College of Mind-Body Medicine

Meet Our Community: Avn Sturm, PhD Candidate in Mind-Body Medicine

I am presently living in Coconut Grove, Florida with my husband Kurt and two Black and White American short-haired cats named Oscar and Felix. Coconut Grove is a village in Miami that was settled by Bahamians and white settlers in the 1800s and became an artist colony in the 1940s – 1960s. My background is in Theater in performance, directing and writing. I have worked with my husband in professional film and video production and studio design, as well as computer software engineering. I went back to school and received both a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Public Administration with a specialization in Homeland Security Policy and Coordination (emphasizing emergency preparedness). For my MPA thesis, I focused on how the community is the actual first-responders. I found a resonance with working with people first as a director, then in organizational behavior in business school and finally in the importance of the community around us.    

Saybrook first caught my eye in 2003 and I have keenly watched its development. After I graduated with my MPA in 2008, I decided to apply to Saybrook. To me, Saybrook was where I wanted to attain the jewel of my academic crown, a PhD. It is important to be a part of an institution that is comprised of such stellar human beings, which is the essence of humanistic psychology and life. At the first residential conference (RC), I had a chance to be amongst strangers and landed running. I say this because it is this exhilaration that I still get many RCs later. I especially like the structure of the RC because it establishes a foundation on which all learning is based at Saybook. In fact, it was at a Summer RC that I first learned Kundalini yoga and have continued my practice of it along with my husband. We are looking forward to becoming certified Kundalini instructors, so RCs can be both illuminating and motivational in encouraging one to continue practices learned at a RC.

Meet Our Community: Ruthi Solari, MS Candidate in Mind-Body Medicine

My name is Ruthi Solari and I am a Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CN). I am a part of the Fall 2010 Masters cohort at Saybrook University's College of Mind Body Medicine.

One of my favorite aspects of Saybrook's MBM program is the close affiliation with the Center for Mind Body Medicine (CMBM). The CMBM conferences were what initially inspired me to enroll at Saybrook for a more intensive learning experience in the field of Mind Body Medicine.

It was also after I attended a CMBM conference called Food as Medicine (FAM) that I was inspired to start a non-profit that is now my full-time job. The non-profit, SuperFood Drive, was founded in early 2009 to help get healthier foods into food banks to ensure that all people have access to nutritious meals.  Since its inception, SuperFood Drive has been tremendously successful in leading the movement towards nutrition banking instead of just (processed) food banking. We started by focusing on educating the general public about why it is important to donate nutritious non-perishables during food drives (for example, black beans instead of refried in lard, fruit canned in its own juice instead of syrup, and whole grain pasta instead of mac n cheese).  We are now working collaboratively with Feeding America and other national organizations, including government programs, to create a holistic implementation model that can be used to turn all food banks across the country into nutrition banks.

Meet Our Community: Alisha Smith, PhD Candidate in Mind-Body Medicine

I currently work as the data manager for a federally-funded program called Indianapolis Healthy Start, geared at reducing infant mortality in the United States.  Additionally, I serve as an adjunct faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College where I teach an Introduction to Communication class.  My academic career began with a focus in vertebrate zoology and ended with an MA degree in Public Relations.  This combination of interests has allowed me to pursue a career in health care. It allows me to utilize my skills and interest in communication while having an understanding of the human body and medical field.  My position with Healthy Start has provided me with a strong background of the life-course perspective on public health and the impact of social determinants on health.

My personal experiences during pregnancy led me to explore alternative medicine as a means to improve my own birth outcomes. In an effort to find a physician in the Indianapolis area who utilizes complementary alternative medicine, I discovered that few existed. Personal experience has also shown me that many people in the Midwest either don’t believe in alternative medicine or do, but are afraid to talk to their doctors about it. This experience and my passion for educating others in the health care field led me to pursue a doctoral degree.

Meet Our Community: Carrie Phelps, PhD Candidate in Mind-Body Medicine

Carrie Phelps has over 30 years experience in the health and wellness field.  

Formally trained in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Methodology, Carrie served as a consultant and project manager for Activate America, a national YMCA organizational wellness initiative.  Recently she served as the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region where she initiated and mobilized sustainable organizational learning environments, strategic thinking and action, and program design for high impact.  

In 2001, she helped develop and implement the Institute for the Healing Arts in Nashville Tennessee. Working with an integrated team of healthcare professionals, Carrie served as the Director of Integrative Medicine, and established a comprehensive approach to total health.  As a faculty member of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine based in Washington D.C., Carrie trains clients and healthcare professionals in scientifically-proven mind-body approaches.  She has conducted hundreds of wellness presentations, workshops, intensives, and certification courses to medical staff, high-level executives, and the general public.  She is a certified life coach, one-on-one HeartMath provider, and Nia instructor.  Carrie received her Masters degree in Exercise Science from Denver University.  

Currently, Carrie is the Health and Well-Being Technical Advisor for YMCA of the USA and a doctoral student at Saybrook University where she is studying mind-body medicine with a concentration in healthcare systems.