Naturopathic Physicians to Celebrate 100 Years of Licensure at Annual Convention

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The nation's leading conference for licensed naturopathic doctors (NDs), taking place August 15-17 in Portland, Ore., is poised to be a unique time of celebration and learning. AANP 2019, the Annual Convention is the largest event in the naturopathic community and brings together NDs from around the world for three days of learning, collaboration, and fun.

Over the three-day Convention, attendees will hear from more than 47 speakers in over 40 sessions. Additionally, attendees can opt to come a day early for the pre-Convention Closing Summit on the Future of Naturopathic Medicine, which seeks to strengthen the culture of collaboration within the profession and strategic priorities for growth. Participants can also stay for the post-Convention and choose from one of four hands-on in-depth workshops.

This year, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) is transforming the 60 thousand square-foot exhibit hall into a "journey through time," where attendees will travel through an interactive timeline dating back from 1919, leading them into the present. The journey will showcase the naturopathic medicine profession's milestones that date back to 1919 when Washington became the first state to license NDs. "We look forward to delivering an exceptional experience for our attendees and our guests. What we've accomplished these past 100 years is worthy of highlighting, and will encourage folks to envision how we want to position naturopathic medicine in the healthcare system of the future" stated Laura Farr, AANP executive director.

As attendees stroll through the exhibit hall, over 100 vendors will showcase their products and services. Participants in need of a break during the Convention will be able to enter three themed self-care rooms, provided by National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). One room will feature relaxation modalities such as massage and acupuncture, the second will offer quiet meditation like yoga or Qigong, and the third will feature self-care practices such as herbal tea, sound therapy, and aromatherapy.

In addition, the grand exhibit hall will feature interactive stations such as a self-powered smoothie bike, nutritional cooking demonstrations, and a multi-sensory herb experience.

AANP 2019 is packed with exceptional sessions and learning. "We know that people learn better when information is presented in a way that is creative, engaging and in an open and relaxing environment. Our goal was to make an experience where participants can learn but also decompress and allow what they learned to sink in," said Jaquel Patterson, ND, MBA, AANP president.

Other Convention highlights include:

• The Naturopathic Medical Student Association (NMSA) will once again host its annual conference in tandem with AANP 2019 and will hold their 2019 Annual NMSA Cup Competition.
• A kick-off Thursday morning keynote speech by, Ian Coulter, PhD, from RAND Corporation who will speak on metaphysics and the role of vitalism in science.
• The AANP annual election and award ceremony – which recognizes up and coming leaders, as well as the pioneers who built the profession's foundation – will take place at the closing banquet of the Convention, the AANP Gala, on Saturday, August 17.

The AANP Annual Convention is a platform for knowledge sharing, deepening core philosophies and modalities of naturopathic medicine, and building collaborations with integrative medicine practitioners. Next year's AANP Convention will take place in Denver, Colo. at the Westin Westminster, July 9-11.

SOURCE American Association of Naturopathic Physicians