Federation Medal for services to Medicine and Australian society. In 2011, she was awarded an Order of Australia for service to medicine. She is the co-author of a groundbreaking textbook, “General Practice: The Integrative Approach”, published in 2010 by Elsevier. In 2013 her book “Ultimate Wellness: The 3-Step Plan” was published by Pan Macmillan. Later that year she was invited to India to meet with HRH Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and to open the Global Health Futures Conference. In 2014 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Western Sydney. In 2015 she published “The Cancer Recovery Guide”, an integrative approach to the management of cancer with a foreword by HRH Prince Charles (now King Charles III). In 2017 she co-authored “The Mystery Gut” with Dr Claudia Lee and in 2021 published “How to Keep Your Brain Young”. Prof. Phelps was the popular health columnist for the Australian Women’s Weekly for twenty five years. In 2018 she was elected to the Australian Federal Parliament in a by-election in Wentworth where she negotiated the landmark Medevac legislation. In 2016 Prof Phelps was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney and was a councillor on the City of Sydney from 2016 to 2021, showing leadership on issues of city governance, inclusiveness, social justice and community wellbeing. She is currently Chair elect of the Australian hemp industry CRC (HempCRC). Prof Phelps is an executive member of the expert group OzSAGE providing evidence-based advice on the COVID19 pandemic.

AM, BBus(Comm), GAICD

Tracey Spicer AM BBus(Comm) GAICD is a multiple Walkley Award winning author, journalist and broadcaster who has anchored national programs for ABC TV and radio, Network Ten and Sky News. The inaugural national convenor of Women in Media, Tracey is one of the most sought-after on stage and online keynote speakers and emcees in Australia. In 2019 she was named the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year, accepted the Sydney Peace Prize alongside Tarana Burke for the Me Too movement, and won the national award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership through Women & Leadership Australia. In 2018, Tracey was chosen as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence, winning the Social Enterprise and Not-For-Profit category. She was also named Agenda Setter of the Year by the website Women’s Agenda. For her 30 years of media and charity work, Tracey has been awarded the Order of Australia. Highlights of her outstanding career include writing, producing and presenting documentaries on women and girls in Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, Papua New Guinea and India. She is an Ambassador for ActionAid, the Ethnic Business Awards and Purple Our World, and Patron of the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance. Her first book, The Good Girl Stripped Bare, became a bestseller within weeks of publication, while her TEDx Talk, The Lady Stripped Bare, has attracted more than six million views worldwide. Tracey’s essays have appeared in dozens of books including Women of Letters, She’s Having a Laugh, Father Figures, Unbreakable, and Bewitched & Bedevilled: Women Write the Gillard Years. The ABC highlighted Tracey’s #metoo work in the three part documentary series Silent No More, which featured the stories of hidden survivors. In breaking news, Tracey has written a book about how the bias of the past is being built into the machines that will run our futures.

CEO of Emerge Australia

Anne Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer of Emerge Australia having commenced in June, 2021. Anne is an experienced Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director with a diverse track record of restructuring, repositioning and growing organisations to meet stakeholder needs while attracting investment for financial sustainability and growth. She has worked across the education, health and varied NFP sectors, particularly respiratory and renal health focussing on capacity building across key areas of advocacy, education, research and service delivery among others. A graduate of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business NFP Leadership Program Anne’s qualifications span degrees in Human Services and Adolescent Health. In 2008, Anne was the winner of the NFP Network Association CEO of the Year award. Active on the international stage Anne is currently Director and Secretary/Treasurer of the International Kidney Cancer Coalition with offices in the Netherlands and the UK. With a passion for stakeholder engagement, social justice and working collaboratively to achieve business outcomes, Anne is committed to increasing awareness, investment and improved services and support for those with ME/CFS in Australia.

BPharm, MH

Gerald is a Pharmacist and Master Herbalist based in Melbourne. He is a media health commentator heard each week on many radio stations. He is co-hosts the House of Wellness radio program heard each Sunday on the Nine Radio Network live across Australia. Gerald is a Fellow of the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia and Fellow of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society. Gerald’s passion is to empower each person to make sensible health decisions, and to continually maintain and improve their quality of life, especially as they age. Gerald reinforces our rediscovering of the ability to understand wellness, the role of food choices, and aging well – all of which are aspects of vitality fundamental to our future. In Gerald’s view, inflammation is the key underlying driver of chronic disease which in turn reduces quality-of-life. The “illness system” treats symptoms. Most patients can live “with” a health issue if they have been empowered with information and options, rather than being “dominated by” that condition at every stage.

B Pharm, Managing Director

George graduated from the Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Pharmacy. He is a co-owner of Your Solution Compounding and the Managing Director of the company’s Melbourne laboratory. His areas of expertise are diverse, covering both general and sterile compounding, with special interests in bio-identical hormone restoration therapy and analgesic compounding. He is an expert on integrative therapies, collaborating with some of Australia’s leading researchers and physicians to formulate cutting edge preparations. He firmly believes compounding to be the interface between pharmaceutics, pharmacology, chemistry and pharmacy practice. He enjoys routinely presenting at universities and conferences.

PhD, CEO

Hugh Dunstan has been a university researcher for 40 years and he recently retired in 2020 as a Professor from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is a highly accomplished research scientist with a vast knowledge of biochemistry, where his research focus was the nature of exercise-induced fatigue and the metabolic processes that underpin it. Hugh worked closely for many years with Professor Tim Roberts and Dr Margaret MacDonald and in 2014, they made a significant breakthrough in understanding the significance of the losses of amino acids in sweat and urine, relative to their corresponding blood levels. This breakthrough provided new insights into the supply and demand for key nutrients in humans and has opened up a completely new understanding of protein turnover and amino acid metabolism. Over the next six years, Hugh and his team continued to investigate amino acid losses in sweat and urine from humans and have published their findings in international peer-reviewed journals. Their research has identified six amino acids that are lost in large quantities in sweat and urine. These same six amino acids have numerous metabolic roles in the body in major areas of body functions: Energy Systems, Growth and Recovery, Structural Integrity and Metabolism. Because of these features, this group of amino acids has been referred to as high-demand amino acids (HDAA). This scientific revelation has led to the formation of InnovAAte Pty Ltd and the development by of novel HDAA supplementation products: ElectrAAte® and OptimatAAte®. The goals of these products are simply to replenish the HDAA and electrolytes for maintaining optimal hydration and an enhanced healthy lifestyle.

A key mission of InnovAAte is to promote the research findings to health professionals and the general public. This insight will give them some tools to better balance key nutrient demands generated by active and healthy lifestyles. Hugh’s research has had a significant impact on the scientific community and has provided a new perspective on the importance of HDAA in maintaining proper hydration and assisting muscle recovery.

Thank you!

ACNEM 2023 Annual Conference: Long COVID - Navigating the Complexity

12 months

Annual Conference

15 hours

Course Overview

Assessments

What our students say

Dr. Mark Donohoe

Professor David Putrino

Dr. Leo Galland

Dr. Elizabeth Steels

Dr. James Read

Dr. Christabelle Yeoh

Dr. Jason Kaplan

Professor Kerryn Phelps AM

Tracey Spicer AM

Anne Wilson

Gerald Quigley

George Sondergeld

Hugh Dunstan

Helpful links

Subscribe to our newsletter