Speakers

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  Jeff Bland, PhD Functional Medicine Founder and Pioneer
  

  Jeff Bland, PhD

  Functional Medicine Founder and Pioneer

  Dr. Jeffrey Bland is a personable and highly respected thought leader who has spent more than four decades focused on the improvement of human health.

  He is known worldwide as the founder of the Functional Medicine movement, which represents his vision for a care model that is grounded in systems biology and informed by research that he has a unique ability to synthesize. His pioneering work has created the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute (PLMI), as well as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), the global leader in Functional Medicine education. Since 1991, hundreds of thousands of healthcare practitioners have participated in PLMI and IFM programs, and this collective knowledge has positively impacted the lives of patients all over the world.

  Dr. Bland began his career as a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound. He is a natural educator and became involved with numerous academic institutions during the years he spent teaching. This includes the significant contributions he made to the founding and accreditation of Bastyr University, the first federally accredited university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in natural medicine in the US. In the early 1980s, Dr. Bland was hand-selected by two-time Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling to serve as Director of Nutritional Research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. This experience marked both a personal and professional inflection point for Dr. Bland that has become an integral part of his career.

  As an expert in a field he helped to establish—science-based nutrition—Dr. Bland has become an iconic figure in the natural products industry. He worked alongside other founders to establish standards for evidence-based formulations, quality ingredient sourcing, and ethical manufacturing practices that stand to this day. He continues to serve as a dynamic mentor and advisor to a new generation of industry leaders.

  Dr. Bland is the author of best-selling books and over 120 peer-reviewed research publications. He speaks extensively, and his engaging style makes him popular with both professional and consumer audiences. Dr. Bland’s latest project is Big Bold Health, launched in 2018. He’s on a mission to transform the way people think about one of nature’s greatest innovations: the immune system. Through Big Bold Health, Dr. Bland is advocating for the power of immuno-rejuvenation to enhance immunity at a global level. It is an ambitious and purpose-driven effort that encompasses his active stance on regenerative agriculture, environmental stewardship, and planetary health.

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  Philip Oubre, MD Functional Medicine Physician
  

  Philip Oubre, MD

  Functional Medicine Physician

  Philip Oubre, MD is a Functional Medicine physician who focuses on restoring people’s inner wellness by helping them understand the root causes of their illness. He believes in personalizing medicine to the individual’s needs. He focuses on improving nutrition, restoring gut function, removing toxins, balancing hormones, managing stress, and supporting movement in order to restore wellness. By utilizing a prescribed supplement regimen, he can help people get back to wellness even faster!

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  Willem M. de Vos, PhD Dutch academic and microbiologist
  

  Willem M. de Vos, PhD

  Dutch academic and microbiologist

  Willem M. de Vos, PhD is a Dutch academic and microbiologist. He studied for his PhD at the University of Groningen. He is notable for winning the Spinozapremie in 2008. Dr. De Vos is currently serving as an Academy Professor for the Academy of Finland.