On March 17, the Rodale Institute announced it will bring together healthcare professionals and farmers for the first-time for a groundbreaking conference connecting the benefits of soil health to human health.

From October 16-19, 2022, “The Regenerative Healthcare Conference,” will be hosted at Rodale Institute’s headquarters to build upon the concept of “regenerative healthcare” introduced in the Institute’s 2020 white paper, “The Power of the Plate: The Case for Regenerative Organic Agriculture in Improving Human Health,” in which farming and healthcare work together to create a prevention-based approach to human and environmental health.

“At Rodale Institute, we see ourselves first and foremost as a human health organization. Regenerative organic agriculture is simply a tool to improve human health outcomes,” said Jeff Tkach, Rodale Institute Chief Impact Officer. “That is why we are launching the Regenerative Healthcare Conference. Regenerative healthcare begins on farms and in the soil. We need doctors and farmers to come together to form a unified solution that reinvents healthcare by working with nature, not against it.”

Through interactive, in-field demonstrations, as well as panels from the leading soil and health researchers, attending healthcare professionals will learn about the fundamental disconnect that exists between farming and medicine.

The Regenerative Healthcare Conference is hosted in partnership with The Plantrician Project, an organization dedicated to connecting physicians and providers with the impacts of diet on physical health.

Additional speakers and panelists include:

-- Researchers and staff of Rodale Institute

-- Dr. Mark Hyman, physician & host of The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast

-- Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Renowned Nutrition Scientist, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, & Author of The China Study

-- Dr. Maya Shetreat, Neurologist, Herbalist, Urban Farmer, and Author of The Dirt Cure: Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child

-- Dr. Monica Aggarwal, Cardiologist & adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the University of Florida Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

-- Dr. Ron Weiss, Ethos Health

-- Dr. Scott Stoll, Co-Founder of The Plantrician Project

View the full list of speakers at the Conference webpage.

Funding for the Regenerative Healthcare Conference is provided by the Dexter F. and Dorothy H. Baker Foundation, a philanthropic organization striving to make a positive difference in the lives of others through education in arts, youth and social services; funding is also provided by The Robert M. Sinskey Foundation, whose mission is to advance medical science and improve the quality of medical care throughout the world by supporting education, scholarship, medical and scientific research and clinical activities.

“Evidence demonstrates that eating healthier, nutrient-rich food will result in healthier people, less disease, quicker healing, and an extended, improved quality of life,” said Carol Baker, trustee of the Dexter F. and Dorothy H. Baker Foundation. “We see healthcare professionals as key messengers to educate, inform, and influence consumer choices when it comes to purchasing and eating healthier food. Our desire is that soil health and human health education at the Regenerative Healthcare Conference will be put into practice and drive change in the medical community, resulting in improved health outcomes for individuals.”

The Regenerative Healthcare Conference is part of Rodale Institute’s larger effort to connect the impacts of organic agriculture with global human health. It is critical to engage healthcare providers in this conversation to change the course of healthcare for good.

“As an organic farmer for 35+ years in the Napa Valley of California, I have witnessed the benefits of regenerative farming to mitigate climate change. The collateral damage of climate change in the form of mental and physical health degradation will be the number one health crisis going forward,” said Rob Sinskey, owner of Robert Sinskey Vineyards and trustee of the Robert M. Sinskey Foundation. “We need to engage Western medicine to bridge the divide between human health and agriculture for the benefit of all living things. Regenerative farming can reverse climate change while providing healthier nutrition to all. Educating those who are in the best position to make a difference is why the Robert M Sinskey Foundation is sponsoring this conference.”

Apply To Attend

Interested attendees can apply online.  The deadline for applications is May 15th.

Tuition for the Conference is $1,990.  Financial aid may be available for those who qualify.

The Conference will be held at the Rodale institute’s 333-acre regenerative organic experimental farm in Kutztown, Berks County.

More information is available at The Regenerative Healthcare Conference webpage.

For more information on programs, initiatives, research, assistance available to farmers, and upcoming events, visit the Rodale Institute website. Like them on Facebook. Follow them on Twitter. Check out their YouTube Channel.

[Posted: March 17, 2022]

3/21/2022