Talks:

"Mast Cell Activation Disease: Current Concepts"

"Diagnosis of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome"

"Treatment of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome"

“Development of a Comprehensive MCAS Assessment Tool”

“Proposed Steps for Transforming Our MASTerMinds Group into a Formal Professional Society”

After training at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Dr. Afrin practiced and researched hematology/oncology at MUSC 1995-2014 while also working in educational administration and medical informatics. Since the mid-’00s, his clinical/research work has come to focus in mast cell disease. Since 2014-17 furthering this work at the University of Minnesota, he has been developing an independent institute (located in the greater New York City area) for advancing care, research, and education in mast cell disease. His publication record includes some of the most highly accessed articles about mast cell activation syndrome and a popular book in the field.

Talk:

“Connecting the Dots in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome”

He is currently the Director of Center for Complex Conditions and Assistant Professor, Brown Medical School. He completed his training in Anesthesia and Critical Care with a Fellowship in Pain Medicine – from Harvard Medical School. Currently an Assistant Professor (Clinical) at Brown Medical School. He has a special interest in chronic complex pain conditions and their associated co-existing conditions. He has several publications to his credit and is on the editorial board for a journal on pain. Serves on the medical advisory board for several chronic pain conditions, former chairman of the EDS International pain consortium. National awards including Compassionate care award, Lifetime achievement awards, humanitarian award.

Talk:

“MCAS and Eating Disorders: Prevention and Treatment”

Jen Gaudiani is an internist in Denver who has specialized in eating disorders for the last 16 years. Educated at Harvard, BU, and Yale, she helped run the nation's highest level of medical care for critically ill adults with anorexia nervosa for 8 years before starting her own outpatient clinic in 2016. Dr. Gaudiani is a passionate advocate for weight-inclusive care and uses an autonomy-forward treatment lens. As her clinic draws patients of all ages, genders, body shapes and sizes with eating issues from around the country who have medical issues getting in the way of their recoveries...surprise! she accidentally developed an expertise in MCAS too. She continues to learn from MASTerminds every day. Her book "Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders" is available on Amazon.

Talk:

“MCAS in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics”

Dr. Kirchoff completed her pediatric residency at OHSU in 1999, and was chief resident in the OHSU Department of Pediatrics from 1999-2000. She spent the first 5 years of her pediatric career practicing general pediatrics in a private practice, where she realized that her true passion was helping children with developmental and behavioral challenges. She began practicing developmental and behavioral pediatrics exclusively in 2007.

Dr. Kirchoff completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine in February 2016. One of her passions is determining which types of holistic/complementary/alternative treatments work best for specific developmental/behavioral challenges – her desire to think broadly/holistically about how to help her patients is in part what led her to be curious about MCAS. She has been including evaluation for MCAS and treating patients when indicated for the past 1-2 years, and has been excited about the positive results.

Talk:

"A Holistic Approach to Nutrition in MCAS - Beyond a Low Histamine Diet"

Amy began work as a registered dietitian in 2009. Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from the University of Kansas (2004), a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Kansas State University (2008), and a Master of Science in Nutrition from KU Medical Center (2013). Amy obtained her Certified Diabetes Educator credential (CDE, now CDCES) in November 2015.

She has worked at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, gaining experience in heart and liver transplant nutrition. She has also worked at College Park Family Care Center in the Kansas City area, providing nutrition counseling in a primary care setting, where she was also part of a multi-disciplinary Functional Medicine Clinic. This Functional Medicine Clinic is where Amy saw her first clients with MCAS/POTS/EDS.

Amy is now the owner of Redo Nutrition, LLC in the Kansas City Metro area, a 100% virtual practice that includes a total of 3 registered dietitians specialized in Functional Nutrition, GI Health, and CDCES diabetes certifications, which allows them to uniquely meet the needs of our growing MCAS population. She estimates that 50-75% of her practice has MCAS, POTS, EDS or a combination thereof.

Talk:

“ Breast Implant Illness May Be Rooted in Mast Cell Activation”

Dr Eva Nagy is an Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon practising in Sydney, Australia. She obtained her Medical Degree and PhD from the University of Melbourne, and subsequently underwent surgical training in New South Wales, Australia.

She completed her Fellowship training in Breast Surgery in the Nottingham Breast Institute in the UK. She now focuses on treating women with breast conditions, including Breast Cancer and Breast Implant Illness. Her professional interests include topics such as de-escalating breast cancer treatment, the relationship between Breast Implant Illness and MCAS, and the establishment of a standard to which breast explant surgeries are performed.

Talk:

“Compounding medications for MCAS Patients: Tried and True Formulas.”

Suzanne is one of the founders and sole owner of Community Compounding Pharmacy. She opened CCP in 2008, but has been working as a compounding pharmacist for over 22 years. Suzanne’s focus in compounding has always been working closely with integrative practitioners.

Before becoming a compounding pharmacist, Suzanne spent many years studying western herbal medicine, which gave her a foundation for creating therapeutic formulations. Before opening CCP, she opened and managed an integrative pharmacy where she had the great fortune to work side by side with a naturopath and help operate a full-service naturopathic medicinary that contained both an herbal and homeopathic medicinary.

When opening CCP, Suzanne’s vision was to found a compounding pharmacy to support the naturopathic community. This has continued to be a core goal for the pharmacy. In the past 15 years we have worked closely with the ND community throughout the nation, and regularly create integrative formulas to support their patients. In addition, CCP offers continuing education conferences to our providers twice a year to foster partnerships in our community.

Talk:

“Nicotine Patch Use for MCAS, POTS and Long Covid”

Dr. Jill Crista is a pioneering naturopathic doctor, best-selling author, devoted educator, and creative innovator. Her superpower is to make complex medical concepts simple and digestible for the average person.

Dr. Jill’s passion is to elevate the well-being of the planet through the healing of her inhabitants.

Her books and online courses support those wanting concrete steps to conquer health challenges.

Dr. Jill focuses on neuroinflammatory conditions including mold, PANS/PANDAS, Lyme disease, and concussion.

Talk:

“ The Complex Path to Intracranial Hypertension and CSF Leak in those with Hypermobility and Dysautonomia; The Theory of Spiky-Leaky Syndrome”

• Pediatrician and Pediatric Cardiologist practicing in Northern California (Heart of the Valley Pediatric Cardiology).

• Received training at Johns Hopkins Medical School & The University of California at San Francisco with fellowships in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at Stanford University and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

• Research interests include the study of endothelial control of vasomotor tone, nitric oxide, sports cardiology, dysautonomia, POTS, mast cell activation syndrome, and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and their relationship to environmental exposure.