2016 International Massage Therapy Research Conference Keynote Speakers

Translating Evidence into Practice
Wayne B. Jonas, MD
Samueli Institute

Wayne B. Jonas, MD is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Samueli Institute, a non-profit medical research organization supporting the scientific investigation of healing processes and their application in health and disease. He is a widely published scientific investigator, a practicing family physician, Professor of Family Medicine at Georgetown University, and Professor of Family Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Additionally, Dr. Jonas is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Medical Corps of the United States Army.

Dr. Jonas was the Director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health from 1995-1998, and prior to that served as the Director of the Medical Research Fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. Jonas earned his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC and has held leadership positions with a number of organizations and councils such as the World Health Organization, the National Institute of Health, and the White House Commission for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. He currently serves on the editorial boards of eight peer-reviewed journals and on the advisory or scientific boards of six national and international organizations, including the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Planetree International.

Massage Therapy at Mayo Clinic: Research Transforming Practice
Brent A. Bauer, MD
Mayo Clinic

Dr. Bauer is board-certified in Internal Medicine, a Professor of Medicine and has been on staff at Mayo Clinic for 23 years. His main research interest has been the scientific evaluation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies that patients and consumers are using with increasing frequency. He has authored several book chapters and over 100 papers on this topic, and is the Medical Editor of the Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. He is a member of numerous scientific review panels and is currently collaborating on over 20 studies being conducted at Mayo Clinic evaluating CAM therapies ranging from acupuncture to valerian. He is the Medical Director of Rejuvenate, the first spa at Mayo Clinic. He is also the Medical Director of the Well Living Lab, a collaboration between Delos and Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation, which is exploring the impact of the indoor environment on wellness. His work is at the forefront of the emerging field of Integrative Medicine which combines the best of conventional medicine with the best of evidence-based complementary therapies.

Changing Landscapes and the Next Generation of Massage Therapists
Jo Smith, PhD
New Zealand Massage Therapy Research Center

Attendees learned the following:

Fifteen years of baccalaureate degree education for massage therapists in New Zealand
Higher education as a change agent
Educating new practitioners for the health professions
The ‘invisibles’ of professional practice
The importance of engaging with research

Dr. Smith is a leading massage therapy educator and researcher at the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), in Invercargill, New Zealand. Jo has been involved in the New Zealand massage therapy industry since 1997, as a practitioner of massage therapy and physical therapy, and as a massage therapy educator. More recently she has been spearheading research in this field, publishing in New Zealand and internationally. She is currently the President of Massage New Zealand. Dr. Smith holds a M.Ed. (Hons) in adult education and developed and implemented the first Bachelors program for massage therapy in the Southern Hemisphere. Her PhD research, completed in 2010, focused on the massage culture of care and practice patterns of massage therapy within New Zealand. In addition, she has carried out research into massage therapy outcomes, massage therapy professionalization and educational issues pertinent to massage therapy. Dr. Smith currently teaches on the Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage (BTSM) program at SIT, teaching primarily in the areas of clinical reasoning, clinical practice, and research. She is recognized as an innovative teacher who instills high standards and a love of research in her students. Dr. Smith also co-leads the New Zealand Massage Therapy Research Center and is focused on developing a culture of massage therapy research, within the BTSM, New Zealand, and globally.