NUNM to Add Accredited Graduate-Level Ayurvedic Program in Fall of 2018
The National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon has formalized its plans to add an accredited graduate-level Ayurvedic program. It announced recently that a new Master of Science in Ayurveda (MScA) degree will begin accepting standalone enrollment in the fall of 2018. Current students will be offered to add a concurrent/dual-degree with the MScA in the winter of the same year.
Program Chair: Savita Rajukar, MD, PhD, ND
The program chair will be Savita Rajukar, MD, PhD, ND. She is currently an assistant professor at NUNM, teaching elective courses in ayurveda. Dr. Rajuka is a well known and respected physician, teacher, researcher and writer; she has been in clinical practice for over 25 years.
Ayurveda: Indian System of Medicine over 5,000 years old
NUNM is pleased to offer an accredited program in Ayurveda, an Indian system of medicine that is well over 5,000 years old. It is still a mainstay of the Indian healthcare system, being used by a majority of the rural population of india. Along with an increased interest in Eastern philosophy and Indian culture, Ayurveda has also become very popular in America.
MScA was Created to Provide Training in the Art and Science of Ayurveda
The MScA has been created to provide training in the art and science of Ayurveda to students currently enrolled at NUNM and already licensed medical professionals. The program will have a strong foundation in ayurvedic philosophy, classification, pathophysiology, assessment. It will include ayurvedic treatments such as botanicals, nutraceuticals, detoxification/rejuvenation therapeutics, yoga, diet, lifestyle, and counseling. All the classes will be taught in English.
Ayurveda Still not a Licensed Degree in the United States
Graduates from the MScA degree program will be confident and able to offer integrative medical care. However, ayurveda is not a licensed degree in the United States, which is why the intention of the program is to serve members of of the holistic medical profession who already are practicing, or in the process of obtaining a licensed degree.
Didactic academic classes will be held at NUNM, and all required clinical internships will be done at NUNM health centers and also accredited teaching hospitals in India.
For more information, visit http://nunm.edu/master-science-ayurveda-msca/.
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Node Smith, ND, is a naturopathic physician in Portland, OR and associate editor for NDNR. He has been instrumental in maintaining a firm connection to the philosophy and heritage of naturopathic medicine among the next generation of docs. He helped found the first multi-generational experiential retreat, which brings elders, alumni, and students together for a weekend camp-out where naturopathic medicine and medical philosophy are experienced in nature. Four years ago he helped found the non-profit, Association for Naturopathic ReVitalization (ANR), for which he serves as the board chairman. ANR has a mission to inspire health practitioners to embody the naturopathic principles through experiential education. Node also has a firm belief that the next era of naturopathic medicine will see a resurgence of in-patient facilities which use fasting, earthing, hydrotherapy and homeopathy to bring people back from chronic diseases of modern living; he is involved in numerous conversations and projects to bring about this vision.
