Virtual Presentation: “Nature as a Source of Healing,” November 19

Thursday, November 19, noon

Presented by Niabi Zoo and University of Illinois Extension

The first in a series of webinars devoted to exploring the benefits of nature in our collective health and well-being, the virtual presentation Nature as a Source of Healing will be co-presented by the Niabi Zoo and the University of Illinois Extension on November 19, the special hour-long program delivered by physician and noted author Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller.

Iowa’s first fellowship-trained and board-certified medical doctor in integrative medicine, Hackenmiller completed Dr. Andrew Weil’s acclaimed fellowship at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine in 2013. She became board certified by the American Board of Integrative Medicine in 2015, and has been board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2002. In 2017, she completed a 500-hour course to become certified in herbal medicine with Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, and Hackenmiller’s passion for integrative medicine and nature therapy arose from her personal journey through raising a child on the autism spectrum, her late husband’s death from cancer, the inadequacies of conventional medicine, and her personal discovery of solace in both outdoor adventure and mindfulness in nature.

She and her current husband Joe lead workshops combining mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, integrative wellness topics, and the practice of Shinrin-yoku – Japanese forest bathing for women’s empowerment, individuals with special needs, cancer survivors, and others. Hackenmiller is also the author of an award-winning children’s book A Friend Like John, Understanding Autism, and speaks nationally and internationally to groups on the subjects of autism, cancer, integrative medicine, and nature therapy. Her most recent book, The Outdoor Adventurer's Guild to Forest Bathing, was released in July of 2019, and Hackenmiller has been quoted in Prevention Magazine (October 2016), the Boston Globe (June 2017), the New York Times (July 2018), Women’s Health Magazine (May 2019), and Forbes (November 2019).

Nature as a Source of Healing will be presented by Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller at noon on November 19, and donations to the free virtual event are encouraged. For more information, visit Web.extension.illinois.edu.