A Curated Group of Experts Bringing the Health & Wellness Movement to Barrington
February 22 – 24, 2023
The Barrington Health & Wellness Summit will gather leading experts from all over the country to explore a variety of topics including cancer prevention, sleep, culinary medicine, microbiome, integrative medicine, nutrition, brain health, holistic healing, and more.
This event is the vision of local physicians and community members alike. All are invited to join us as we foster health and wellness in our community.
This summit at Barrington’s White House is made possible by:
Purchase Tickets & Attend
Tickets are available for both in-person and virtual attendance. Add-ons include a Shaman experience, cooking classes, and more. A limited number of tickets are available; purchase today!
- 3-day tickets are $200 per person and include access and lunch on all three days of the summit
- 1-day tickets are $75 each and are available for Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and include access to one day of the summit
- Virtual tickets are $100 per access link and include access to all three days of the summit
- Add-ons range from $15 to $50 and include a kefir and kraut cooking classes and a 3-hour Shaman experience
Featured Expert Speakers
(In alphabetical order)
Wednesday, February 22
Dr. Lorenzo Cohen Director of Intregrative Medicine, University of Texas
Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, is the Richard E. Haynes Distinguished Professor in Clinical Cancer Prevention and Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also Distinguished Clinical Professor, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. Dr. Cohen received his undergraduate degree from Reed College, Portland, Oregon and his Master’s and PhD from The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. Lorenzo is a founding member and past president of the Society for Integrative Oncology and the Vice-Chair of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health.
Lorenzo conducts research examining integrative medicine practices such as meditation, yoga, acupuncture and other strategies aimed at reducing the negative aspects of cancer treatment and improving quality of life. Lorenzo is also conducting research to demonstrate that lifestyle changes can influence cancer outcomes. Ongoing studies are examining lifestyle changes in the areas of diet/nutrition, physical activity, and stress management/social network to change the risk of developing cancer and influencing outcomes for those with cancer.
Lorenzo has published more than 125 scientific articles in top medical journals, has published numerous book chapters, and edited two books on integrative medicine for cancer care. Lorenzo is internationally known as a thought-leader in the field of integrative medicine and especially integrative oncology. He is a sought after speaker and gives an average of 50 talks a year at public events, international scientific meetings, and academic institutions.
Dr. Stephen Devries Executive Director, nonprofit Gaples Institute and Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Stephen Devries is a preventive cardiologist and Executive Director of the Gaples Institute, an educational nonprofit with the mission of advancing the role of nutrition and lifestyle in medicine. Dr. Devries has also been appointed Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Dr. Devries attended medical school at the University of Michigan where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He received Cardiovascular subspecialty training at Washington University in St. Louis and later completed a Fellowship in the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. He previously served as the Director of the Outpatient Heart Center at the University of Illinois and later, as Associate Professor at Northwestern University.
In his primary role as Executive Director of the nonprofit Gaples Institute, Dr. Devries is the course director for a condensed online nutrition course for health professionals—a groundbreaking educational tool that is now required in the curriculum of leading medical schools and residency programs and is a widely acclaimed CME resource for practicing physicians. The course has been taken by over 4,000 medical students and clinicians.
In pursuit of the Gaples Institute mission to advance public nutrition education, Dr. Devries has also authored the award-winning patient nutrition learning program, Nutrition for Optimal Health.
Dr. Devries teaches a course at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “Integrating Nutrition into Clinical Medicine: The Role of Health Professionals as Change Agents.” He is also the co-leader, along with Dr. Walter Willett, of the Nutrition Education Working Group, a multidisciplinary cohort of leading scientists, nutrition educators, and policy experts. The group meets regularly at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for the purpose of exploring ways to strengthen nutrition education in all levels of medical training.
Alison Jefferies
Alison Jefferies, MEd, has degrees in both Art History and Education with a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology. Alison received her undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia, her teaching degree from Queen’s University, and her Masters from University of Houston. As an educator, she has worked in museums and as a classroom teacher in England, Canada and the United States. As a mother of three, she is interested in how to make healthy family changes a reality for all ages. Alison is passionate about helping her own family and community engage in the anticancer living. She is focused in the power of community networks and how this can lead to healthful change.
Dr. Barry Rosen Medical Director, Breast Center and the Cancer Prevention Program, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Dr. Rosen is a breast surgical oncologist in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, where he has been in practice for over 25 years. A nationally recognized expert in oncoplastic surgery, Dr. Rosen has been on the faculty for the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS), the School
of Oncoplastic Surgery, and the National Consortium of Breast Centers.
Dr. Rosen is also dedicated to creating national standards for quality outcomes in breast cancer surgery, which has led to his chairmanship of the NQMBC (National Quality Metrics for Breast Centers) and his participation on the Patient Safety and Quality Committee for the ASBrS. He is a partner of Targeted Medical Education (TME), a group of national breast cancer leaders who collaborate with industry to promote physician education and research. He is the former CMO of ETON Pharmaceuticals and the current CMO of ClearCut Medical. Locally, he is the medical director for the Breast Center and the Cancer Prevention Program at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, where he also served as Chief Medical Officer for 20 years.
Dr. Edie Zusman Neurosurgeon,
Piedmont Neuroscience Center
Dr. Edie Zusman directed the NorthBay Center for Neuroscience and served as Chief of the Neurosurgery Division at her Mayo Clinic Network Affiliated Northern CA hospital. Dr. Zusman, recognized nationally and internationally as a top brain and spine surgeon, initiated models for multidisciplinary patient centered care emphasizing prevention, mindfulness, health and wellness. Her innovative “Prehab” program with a telehealth gateway encourages patients to take responsibility and participate in improving their health, avoiding surgery whenever possible and being more fit and prepared in the event surgery is needed.
Starting medical school at age 19 in the Northwestern Honors Medical Program, Dr. Zusman then did her residency at UC Davis, and Neurosurgical Fellowship at UCSF, specializing in awake craniotomies, neuronavigation, brain mapping and molecular medicine research. She was recruited to UC Davis where she held a process patent in photodynamic and laser therapy, won the top junior faculty research award, established the first endowed professorship in the department funding her basic science epilepsy lab and was named physician of the year by the UC Davis nurses and staff.
In 2002, Dr. Zusman was recruited to Sutter Health where she helped lead the Sutter Neuroscience Institute to be recognized among the top 50 in US News and World Report. She was the first female neurosurgeon in the history of the profession to serve on the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Board of Directors, was President of Women In Neurosurgery, Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California, Board Member for Food System 6 Accelerator, Head Royce School, and the Foundation Board of NorthBay Medical Center.
Internationally she is an advisor to RISE Clinic, Nigeria where she developed and led the first international standards epilepsy program in Anambra State shifting the treatment of seizures from witchcraft to WHO approved medical management. She returned to Nigeria 5 years later to start the first public private partnership for recognition of TIA’s/warning strokes to prevent the 40% conversion to completed strokes. In doing so, she laid the groundwork for the first emergency response protocols in rural areas working toward the G4 Alliance goal of 80% of people having access to emergency surgical care by 2030. Dr. Zusman was honored as a keynote speaker for the Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies in 2018.
With an MBA from George Washington emphasizing health policy, Dr. Zusman serves on the editorial board of both Neurosurgery and World Neurosurgery Journals. She is recognized as an expert in healthcare forecasting, vertically integrated health systems, data analytics, clinical decision support, and value-based care. Her team, D4AS’s award winning work with the CDC National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health inspired going upstream for disease prevention by developing and implementing guidelines to include health elements in the built environment in Sacramento County and informing the California General Plan.
Based on Dr. Zusman’s clinical research, she started the non-profit SafeLivingSpace.org, dedicated to Brain Injury screening and prevention in domestic, intimate partner and family violence. As a leading voice on injury prevention, Dr. Zusman and her team have been invited to give commentary by members of Congress, consult with the LAPD/LAFD, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office and with New York City and State Government to advance Brain Injury screening for all who have experienced DV/IPV in homeless and family shelters.
Thursday, February 23
Jana Din Medical Shaman, Tao Center for Healing
Jana Din, along with her husband, John Lee, co-founded the Tao Center for Healing. Jana’s personal interest in holistic healing began in 1985, when she observed how powerfully John’s healing work assisted her mother with colon cancer. It was during this time that Jana fully embraced health and wellness as resulting from a balanced mind, body, spirit and soul. Subsequently, she began studying and eventually teaching with author Carol Ritberger, Ph.D., in her four year medical intuitive training programs. Concurrently, Jana also began a six year apprenticeship with a shamanic healer.
Furthering her training as a healer, she traveled to Nepal to receive teachings from Aama Bombo, one of the 13 International Council of Grandmothers. In 2005, Jana began conducting shamanic healing sessions, assisting her clients, which include people such as physicians, nurses and other medical clinicians, healing practitioners, educators, counselors, therapists, attorneys, and business owners, with healing their deepest core soul level issues. In 2013, Jana also began providing volunteer shamanic healing services in collaboration with Dr. David Steinhorn for his critically or terminally ill, or injured pediatric ICU patients. The shamanic
healing support and collaboration between Jana and Dr. Steinhorn was featured in a nationally broadcast TV show, Healing Quest, in a segment titled, “Shamans in the ICU.” Shamans in the ICU See bio below.
Prior to doing healing work, Jana began her gratifying career as a dedicated high school teacher with an emphasis in health, wellness, and nutrition. Her understanding of holistic healing further complemented her teaching of these subjects. In 2011, she was selected to represent her school district as Teacher of the Year. As a lifelong educator, Jana teaches holistic health workshops and brings internationally known healers to conduct healing sessions at the Tao Center for Healing.
Dr. Darius Loghamanee Sleep Specialist, Advocate Health Care
Dr. Loghmanee is the Director of the Advocate Children’s Sleep Network at Advocate Children’s Hospital. Dr. Loghmanee received his medical degree from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine. He did his postgraduate training at Rush University Medical Center where he completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and trained as a fellow in the Sleep Disorders Center.
After his training he spent seven years at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where he evaluated and treated children with control of breathing and sleep disorders as the Associate Director of the Sleep Medicine Center. Dr. Loghmanee is currently the director of the Advocate Children’s Sleep Network where he sees patients with sleep and breathing disorders and reads sleep studies. His interests include the development of novel approaches to care through establishing and strengthening collaborations with primary care physicians and dentists, pulmonologists, ear, nose, and throat surgeons, occupational and physical therapists, myofunctional therapists, psychologists, faith based organizations, schools, community groups, and families in efforts to optimize sleep health in children and adolescents.
James Nestor Author of The New York Times bestseller ‘The Power of Breath’
There’s a secret to solving workplace stress and burn out. It’s surprisingly simple: breathe. According to science journalist James Nestor, breathing is the key to transforming our lives—more than diet, sleep, or exercise. Drawing on his instant New York Times bestseller Breath—which spent 18 weeks on the bestseller list in its first year and has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide—James teaches us that even slight adjustments to our breathing can profoundly improve workplace efficiency, athletic performance, anxiety, and sleep. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, calls James’ work “A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual, and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe—and how we’ve all been doing it wrong for a long, long time.”
When we consider our health and well-being, we scrutinize the foods we eat or the amount of stress we’re under. Rarely, if ever, do we consider the ways we breathe—yet acclaimed science journalist James Nestor says that poor breathing habits are linked to a laundry list of chronic health problems and roadblocks to success: lost focus and concentration, anxiety, sleep issues, and even cavities and crooked teeth. James shows how we’ve lost the art of breathing properly, and teaches us how to get it back again.
In his landmark book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James seeks out what went wrong and shows us how to fix it with a mix of science, humor, history, and simple, constructive takeaways. You’ll never breathe the same again. Brilliantly researched and utterly fascinating, Breath has earned praise from New York Times bestselling author Joshua Foer, who calls it a “transformative book that changes how you think about your body and mind.” Breath became an instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and London Sunday Times bestseller, and will soon be translated into 35 languages. It was awarded the Best General Nonfiction Book of the Year by the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
James has spoken about the importance of proper breathing at the Stanford Medical School, the United Nations, and Global Classroom (World Health Organization+UNICEF), as well as more than 60 radio and television shows, including Fresh Air with Terry Gross, ABC’s Nightline, CBS Morning News, and dozens of NPR programs. To date, he has written for publications such as Scientific American, the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the San Francisco Chronicle, to name a few.
In his earlier book, DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What The Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves, James follows extreme athletes, adventurers, and scientists as they explore the ocean, uncovering weird and wondrous discoveries that redefine our understanding of both the ocean and ourselves. The book was a Finalist for the PEN American Center Best Sports Book of the Year, a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, a BBC Book of the Week, and an Amazon Best Science Book of the year.
James has also teamed up with National Geographic Explorer and marine scientist David Gruber to create Project CETI—an ambitious undertaking to help us connect with and better understand the animals we share the planet with. Using technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence, Project CETI hopes to one day crack interspecies communication, and was accepted as a TED Audacious Project.
Dr. David Steinhorn Medical Director, Palliative Care, Children’s National Medical Center
Dr. Steinhorn was the Medical Director for the Children’s Memorial Hospital Integrative Medicine Initiative for seven years which undertook research on complementary medicine in children. Dr. Steinhorn served on the Executive Committee and was a founding member of the AAP’s Section on Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He was on the medical advisory board of Almost Home Kids, a transitional care facility in Naperville, Il., and was the advisor to the Greater Illinois Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition. Dr. Steinhorn has additional training in energy medicine, yoga, meditation, and shamanism. He has studied with teachers from the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, the Four Winds Society, and Dr. Carl Greer. He is certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics in Critical Care and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Prior to his current position as Medical Director of the PANDA Palliative Care Program and an ICU and Hospice Physician at Children’s National Health Center, in Washington D.C., Dr. Steinhorn was the Medical Director of the George Mark Children’s House in San Leandro, CA and a PICU attending at UC Davis Medical Center. George Mark was established in 2004 and is the first freestanding children’s hospice in the United States.
Above all else, Dr. Steinhorn’s professional and personal passion is to find ways of alleviating suffering wherever it may occur and to help patients, families and healthcare providers discover meaning in all of life’s experiences.
Dr. David Victorson Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
With a license in clinical psychology in the state of Illinois (071.007103), Dr. David Victorson is a Professor of Medical Social Sciences in the Feinberg School of Medicine, and Associate Director of the Cancer Survivorship Institute at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Survivorship Institute.
Dr. Victorson directs the Consciousness in Health Research Lab and his research focuses on: 1) Advancing the evidence base of contemplative awareness practices (mindfulness, yoga), resilience and emotion regulation in cancer patient populations and other chronic illness, as well as medical students and healthcare providers; 2) Developing novel digital health solutions to increase self-management, engagement, and social connection; and 3) Improving measurement precision and utility of self-reported outcomes using qualitative and item response theory (IRT) approaches.
New areas of study include exploring the role of natural environments on indicators of health and well-being. Woven throughout is a focus on health disparities reduction, community engaged research, and assessment of biological and physiological outcomes (e.g., cortisol, C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6, heart rate variability) using minimally invasive approaches and wearable technologies.
Dr. Victorson is also the co-founder and director of a cancer support nonprofit organization for young adults called TRUE NORTH TREKS. Other professional roles and affiliations include: 1) Member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center (RHLCCC) at Northwestern University; 2) Research Co-Chair of the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Working Group at RHLCCC; 3) Chair of the Nature and Health Special Interest Group in the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health; and 4) Research Faculty at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Medicine. Previous positions include Director and Associate Director of Research at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Medicine, Interim Program Co-Lead of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Research Working Group Co-Chair in the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health.
Friday, February 24
Dr. Katherine Amato Biology Professor/ Researcher, Northwestern University
Dr. Amato is a biological anthropologist at Northwestern University studying the influence of gut microbes on host ecology and evolution. Her research examines how changes in the gut microbiota impact host nutrition, energetics, and health. She uses non-human primates as models for studying host-gut microbe interactions in selective environments and for providing comparative insight into the evolution of the human gut microbiota. Her main foci are understanding how the gut microbiome may buffer hosts during periods of nutritional stress and how the gut microbiome programs normal inter-specific differences in host metabolism.
In this realm, she is also interested in global variation in the human gut microbiome and its implications for local human adaptation. Dr. Amato obtained her A.B. in Biology from Dartmouth College and her Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed a postdoc at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Northwestern University. She is also affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program and sits on the Executive Committee of the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems. Dr. Amato is the President of the Midwest Primate Interest Group, an Associate Editor at Microbiome, an Editorial Board member at Folia Primatologica, and a Fellow for the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research’s ‘Humans and the Microbiome’ Program.
Jessica Grelle Natural Food Industry Executive
Jessica Grelle, longtime Barrington community member, is a natural food industry executive awarded by peers as a clean eating pioneer. As a food scientist and dietitian she has created thousands of innovative and healthy food products. Jessica studied Nutrition and Food Science at Penn State University and then went onto a successful career in the food industry. Her products have won industry recognition and awards for brands such as Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, Annie’s, Safeway and most recently, The Safe + Fair Food Company.
Jessica has been a featured guest chef on ABC/The Live Well Network’s “Let’s Dish,” and ‘Farm to Table’ chef events. She was also profiled in Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine. The Natural Foods Community has recognized Jessica as an influential food entrepreneur with the NEXTY Award for the development of her own brand and trend-forward, Mama Jess pasta sauce line.
Jessica is fueled by her passion for healthy eating, nutrition education and the healing power of diet in disease. Jessica contributes her time advocating for The Specific Carbohydrate Diet as an adjunct therapy for inflammatory bowel disease. As you could guess, one of her favorite places is in her kitchen whipping up new recipes for her family.
Dr. Bonnie Kaplan Professor, University of Calgary School of Medicine
Bonnie J. Kaplan, PhD, is currently semi-retired, and is a Professor Emerita in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She first joined the faculty in the Department of Paediatrics; later she held a secondary appointment in the Department of Community Health Sciences. During her 40-year scientific career, she has published widely on the biological basis of developmental disorders and mental health – particularly focusing on the contribution of nutrition to brain development and brain function.
Originally from the U.S. (Ohio), she did all her training there (Butler University, University of Chicago, Brandeis University), including her postdoctoral training (West Haven, Connecticut, Veterans Administration Hospital’s Neuropsychology Laboratory) and then a research faculty appointment in the Department of Neurology at Yale University. She moved to Canada in 1979, to the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the University of Calgary, and has now been a Canadian for more than half her life.
Dr. Sean Spencer Professor of Gastroenterology, Stanford University
Sean Spencer, MD, PhD is a Gastroenterologist and Physician Scientist at Stanford University. Sean obtained his medical degree from University of Pennsylvania, earning his PhD studying nutritional immunology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), after which he moved to Boston for residency training at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital and completed his Gastroenterology training at Stanford University. He is passionate about the healing powers of food and uses it as a vital component of his medical practice at Stanford, where he treats patients with a wide spectrum of GI disease.
Working with Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, he aims to uncover the role of dietary intake on the gut microbiome and mucosal immune system to better understand and treat gastrointestinal disease. He is currently focused on the ability of fermented foods to promote a healthy microbiota and reduce inflammation.
Dr. Lori Walsh Integrative Medicine, Advocate & Lurie Children’s Hospital
Lori Walsh, MD (FAAP, ABOIM) is the Medical Director at the Advocate Good Shepherd Center for Health and Integrative Medicine and the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine at Advocate Children’s Hospital. She is an Assistant Professor, Community Based Pediatrics, at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine where she teaches medical students and residents. She is a member of the education subcommittee of the Section on Integrative Medicine for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She will be a part of the inaugural program ACLAIM – Cultivating Leaders in Academic Integrative Medicine being launched at the Andrew Weil Center in 2023.
She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado majoring in molecular biology and her medical degree from Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She did her residency in pediatrics at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
She has practiced general pediatrics since completing residency where she co-owned and managed a busy pediatric practice taking care of children from birth through 23.
Her interests have always been to promote health and prevent disease. Looking for new models of care, she did a Faculty Scholars in Integrative Medicine at the Osher Center at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and followed that with a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. She received Board Certification in Integrative Medicine in 2021
Her work now is focusing on the health and wellbeing of children and adults using the tenets of integrative medicine in a collaborative model with other health practitioners. Her interests are in the mind body interface in medicine, aromatherapy, phytomedicine, culinary medicine and the multidisciplinary lifestyle management of pediatric overweight and obesity.