Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health

Program Director

Rebecca Snow M.S., CNS, LDN, RH(AHG), is a practicing nutritionist and herbalist. Her passion for using foods and herbs to support health was sparked in 1998, leading her to study at the Dreamtime Center and later at the Tai Sophia Institute. After acquiring her Master of Science Degree in Herbal Medicine, Rebecca practiced for five years in an integrative medical office in Rockville, Maryland, where she gained a wealth of clinical experience with complex health concerns. In 2009, her journey brought her back to Tai Sophia to share the gifts of herbs, healing foods, and compassionate guidance with her clients at the Natural Care Center. She has played an integral role in the launch of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health program as interim director and a member of the curriculum design committee. Additionally, she has served as program manager of the graduate certificate programs in Herbal Studies and Medical Herbalism at Tai Sophia Institute. Rebecca is certified as a nutrition specialist (CNS) through the Certification Board for Nutritional Specialists. and is a licensed nutritionist in the State of Maryland.

Core and Adjunct Faculty

Tom Balles, L.Ac.(U.K.), M.Ac., Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM) has been a practicing acupuncturist since 1985. He received a Licentiate in Acupuncture from the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (U.K.) and a Master's in Acupuncture from Tai Sophia Institute. Tom has been teaching in the graduate degree and certificate programs at Tai Sophia for the last 16 years. He has facilitated workshops internationally and is the author of Dancing with the Ten Thousand Things and Cultivating a Healing Presence, a guide. Tom’s work focuses on the many lessons Nature can teach us about sustaining wellness: in the individual as well as in families, organizations, and communities.

Karen Buchsbaum, Ph.D. (Candidate), has a passion for service and advocacy, and a strong interest in both community food security and sustainability issues. She has more than seven years of experience in the environmental field, which is included working on a CSA farm and serving as an Extension Educator, a curriculum developer, and a community garden founder and coordinator. As founder and director of Community Fare, Ms. Buchsbaum enjoys collaborating with a wide variety of constituents and stakeholders, including students, government officials, farmers and the general public, to improve civic engagement and community access to fresh, local foods. She is highly active in the Frederick community and currently serves in an advisory capacity on several boards including the Frederick County Extension Advisory Council. She recently was appointed to serve a three-year term on the Frederick County Sustainability Commission. Ms. Buchsbaum holds a B.A. in Biology, an M.S. in Environmental Education, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England with a focus on sustainable food systems. Her research interests include knowledge transfer in agricultural systems during periods of environmental change, and models of resilience and adaptive management in agricultural systems.

Bevin Clare, M.S., CNS, LDN, RH(AHG), is the clinical division chair of the Herbal Medicine program. A clinical herbalist and nutritionist with a deep love of plants and food, Ms. Clare holds a M.S. in Infectious Disease from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with her thesis research conducted at the National Institute on Aging (a part of the National Institutes of Health). She earned her B.S. in Ethnobotany at Lesley University. Ms. Clare has studied herbal medicine around the world, and blends her knowledge of traditional uses of plants and foods with modern science and contemporary healthcare strategies. She also serves on the faculty of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, is on the board of directors of United Plant Savers, is co-director of the Herbal Clinic for All, and lectures nationally. She is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild and has served on their governing council since 2002.

Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., an award-winning teacher, lecturer, writer and consultant, is a pioneer in the field of natural health. Dr. Colbin is founder and director of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City, which offers the Chef’s Training Program for careers in the health-supportive culinary arts. She has authored several books, including The Book of Whole Meals, The Natural Gourmet, Food and Healing, and The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach. She writes a regular column for the magazine New York Spirit (formerly Free Spirit) on “Food and Your Health,” and produced an instructional videotape (now a DVD), “Basics of Healthy Cooking,” which the New York Times called “encyclopedic — a must for every health-conscious kitchen.” Dr. Colbin earned her doctorate in Wholistic Nutrition in 2002 through the Union Institute & University in Cincinnati. The recipient of the 1986 Maharishi Award, the 1987 Pacesetter award in Education from the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice, and the 1993 Women of Enterprise Award from Avon and the Small Business Administration, she has served as a faculty member at Empire State College, the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and the Natural Gourmet Institute. Dr. Colbin is widely known and highly regarded in the U.S. and abroad for her ongoing efforts to elucidate the relationship between food and individual health.

Jody Cutler, M.Ac., has been on faculty at Tai Sophia since 2003 after completing her master’s in Acupuncture. Her work as an acupuncturist blends deep emotional and spiritual work with bringing consciousness to a person’s body, mind and spirit. She helps people, one on one and in groups, bring awareness and presence to eating, helping them develop compassion and joy around food. Ms. Cutler completed a 100-hour Food Therapy program with Annemarie Colbin at the Natural Gourmet Institute. She has been trained in Mindfulness Based Eating Awareness and has extensive meditation training. Jody Cutler is the co-founder and co-owner of Roots Market, a natural foods store in Clarksville and Olney, MD. She also is the co-owner of Great Sage, a vegetarian restaurant and Nest, an eco-friendly clothing and gift store, both in Clarksville. Jody was awarded the "#1 Woman to Watch in Howard County."

Chris D’Adamo, Ph.D., CPT, is a nutritional research scientist with an interest in diet and the prevention of chronic disease. He received his Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University's Center for Integrative Medicine in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, holding a secondary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health. Dr. D’Adamo has presented his research at a variety of national conferences — research uncovering the protective effects of dietary micronutrients against chronic inflammation and disability among older adults. He has authored peer-reviewed articles in Nutrition Research and Journals of Gerontology Medical Sciences. At the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he teaches courses in Nutritional Epidemiology, Dietary Supplementation, and Popular Diets. In addition to his academic experience, he is a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise, a Certified Sports Nutrition Consultant through the International Sports Medicine Association, and has received advanced training in mind-body medicine from the Institute for Integrative Health. He serves as the corporate nutritionist for Brick Bodies Fitness Services, Inc., and maintains a private nutritional consulting practice.

Luigi De Luca, Ph.D., received his doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Pavia (Italy). His postdoctoral career started at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he taught Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism with Hamish Munro and Vernon Young. He then directed a section at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, working mainly on the prevention of cancer using carotenoid derivatives (retinoids). Currently he is teaching Nutritional Biochemistry and Advanced Nutrient Metabolism at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He is the author of 206 publications, has received numerous academic recognitions, and has served as a visiting professor at MIT, Berkeley, Oslo, Naples, Rome, Pavia, and Tokyo. Dr. De Luca's hobby is the study of the Classics; he obtained a Master of Arts in Classics from the University of Maryland in 2002 and from Catholic University in 2011.

Charles Eisenstein, B.A., is a teacher, speaker, and the author of numerous works, including Transformational Weight Loss, The Yoga of Eating, The Ascent of Humanity, and most recently, Sacred Economics. His writing focuses on themes of holistic health, consciousness, economics, and civilization. A Yale graduate in philosophy and mathematics, Mr. Eisenstein has served on faculty at Penn State's Department of Science, Technology, and Society, and is currently on the faculty of Goddard College's Health Arts and Sciences Program.

Camille Freeman, M.S., CNS, LDN, RH(AHG), received her bachelor’s degree from Rice University in 2000 and completed an apprenticeship in herbal studies with Desert Woman Botanicals in Gila, New Mexico, in 2001. She received her Master’s in Herbal Medicine from Tai Sophia Institute in 2004, and is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. Ms. Freeman is certified as a nutrition specialist through the American College of Nutrition, and is a licensed nutritionist in the State of Maryland. In 2007 she completed an M.S. in physiology and biophysics at Georgetown University. Her primary clinical focus lies in reproductive health and endocrinology. Ms. Freeman is passionate about promoting sustainability in healthcare and helping women of all ages deepen their understanding of the body’s many cycles.

Daemon Jones, N.D., combines her nutritional expertise with her knowledge of medicine and natural therapies to create safe and effective treatment plans that restore her patients to vibrant health. International speaker and author of Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living, Dr. Jones served as the Director of Community Nutrition and as a faculty member of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s Food As Medicine program. She teaches nutrition at Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts. Dr. Jones received her Naturopathic Medical Degree from University of Bridgeport’s College of Naturopathic Medicine. Her unique approach to client care includes cooking demonstrations, medical home visits, kitchen and nutrition rehabilitation, and mind-body skills training.

Paul Pitchford, M.S., studied and apprenticed with masters of pre-Revolutionary Traditional Chinese Medicine, nutrition, Tai Ji, and meditation. His landmark book, Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (in seven languages, including a forthcoming Chinese translation), forms the foundation of his unique dietary teachings, which unify Eastern and Western therapies. His work has become a primary impetus behind the most fundamental, clinically effective and innovative dietary movement today, widely known as “whole foods nutrition.”

James Snow, RH(AHG), is Director of the Master of Science in Herbal Medicine program at Tai Sophia Institute, the first and only such degree program in the United States. He has been working in the field of herbal medicine since 1986, completing the herbal residency program at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine in 1991. Mr. Snow is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild, practicing as a clinician and/or student clinical supervisor since 1994. Mr. Snow’s expertise is in integrating knowledge from 19th and early 20th century North American botanico-medical movements with modern research perspectives. He has lectured throughout North America, serves as a reviewer for the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, and is a contributing author to the soon-to-be-published Gastrointestinal Nutrition Desk Reference and The American Dietetic Association’s Pocket Guide to Gastrointestinal Nutrition.

Bryan Walsh, N.D., graduated from the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine. He combines a passion for nutritional biochemistry and functional medicine, yet maintains a broad view of wellness, believing in the infinite capacity for the body to heal itself given the appropriate conditions and environment. He is a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has been a presenter at national conferences, lectures nationally to health care professionals and has been an advisor to a number of wellness companies. Dr. Walsh is co-owner of Rescue My Health, LLC where he maintains a private practice with his wife in Ellicott, MD.

Cooking Lab Faculty

Monica Corrado, M.A., CNC, is a chef and holistic nutrition educator, teaching "REAL Food" cooking classes throughout the United States. A leading activist for real, fresh, local, sustainable food, Ms. Corrado was a founding member of one of the first CSA groups (Community Supported Agriculture) in the DC metro area in 1998, which provided biodynamic food and milk to families. From 2000 to 2005, she owned and operated The Basic Feast, the only organic catering company in the DC metro area that offered nourishing food from local, organic, and sustainable farms. In addition to teaching, Ms. Corrado currently has a private practice in Takoma Park, Maryland, and is a member of the Honorary Board of the Weston A. Price Foundation. She has been featured in the Washington Post as an expert in traditional fermentation techniques, and is currently involved in the White House "Chefs Move to Schools" initiative. Look for her upcoming cookbook, With Love from Grandmother’s Kitchen, in the fall of 2011.

Eleonora Gafton, M.S. (Candidate), completed her professional chef training at Ministerul Turismului International in Bucharest, Romania and went on to work in a three-star tourist hotel, becoming the first female executive chef in a Communist country. Growing up on her grandparent’s organic farm and father's winery in Romania, Ms Gafton developed a deep appreciation, love and passion for natural foods. Later Ms. Gafton received Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Management from Cornell University's school of Hotel Business Administration and worked for 20 years in the hotel industry in Washington DC. Ms. Gafton completed the health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City and is currently completing her Master’s degree in Herbal Medicine at the Tai Sophia Institute.

Jill Gusman, is a veteran chef instructor and lecturer at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. She combines her passion and commitment to eastern and western healing ways into cooking with whole-natural foods through teaching and consulting. Author of Vegetables from the Sea: Everyday Cooking with Sea Greens (2003), Ms. Gusman has taught at the Henry Ford, West Bloomfield Hospital in Detroit and created “Kids in the Kitchen”, a live cooking show for Mount Sinai, Children’s Hospital in New York City. As an avid gardener and wild food enthusiast, she enjoys the great outdoors as often as possible!

Myra Kornfeld teaches classes in ethnic, classic, and vegetarian cooking at The Natural Gourmet School of Health and Culinary Arts and the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. She is a veteran restaurant chef, recipe developer and editor, private chef, menu consultant, and author of several cookbooks, including The Healthy Hedonist: More than 200 Delectable Flexitarian Recipes for Relaxed Daily Feasts (2005), and The Voluptuous Vegan: More than 200 Sinfully Delicious Recipes for Eggless, Meatless, and Dairy Free Meals (2000). Ms. Kornfeld is the Head Chef & Content Manager of www.MyFoodMyHealth.com, a food and healing website. A frequent contributor to Vegetarian Times, she has contributed articles to Natural Health and Organic Style. She has been a guest instructor at numerous schools including Classic Thyme in New Jersey and Sur la Tables at locations around the country. Ms. Kornfeld specializes in preparing nutrient-dense food for people with special eating requirements and/or preferences.

Distinguished Guest Lecturers

Dianne M. Connelly, Ph.D., M.Ac.(UK), Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM), is Co-founder and Chancellor Emeritus of Tai Sophia Institute, and a practitioner of traditional acupuncture since 1973, Dr. Connelly received her master's qualification from the College of Traditional Acupuncture (UK) in 1979. She earned a doctorate in crosscultural medicine from Union Graduate School in 1975, a master's degree from New York University School of Education in 1970, and her bachelor's degree from Le Moyne College in 1967. An international lecturer (she lectures regularly in Italy and Germany), Connelly is the author of Traditional Acupuncture: The Law of the Five Elements (1975), All Sickness is Homesickness (1986), Medicine Words: Language of Love for the Treatment Room of Life (2009), and with Katherine Hancock Porter, Alive and Awake: Wisdom for Kids (2003). She is the mother of Blaize, Jade, and Caeli, as well as grandmother to Tamar, Lennox, Rianna, Roman, and Maxim.

Jerry Cott, Ph.D., is a researcher, writer, lecturer, and scientific consultant for conventional and complementary health care and academia. He has lectured at major universities and international meetings for more than 25 years. His research interests include psychotherapeutic drug development and the treatment of mental disorders by the rational use of conventional drugs and/or nutritional and botanical supplements. Dr. Cott has more than 80 scientific publications and was most recently Chief of the Psychopharmacology Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Cott has also done research in the pharmaceutical industry and currently reviews new drugs with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Sally Fallon Morell, M.A., is a chef, nutrition researcher, homemaker and community activist. The founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation and editor of the Foundation's quarterly magazine, she is owner of NewTrends Publishing and founder of A Campaign for Real Milk (www.realmilk.com). Ms. Fallon-Morell is author of the best-selling Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, and Eat Fat, Lose Fat, co-authored with Mary Enig. Her recipes and teachings have been inspiring readers for years. She is trained in French and Mediterranean cooking, and received her master's degree in English from UCLA.

Robert M. Duggan, M.A., M.Ac.(UK), Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM), is Co-Founder and President Emeritus of Tai Sophia Institute, has practiced traditional acupuncture since 1973. He holds a master’s degree in human relations and community studies from New York University as well as a master’s in moral theology from St. Joseph’s Seminary, and received his master’s certification in acupuncture from the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (UK). A national leader in the development of the acupuncture profession and the emerging healing arts community, he has served as a commissioner of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, on the board of trustees of the Horizon Foundation (a community wellness foundation in Howard County, Maryland, which in 2008 honored him with its annual Leadership Award), and a panelist at meetings sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In February 2009, Duggan testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and in November 2009, he was among 20 leading thinkers, innovators, artists, philosophers, and entertainers selected to present at the first TEDx MidAtlantic Conference. Mr. Duggan lectures throughout the United States and abroad, and is author of Common Sense for the Healing Arts (2003).

Gerard Mullin, M.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University as well as Director of Integrative Gastrointestinal Nutrition Services at Johns Hopkins Hospital. An internist, gastroenterologist, and nutritionist, Dr. Mullin is internationally renowned for his work in integrative gastroenterology and nutrition, a field in which he has accumulated over 15 years of clinical experience. He is the only physician in the United States who is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine for Gastroenterology, the American Society of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition, the American College of Nutrition, and the American Board of Nutrition Physician Specialists. He is an associate editor of Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, and recently was selected by Dr. Andrew Weil to serve as senior editor/author of the first book for physicians on integrative gastroenterology, published by Oxford Press.

Nora Pouillon., is a pioneer and champion of organic, environmentally conscious cuisine. After moving to the United States from Austria, Nora developed an extensive network of organic and natural farmers for her catering business. In 1979, she opened Restaurant Nora, supplied by local farmers’ seasonal organic produce; Restaurant Nora later became the first certified organic restaurant in the United States. Ms. Pouillon helped jumpstart the farm-to-table movement, introducing DC chefs to local farmers. She also initiated DC’s first producer-only farmer’s market, called FRESHFARM Markets, which now includes eleven markets in the metropolitan area and is run by her friend, Ann Yonkers. Nora is the author of Cooking with Nora, a seasonal menu cookbook that was a finalist for the Julia Child Cookbook Award. She sits on the board of directors of the Amazon Conservation Team, the Environmental Film Festival, FRESHFARM Markets, Earth Day Network, SeaWeb, Wholesome Wave, and The Organic Center. In 2009, Ms. Pouillon was the first recipient of the Genesis Award from Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, and in October 2011, the Chefs Collaborative inducted her into their Pioneers Table.

Kathie Madonna Swift, M.S., RD, LDN, is a leading integrative nutrition practitioner and educator. She is a curriculum designer of the Food As Medicine program, sponsored by the Center for Mind-Body Medicine; Chief Nutrition Advisor for myfoodmyhealth.com, an online program offering customized meal plans; and author of My Foundation Diet, a gluten and dairy-free food plan available on CD at myfoundationdiet.com. Ms. Swift served as nutrition director at Canyon Ranch for over a decade. In 2005 she collaborated with Dr. Mark Hyman to establish the UltraWellness Center, where she was the nutrition director for three years and continues to practice today. A faculty member at Saybrook Graduate College and at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, she sits on advisory boards for the Institute for Functional Medicine, the Integrative Healthcare Symposium, and Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine. In 2009 she served as Chair of Dietitians in Integrative & Functional Medicine, and is co-author, with Gerard Mullin, M.D., of The Inside Tract: A Holistic Guide to Digestive Health and Healing (Rodale Press, 2011).