2018 Wellness & Mindfulness

Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., is one of the most frequently quoted integrative medical authorities in the world. He is the author of the best-selling From Fatigued to Fantastic!, Pain Free, 1,2,3!, The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution, and the popular free Smart Phone app Cures A-Z. He is the lead author of 4 studies on effective treatment for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, and a study on effective treatment of autism using NAET. Dr. Teitelbaum appears often as a guest on news and talk shows nationwide including Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN, and Fox News Health. Learn more at www.Vitality101.com.

Melissa Williams is the Director of DisAbility Counseling & Consulting (DCC), with the University of California San Diego.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the College of Saint Benedict/St. John’s University and her Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology – Rehabilitation Counseling from St. Cloud State University.  Prior to joining UC San Diego in 2016, Melissa consulted for Minnesota Workers’ Compensation, served in complex health systems, and has both public and private sector experience.  She has extensive experience in developing and implementing Stay at Work and Return to Work programs, disability management, and ADA reasonable accommodations.  She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and Certified Human Resources Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Dr. Nahle is an award-winning scientist with interdisciplinary training in biomedical research and public administration. He is the incoming Executive Director of the Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF, known as CureArthritis.org). ANRF stands among the top 1% of US Charities and is dedicated to funding innovative research to understand the causes of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, juvenile arthritis, Fibromyalgia and related autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.

Prior to joining ANRF, Dr. Nahle was as the Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President for Research at Solve ME/CFS Initiative (SMCI), a Los Angeles-based medical organization dedicated to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, a debilitating disease. In this capacity, he oversaw a comprehensive investment program with medical centers and industry partners to spark innovation in biomedical research. He also directed a robust scientific portfolio including peer-review grant programs in basic, translational and epidemiology research as well as specialized biobanking services and Electronic Health Record platforms. That is in addition to numerous medical education, research communication and community engagement initiatives.

Dr. Nahle is a frequent speaker at international conferences and serves on specialized committees and panels at federal agencies, including the NIH and the CDC. Earlier in his career, he was on the faculty of leading universities and founded a nonprofit organization focused on the disability agenda in Africa with a classmate at Harvard. His work is featured in prestigious journals like Science and Nature. He received numerous awards including ones from the American Heart Association (AHA), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)/Genetic Alliance (GA), and was an Edward Mason fellow at Harvard University. He holds a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from Stony Brook University/Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (New York) and an MPA from Harvard University, where he completed a fellowship in public policy and management at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

As Managing Director of the UC San Diego Centers for Integrative Health, Lauray MacElhern oversees the business administration, strategy, operations, marketing, finance, management, and development of the Center and its five Centers in Integrative Medicine, Research, Education, Nutrition and Mindfulness. Lauray is the Co-Director of the Center for Integrative Nutrition and co-founder, teacher, and trainer of the UCSD Natural Healing & Cooking School. She also served elected Clinical Chair of the prestigious 69-member Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health. Lauray joined UCSD after running a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization, The Cancer Project, dedicated to nutrition education and research for cancer prevention and survival. As part of that role, she worked with and trained more than 100 chefs around the world on how to teach the organization’s award-winning cooking and nutrition courses. Under her leadership, the organization reached millions through its public outreach efforts and within community centers, hospitals, and medical centers in more than 160 cities across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Panama, Jamaica, India and Spain. For the past decade, Lauray has specialized in technology, management, marketing, and leadership roles contributing to the successful start-up of three ventures. She has achieved formal recognition from NASA and the Telly Awards for her work. From an early age, Lauray has been personally immersed in healing cooking, naturopathy, Ayurveda, and Chinese medicine. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication and commerce through coursework in the Wharton School and Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and advanced degree coursework in nutrition sciences through extension programs at Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and American University. She earned her MBA from Rady School of Management at UC San Diego.

Lauray MacElhern, MBA
Managing Director, Centers for Integrative Health
Co-Director, Center for Integrative Nutrition
UC San Diego