Join Us for the 2026 NYANP Annual Conference

Lesli Bitel, MBA, RDN, LDN, is a registered dietitian and business strategist with a background in functional and integrative nutrition. She holds an MBA in Global Business and spent over a decade working in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries in sales and marketing leadership roles.
After building her own private practice, she began focusing more on the business and structure of care delivery—specifically, how to help practitioners get better patient outcomes without burning out.
Much of her work centers on creating programs and care models that patients can actually follow and stick with over time.
She has trained and mentored over 1,000 practitioners and regularly teaches on patient engagement, program design, and practice development. She also collaborates with diagnostic and healthcare companies on practitioner
education and support.
Website: https://leslibitel.com
YouTube: Lesli Bitel International

Charles Esenwa, MD, MS is a vascular neurologist, neuroepidemiologist, and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Montefiore Einstein. He specializes in stroke prevention, hypertension management, and digital health implementation focused on underserved communities. Dr. Esenwa serves as Chief Medical Officer of SMARTS Health, where he leads development of remote cardiovascular monitoring programs integrating wearable technologies and prevention focused care models. His research combines epidemiology, implementation science, and digital health strategies to improve early detection of cardiovascular risk factors and reduce disparities in stroke outcomes. He has led multiple quality improvement and population health initiatives related to hypertension control, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and stroke prevention. His work has been published in peer reviewed journals including Stroke, Circulation Research, and JAMA Network Open.

Naturopathic physician Dr. Michaël Friedman is the founder of the Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine and the Journal of Restorative Medicine. He also creates and formulates herbal and nutritional supplements, and is cofounder and president of the Restorative Formulations supplement company. He is the author of the medical textbook Fundamentals of Naturopathic Endocrinology, a contributing author of Evidence-Based Approach to Restoring Thyroid Health, and co-author of Healing Diabetes. He has treated patients with illnesses ranging from lymphoma to liver cancer, achieving remarkable results that have been published in several medical journals. He lives with his family in Montpelier, Vermont.

Dr. Tanvi Gandhi, ND, L.Ac., is a devoted Naturopathic Physician, Certified Integrative Psychiatry Provider, and Licensed Acupuncturist in both Connecticut and New York. With a background in Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics from UCLA and research experience at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Tanvi blends deep scientific knowledge with holistic wisdom. During medical school, she was honored with the “Best Student Doctor Who is Calm in Crisis” award, a reflection of her grounded, compassionate presence in care. She is passionate about infusing creativity in medicine. She is the founder of Shiva-Shakti Acupuncture and Ayurveda, a healing space rooted in both ancient traditions and modern integrative medicine. Tanvi sees herself as a bridge holding space for your story to unfold while offering guidance and support on your path to healing. Whether in one-on-one sessions or group facilitations, her goal is always to empower and educate her patients with tools for self-awareness, self-healing, and deep inner restoration. 

Dr. Tanvi offers care through her private practice based in Stamford, CT. She also leads wellness programs such as Mindful Alchemy, Sound healing throughout Fairfield County and the NYC area. She also serves as the Wellness/Integrative Psychiatry Provider for Acute, Transitional Living and Outpatient program at Silverhill Psychiatric Hospital. She works with patients one-on-one and facilitates adult and adolescent mindfulness and integrative wellness groups and is also involved with Trauma-focused Program and Professionals Residential Program. Her additional training in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University and a fellowship in Integrative Psychiatry at the University of Colorado further deepens her ability to support the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. She has been published in NDNR and Narrative Medicine Intima Journal and on various podcasts. She is also an active member of PsychANP, Conference Committee member for Connecticut Naturopathic Physician Association and Connecticut Society of Acupuncturists. She’s current fellow of Pediatric and Adolescent Pediatric Psychiatry Redefined. 

Ashok is an internationally renowned Speaker, Filmmaker & Health Practitioner who has dedicated his life to supporting people through chronic illness and achieving their potential.

Ashok suffered from ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, around 25 years ago when he was studying at Cambridge University. Through neurological research that he conducted, he managed to get himself 100% better. He then set up a clinic to treat others, and was the first to then publish the well-known neuroplasticity “limbic retraining” recovery program and app.

He has published several medical papers including randomized controlled trials on Long Covid, ME/CFS, & Fibromyalgia, showing that the treatment is effective, and is continually researching these conditions. 

The Gupta Program website

Dr. David James, ND is a licensed naturopathic physician in a handful of states (5) with a focus on integrative oncology, complex chronic disease, and neuro-immune medicine. He served as a physician at Naturopathic Specialists in Scottsdale, Arizona and is in the fingerprint process for an appointed physician member of the Arizona Governor’s Board of Acupuncture. Dave also worked as a doctor at AIMS Institute in Seattle Washington before moving to Park City, Utah with his rescue dog, Juno. Dr. James is a member of the Society for Integrative Oncology Research Committee, the AANP Board Nomination, Annual Convention, & Membership Committees, and the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association Education Committee. His clinical interests include immunotherapy support, neuroplasticity-based medicine, and integrative approaches to chronic disease. Dr. James has presented nationally on integrative oncology, modern immunotherapy, and naturopathic clinical strategies for complex conditions. A former 3x Team USA athlete and two-time U.S. national champion in ultrarunning, he brings a systems-based approach to resilience, recovery, and whole-person medicine. He owns Total Care Naturopathic Medicine.

Dr. Ksenia Malarkey, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in integrative oncology, metabolic health, and hormonal medicine. Her clinical practice bridges conventional oncology and integrative medicine, with particular focus on the under-addressed physiologic consequences of cancer treatment including circadian disruption, endocrine depletion, and post-treatment allostatic load. She writes Integrative Oncology Insights, a publication translating emerging evidence into clinically applicable protocols for patients in active treatment and survivorship. Her clinical framework emphasizes mechanism-informed, patient-centered care that honors naturopathic roots while integrating advanced diagnostics and evidence-based intervention across hormonal, metabolic, and survivorship medicine.

Dr. Bert Mathieson, ND, MA, RD, LD, CDCES is a naturopathic doctor, registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and he holds a certification in naturopathic acupuncture. He is a member of the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors (NHAND), and was instrumental in getting legislation passed to obtain insurance coverage for naturopathic doctors in New Hampshire. Bert is a general practitioner and applies the principles of naturopathic medicine to treat a wide range of conditions.  There are three conditions in particular for which he has pursued extensive continuing education and has become known for treating.  These conditions include: Lyme disease, cancer and diabetes. Bert is a member of ILADS and OncANP.  Bert has been a member of ILADS since 2012 and he was originally mentored by doctor Richard Horowitz, MD to become an ILADS member. 

Bert has written several peer reviewed articles for the Natural Medicine Journal and presented on newer classes of diabetes medications at the NHAND conference in 2021