Jasmine Constanzo - Director (Professor of Heart)
Born of gypsies in Latveria, Jasmine Constanzo sought power through research in organic chemistry before the terrible accident that made Reed Richards her eternal enemy. She then went sojourning in search of ancient wisdom, learning chinese medicine, Reiki, yoga, osteopathy and martial arts from the forgotten lamasaries of tibet, and ultimately forging a suit of mystic armor capable of travelling through time, unleashing energy blasts, and cooking delicious broccoli.
Wait, that's actually Dr. Doom. But most of that still holds true. She definitely enjoys cooking delicious healthy food and encouraging better living through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She hails from Queens, NY, currently lives in the Bay Area, and intends to specialize and teach Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/OMM.
Rachel Zhuk - Curriculum Planner (Professor of Earth)
Rachel is a native of Denver, Colorado and ping-ponged across the country while studying Philosophy and Political Science at NYU and Stanford, working in public policy at the National Center for Children in Poverty, and eventually deciding to pursue medicine in New York. She was a dancer growing up and accidentally discovered yoga, massage, and chiropracty after an injury in college. She was amazed at the effectiveness of these modalities where traditional western medicine had not helped, and wanted to find out what else she hadn’t heard of! Since then she has practiced and taught yoga, learned about Ayurveda at school and in India, studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in Yunnan, China, and researched palliative care at the Columbia University Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer.
Now a 4th year at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Rachel took the mast from former HEART planners as president of Students for Integrative Medicine, and is now thrilled to follow in their footsteps to Ben Lomond. In her spare seconds she squeezes in yoga, cooks with her family and friends, explores the incredibly diverse food of her adopted city, and adores her little dog Joey. She looks forward to coming together with an incredible group of like-minded healers for a unique month at HEART!
Student Selection Planner 2012 (Professor of Sunlight)
Sasha Strul grew up in South Florida after a big move from South Africa when she was just a baby. Growing up rooted in family and a deep appreciation for other cultures, she thanks her mom for introducing her to yoga at a very young age and her grandma for imparting her international culinary wisdom. Nowadays Sasha experiments in her own kitchen alongside friends in Gainesville, FL where she is a fourth year medical student at the University of Florida.
Artsy at heart, Sasha graduated from a magnet arts high school where she studied Communications and Visual Arts. Since deciding to bring her creativity to the medical field, she found a home for her visual focus and love for fine detail work in the field of Ophthalmology. She is excited to get to use her hands and her heart to help patients everyday. Sasha also has a strong interest in international medicine and dreams of teaching and mentoring throughout her career.
A big believer in a balanced life, she is a long-distance runner, a traveler with lots more to see, a bookworm, avid people watcher and fierce scrabble opponent. She cannot think of a better way to finish medical school and start the transition to “M.D.” than with the HEART experience.
Sam Davis - Business Manager/Treasurer (Professor of Fire)
Sam calls Panama City home, a rural beach town in Northwest Florida both literally and culturally rooted in the South. It was here in a small magnet program in high school that he developed a deep admiration for community and service as well as the arts and music. He attended Florida State University majoring in Biology and Spanish and had the opportunity to study and work in Valencia, Spain furthering his appreciation for diversity and fueling his passion for travel. Multiple international mission trips led him to attend the University of Florida College of Medicine where he is currently a rising fourth year medical student and continues his international and local medical service. It was at UFCOM where he was first exposed to complementary and alternative medicine and the power of introspective meditation through mindfulness practice and the annual Holistic Health Retreat. He is planning to pursue a career in community and family medicine and still finds some time for the occasional yoga practice, camping trip, potluck, or good book. He is excited to rediscover himself, delve further into complementary health practice, and find renewed direction in life by returning to the California redwoods for HEART 2012.
Nicholas Madaffer - Public Relations Director (Professor of Wind)
Nick Madaffer is from the Midwest (Illinois and Ohio), the son of a Home Economics goddess. He knows how to make bread from scratch, fold laundry like a pro, and balance his checkbook. He attended the University of Montana studying Chemistry and Beer Brewing (Senior Research Project). He worked for a year studying the endocannabinoid system, and synthesizing fluorescent molecules and visualizing the “THC transport system” in the mouse and rat cerebellum. He currently attends the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, and is planning on specializing in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Pediatric Rehabilitation. Throughout his medical education, he has maintained activities as varied as Vipassana Meditation, participating in sprint distance triathlons, philosophy research on pain.
Wendy Kohatsu, MD, a graduate of the inaugural class of Fellows from the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, is a family medicine faculty member at Oregon Health Science University. Dr. Kohatsu is certified in shiatsu massage, a clinical researcher and lecturer locally and nationally, with the goal of promoting integrative medicine in the academic environment. She has worked to increase utilization of integrative medicine in underserved populations, and is the editor of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Secrets, (June 2002) and co-author of chapters on the History of CAM in the US, Nutrition, Supplements, Low Back Pain, and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Kohatsu will assist in HEART faculty selection and serve as lecturer.
Bill Manahan, MD, is assistant professor of the Center for Spirituality and Healing and of Family Practice and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center in Minneapolis. He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Holistic Medicine as well as the board of directors for the Northwestern School of Homeopathy. He is on the editorial board for Alternative Therapies in Health Journal, Integrative Medicine Access, and Integrative Medicine Consult Newsletter. He has published numerous articles on the scientific evidence regarding the use of complementary and alternative modalities as well as community based health care in light of managed health care. He has served as the program director of the MN Rural Family practice Residency program and has served on numerous boards, councils, and coalitions for community based programs addressing drug use, education, and reaching the underserved. He currently is a member of the American Holistic Medical Association's Board of Trustees. Dr. Manahan will be a faculty advisor and a guest lecturer on integrative medicine in practice.
Nina Stoyan-Rosenzweig is the Director of the Medical Humanities program at the University of Florida College of Medicine where she teaches a variety of electives and courses in narrative medicine, media and medicine, environmental health, history of medicine and international health issues, and creative expression. She runs the Thomas Maren Medical Student Reading Room and facilitates the development of projects and programs that reflect medical student interests and passions. She also is creating a Medical History Center at the University of Florida. She will serve as advisor and lecturer for the HEART elective.