There was a tremendous response to our third annual Industry Awards for 2017. A huge thank you goes out to all those who entered or nominated in the awards. The high calibre and volume of entries was impressive, and we applaud the efforts of every single entrant for their contribution to natural medicine in Australia.
Meet our winners and highly commended runners-up for Practitioner of the Year, Clinic of the Year, and Student of the Year! All finalists have all demonstrated excellence in their field, and have made significant contributions to the Australian wellness community, natural medicine profession, and healthcare industry.
ATMS once again congratulates all the winners and finalists on their devotion and commitment to natural medicine in Australia.
Without further ado, here are the 2017 ATMS + Nature & Health Awards Winners and highly commended finalists:
Meet your 2017 Practitioner of the Year
Amina Eastham-Hillier
Noosa Holistic Health NSW
Amina has demonstrated leadership and expertise in her pursuit and study of natural treatment of Lyme disease, and recently published her first book, Lyme Natural, a clinical guide and reference for practitioners and students. In addition to a clinical practice in NSW which has served over 10,000 patients, Amina has developed a referral network throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, and America. In 2018, she will take her lecture series on Lyme to Canada, America, Great Britain, France and Sweden. She has also launched an online practitioner mentoring program, speaks regularly on television and radio medical documentaries, writes for consumer magazines, and regularly mentors final year naturopathy students.
Highly Commended:
Deborah Watts
Reflexation, Picnic Point, NSW
Deborah runs a multi-modality practice which incorporates biomechanical assessments, custom-made foot orthotics, and three natural therapy modalities – food reflexology, hand reflexology, and Indian head, neck, and shoulder massage. She has had articles published in professional journals and promotes her business via social media, open forums, and delivering volunteer workshops to community groups and to large corporate groups, explaining how natural therapies such as reiki and reflexology can benefit workplace health and productivity.
Justin Sinclair
TM Consultancy
Holding a Masters of Herbal Medicine and currently working on a PhD, Justin is at the forefront of the education of politicians, doctors, healthcare professionals and the public about the power of medicinal cannabis (MC) for treating many health conditions. He is Australia’s leading expert on the therapeutic use of MC and his tireless work as Chief Scientist for the nonprofit organisation United in Compassion has helped change the way the Australian parliament regards MC. Justin has also published numerous scientific papers, text book chapters and delivers community talks and regular educational lectures as well as lecturing students.
Teresa Mitchell-Paterson
Bourke Street Clinic, Surry Hills NSW
Teresa has been in continuous clinical practice for over 25 years. For the past six years, she has been with The Bourke Street Clinic, working closely with doctors in integrative medical management of patients with chronic disease support and cancer, which involves discussion and collaboration in case management and seeking outcomes formed from evidence-based natural therapies. Formerly the Head of Academic Studies for the Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT) and previous Board Member for ATMS, and currently Senior Lecturer at ACNT’s Nutritional Medicine faculty, Teresa has regularly appeared in the media, writes articles for magazines, advised on Professor Kerryn Phelps’ book Cancer Recovery, contributed chapters to Hechtman’s Advanced Clinical Naturopathy, completed two monographs for the 4th Edition of Herbs and Natural Supplements, and works as Nutritional Advisor to Bowel Cancer Australia.
Meet your ATMS 2017 Clinic of the Year
Carter Chiropractic & Dubbo Acupuncture, Dubbo
NSW Carter Chiropractic and Dubbo Acupuncture services patients from an area that covers 25 percent of the state of NSW, a region typically under-serviced by conventional medicine and very limited in provision of natural therapies. The clinic focuses on fertility and women’s gynaecological problems as well as sports injuries, and employs highly qualified and dedicated practitioners of chiropractic, acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Founder Raisa Kolesnikova is renowned for her professionalism and is proof that you can achieve anything you want with determination and passion, having emigrated from China at age 21, going on to learn English at night and working as a secretary and clerk before undertaking a Diploma of Applied Science (Acupuncture), a Master of Applied Science with Distinction (Acupuncture) and Master of Applied Science (Chinese herbal medicine). The Clinic is well regarded in the community, offering free scoliosis check-ups and ongoing lectures and services to community sporting groups, and attracting regular referrals from conventional medical practitioners.
Highly Commended:
Ascot Vale Natural Therapies, Melbourne Victoria
Ascot Vale Natural Therapies (AVNT) is a multi-modality clinic, offering naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, remedial massage, and life coaching, with a dedicated team of practitioners striving to work together for patients’ best possible health outcomes. All AVNT practitioners are involved in ongoing learning, regularly attending seminars, conferences, and workshops, while their Director is currently undertaking post-graduate study with professional honours in Medicines Management in Complementary Medicine. AVNT also offers online programs in naturopathy and life coaching, provides volunteer talks to the community on nutrition, mindfulness, and and self-care, and mentors students.
Ayurclinic, Melbourne Victoria
Starting in Australia, a country where Ayurvedic medicine was largely unknown, Ayurclinic has conducted public awareness programs to educate people and presently has over 10,000 clients on its database, attracting patients from all across Australia as well as the rest of the world. Ayurclinic has grown from a one-man operation to three clinics in Melbourne and one in Sydney, presently employing 10 practitioners across the fields of Ayurveda, homeopathy, and yoga.
The Pagoda Tree, Albert Park Victoria
The Pagoda Tree has an exceptional reputation for providing support to patients and also to staff. Founder and owner Natalie Kringoudis has grown The Pagoda Tree’s reputation and credibility to a point where practitioners can start filling their books from the beginning and have her ongoing support in building both the business and developing their skill set. The Clinic has a high level of team support and sees a thriving team environment – which of course is reflected in the level of service and care each patient receives.
Meet your ATMS 2017 Student of the Year
Ema Taylor
Endeavour, Sydney NSW
Ema is a current final year student in the Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) program at Endeavour College of Natural Health. Ema believes strongly in the holistic naturopathic principles of mind, body, and spirit. Ema is an inspirational role model for other students, demonstrating leadership and creativity. She aims to be in clinical practice when she finishes her studies. She strongly believes in food as medicine and has built a business, Ceremony Cacao, where she promotes good nutrition, health, and wellbeing.
Highly Commended:
Wendy Hee
UTS TCM Clinic, Broadway, NSW
Wendy is a final year student of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at the University of Technology Science Faculty’s Chinese Medicine Clinic. Her personal experience of breast cancer has motivated her to be the lead intern at the UTS Acupuncture Clinic at the Concord Hospital Cancer Centre. Other achievements include increasing UTS School of TCM patient referrals and volunteering at Bondi By the Sea’s Donation Acupuncture Clinic and the Pearls of Wisdom TCM Seminars. On graduation, Wendy plans to set up a TCM practice on the mid-North Coast of NSW.
Anthony Hartcher
Endeavour, Sydney NSW
Anthony graduated his Bachelor of Complementary Medicine from Endeavour College of Natural Health with distinction, and is presently finishing his final year of his combined degree with Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy). He was awarded the college medal for academic excellence. An inspirational role model for other students as well as practitioners and clinics, while Anthony was studying he has built a unique business model, Me&My, which tailors healthcare to meet the individual patient’s needs, an approach which empowers the patient to take ownership of their health plan and provides them with tools and support.
Michelle Daga
Nature Care, Sydney NSW
Michelle’s journey from journalism to naturopathy began with her blog, The Real Foodies, where she wrote about her experience with coeliac disease and food allergies. She became a self-taught cook, making everything from scratch to cater for her food allergies, and her blog now has 10,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram. Michelle decided to become a nutritionist and is presently studying with Nature Care College, and will graduate in 2018. Her plans include helping others living with coeliac disease and allergies and also advocating for greater food allergy awareness and safety.
To see all the celebrations from the ATMS + Nature & Health Awards 2017 visit the ATMS Facebook page: Click Here
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