Chair: Dr. Renée Purdy, ND, Canada

The focus of the WNF Research Working Group is to support the codifying and synthesizing of existing knowledge, the generation of new knowledge and the dissemination of this knowledge to the wider clinical and research committee.  The naturopathic profession is a leader in research supporting Traditional and Complementary Medicine practice and has been active in developing research capacity in other health and medical areas beyond naturopathy / naturopathic medicine.

The initiatives planned for the WNF Research Working Group include:

  • Promotion and dissemination of the recently published Health Technology Assessment (HTA) will be a continual focus for the next year. The official launch of the HTA is scheduled for November 23rd 2022 in Australia.
  • In May the WNF, with the support and guidance of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), launched a Live Review highlighting the systematic reviews of natural health products that have been researched in response to the pandemic. The Live Review is hosted on the WNF website and will be updated monthly. It includes nutraceuticals and herbal products used in the prevention or treatment of COVID, in the management of long-haulers and/or in the treatment of vaccine-related issues.
  • In June of 2022 the WNF published four White Papers including: non-communicable diseases (NCDs), hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, mental health. The aim of the White Papers is to support increased collaboration and external affiliations. The WNF Research Committee will continue to work on White Papers for the global naturopathic profession.
  • The International Research Consortium of Naturopathic Academic Clinics (IRCNAC) will be revitalized in 2022 with the aim of supporting research projects focused on naturopathy and naturopathic care. 

Members of the Naturopathic Research Committee:

Co-Chairs, Dr. Renée Purdy, ND, CAND (Canada) & Dr. Amie Steel, UTS (Australia)
Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH, NUNM (USA)
Dr. Kieran Cooley, ND (non-clinical), CCNM (Canada)
Dr. Alioune Diaw, ND, Vitalopathie (France)
Anne Gimalac, Navi (Switzerland)
Dr. Melissa A Murphy, PhD, Bastyr University (USA)
Dr. Paul Saunders, Phd, ND, CCNM (Canada)
Dr. Madeleine Tuson-Turner, ND, NUNM (USA)
Suhas Vinchurkar, B.N.Y.S., Ph.D., INYGMA (India)
Dr. Jon Wardle, ND, PhD, UTS (Australia)