UWS’ Community-Based Clinical Education program allows students to gain experience wherever they wish to practice.
University of Western States has earned an international reputation and welcomes students from around the world. Over the years, many of those international students have come from Canada. Among the more recent graduates from our neighbors to the north is Mallory MacDonald from the Maritime province of New Brunswick. Like a lot of other Canadian UWS graduates, MacDonald took advantage of UWS’ Community-Based Clinical Education (CBCE), which uses a distributed network to allow students to engage in clinical immersions in many different health systems and geographic regions. MacDonald has returned to her home province to complete her preceptorship and begin her career. “I couldn’t imagine practicing anywhere else,” she says.
Growing up in a small town of 600 people, MacDonald was an avid athlete until a severe knee injury in high school ended her rugby career. “I saw different physiotherapists for years, and I wasn’t getting the results I wanted,” she says. Ultimately, she found she got the best results from chiropractic care. The experience inspired her to pursue chiropractic as a profession.
A Lifetime of Athletics Led to a Career Helping Them Heal
When choosing among chiropractic schools, she considered a program in Toronto but preferred UWS because it offered a more condensed program, which meant that she could complete her training and begin practicing sooner. After a drive across North America, MacDonald arrived in Portland to find herself to be one of a large percentage of her classmates in the Chiropractic program who were Canadian. “I was the only one from the East Coast,” she says, “but it made for a better transition.”
Now, MacDonald is in her 12th and last quarter of the chiropractic program. “I did get very good clinical experience at University of Western States,” she says. “It prepared me well to practice, and I’m excited to start working professionally.”
Serving the Folks Back Home
For her preceptorship, MacDonald is working in a private multidisciplinary health care clinic in Fredericton, New Brunswick’s capital. Her chiropractic training, including her work in the UWS Health Center, gave MacDonald the experience necessary to work independently in her current setting. “I see my own patients. I have my own schedule,” MacDonald says, and each day I have rounds with a different clinician at the clinic where I can ask them anything.”
She hopes to practice in the same clinic in which she is currently working, as her educational journey comes full circle and likes the idea of giving back, especially among the athlete population. “When I was growing up it was hard to find the proper health care that I needed,” she says.
“We have students placed across Canada, including many in British Columbia and Alberta,” says Patrick Battaglia, DC, associate vice president of CBCE. “These placements highlight the CBCE program’s flexibility and commitment to serving students where they are.”
MacDonald agrees. The quality of the classroom instruction combined with hands-on experience in the school clinic, the presence of so many fellow Canadians in her cohort, and the opportunity to begin practicing in her home province straight out of chiropractic school all contributed to her positive educational experience. “The University of Western States did a really good job and was very welcoming to Canadian students,” she says.
As I reflect on my first year as president of this remarkable institution, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for the enduring spirit and commitment that define University of Western States. For 121 years, our university has stood as a beacon of excellence in chiropractic education and care, and it is with renewed energy that we nourish our roots, celebrating and supporting our Doctor of Chiropractic alumni who have carried our mission into communities near and far.
At the same time, UWS is embracing growth and innovation. The launch of our new naturopathic and occupational therapy programs stands as a testament to our dedication to whole-person health and our vision to expand the university’s impact. These additions not only diversify our academic offerings but also reinforce our commitment to advancing integrative health care education. This issue’s cover story captures the relationship between naturopathic medicine and the natural world from which the practice derives. And Michele Tilstra, Ph.D., explains the expertise behind the creation of our new hybrid, two-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in a wide-ranging Q&A.
In a time when higher education faces significant challenges, it is the strength of our community—our alumni, faculty, staff, and friends—that positions UWS to thrive. Your engagement, whether through time, talents, or treasure, is more vital than ever as we continue to build on our legacy.
I am also delighted to announce the revitalization of our continuing education program under the leadership of Patrick Battaglia, DC. Our upcoming Summer in December event in Maui exemplifies the spirit of renewal, professional growth, and opportunity that defines UWS today. As we look to the future, I invite each of you to stay connected and engaged, ensuring that our university remains a place of excellence, innovation, and community for generations to come.
Sincerely
Nathan Long, Ed.D. President University of Western States
Michele Tilstra, Ph.D., OTD, OTR/L, leads UWS’ new two-year hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, blending clinical expertise with innovative teaching.
Michele Tilstra, Ph.D., OTD, OTR/L, program director of Occupational Therapy at University of Western States, has been a practicing occupational therapist for more than 30 years and is also an eight-year veteran of the higher education classroom. Dr. Tilstra blended her clinical and academic experience to create an innovative new two-year hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. We spoke with Dr. Tilstra to learn more about what this new Doctor of Occupational Therapy program offers students, graduates, and the communities they serve.
What is occupational therapy, and what do occupational therapists do?
Dr. Tilstra: The American Occupational Therapy Association’s definition is helpful: “Occupational therapy is a health care profession focused on helping clients maximize their independence and/or quality of life through participation in occupations that make their lives meaningful and purposeful.” All of the individual activities you do during the day are your occupations, including self-care, household tasks, health management, rest and sleep, education, work, leisure, and social participation. Occupational therapy practitioners collaborate with clients to develop goals and treatments focused on quality of life and based on individual preferences, values, and beliefs.
What makes the UWS Doctor of Occupational Therapy program unique?
Dr. Tilstra: A traditional program requires students to come to campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It’s their full-time job. They’re expected to be fully engaged in the program. They can’t have other commitments during that time.
We’ve found that doesn’t work for a lot of students, especially now, when people are using remote access to work around their life, home, and work schedules. An important part of the program’s design was to make the courses accessible across time zones, which means using prerecorded lectures or content videos that students can access whenever and as often as they want.
Occupational therapy is a hands-on career, so you can’t have a program 100% online, but we looked at how we can efficiently use every minute that students are on campus to make sure they are doing something with their hands.
When they come to campus, they will come about six days every semester during their first year. We call those six days “intensives” on purpose: It’s intense, hands-on training. They’re working with each other and faculty practicing clinical skills, using assessments, and different modalities that we have tried to refine as much as possible.
Who is the ideal student for the UWS two-year hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy program?
Dr. Tilstra: We are looking for individuals who are compassionate, curious, and committed to helping others, regardless of academic background. We value the diverse experiences that applicants bring. Typical applicants include junior undergrad students interested in a holistic health care profession; occupational therapy assistants working in the field who want to advance their practice; working adults who have a bachelor’s degree in another field but are looking to change careers. I have worked with students who previously studied education, dance, fashion design, nursing, psychology, exercise physiology, and construction. They have gone on to thrive in the occupational therapy profession.
How does the UWS Doctor of Occupational Therapy program teach mental health and whole-person care?
Dr. Tilstra: A key pillar of occupational therapy is mental health. it’s a specialty area, but it’s also integrated into every interaction that we have. Students have to complete a mental health course related to evaluation and intervention in mental health practice. That’s taken during their first semester because we integrate it throughout all the other courses.
In my hand therapy practice, I may be the first person who’s asked my patient who had a traumatic hand injury, who got their hand caught in a machine at work, “How are you sleeping?” I’ll ask, “How’s your relationship with your spouse who isn’t used to you being home for six weeks? How’s your anxiety?”
I might be working on the physical part of trying to improve their motion and their strength and the scar tissue in their hand, but I’m also having this ongoing conversation to provide them with mental health support. We teach students how to do that. It’s an important part of occupational therapy practice, no matter what area of practice they choose.
What is fieldwork in the UWS Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, and how does the capstone prepare students?
Dr. Tilstra: Fieldwork is broken down into two sections. There’s level one fieldwork that is required and built into the coursework when students are on campus. They will complete their level one training during that time. Their level two fieldwork comes in semesters four and five. Those are full-time clinical experiences that can be done anywhere in the U.S., plus we have a few in the Virgin Islands and other areas.
Semester six is the capstone. We call it a “project and an experience” because the experience must be 14 weeks during which they’ll complete a project. It may be a research project, teaching a course, or running an innovative group treatment program. They get the opportunity to experience research and academic presentations. That’s important because it gets their names out in the OT community.
What are the most common work settings and career paths for occupational therapists?
Dr. Tilstra: One of the most common areas that students go to are in the school system. They’re doing pediatric occupational therapy, working on handwriting skills, the ability to sit still, emotion regulation, social skills, anger management, those types of things.
Some go to a skilled nursing facility with a geriatric population to work with someone who’s had a total hip surgery or a new onset of Parkinson’s but who wants to maximize their level of independence. Some graduates work in inpatient rehab that focuses on patients in the first 20 days after a stroke or a motor vehicle accident.
Other options are inpatient rehab for pediatrics, outpatient pediatric or hand therapy, neonatal intensive care, acute care hospitals, and behavioral health or mental health.
Why is demand for occupational therapists growing, and what population trends are driving it?
Dr. Tilstra: It’s our aging baby boomers. A large majority are going to need some kind of therapy services, and we don’t have enough occupational therapy practitioners to service all the people that need therapy. Most areas of the country are understaffed and desperate for occupational therapists. We’re seeing an upswing in demand, and I foresee that will continue, because there are just not enough OT practitioners graduating right now.
Partnership expands international academic pathways, enabling Camosun kinesiology students streamlined entry into UWS’s Doctor of Chiropractic program.
The Community Solution Education System has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Camosun College opening opportunities to develop academic pathways for Camosun students to all six institutions within the nonprofit system.
“The Community Solution was founded with the belief that cooperation among colleges and universities benefits both students and institutions,” said Michael Horowitz, Ph.D., chancellor of The Community Solution Education System. “This partnership with Camosun bridges educational opportunities internationally, allowing students to advance their professional goals and contribute to their communities in a meaningful way.”
The first of these is a formalized pathway for Camosun kinesiology students to access the Doctor of Chiropractic program at University of Western States (UWS).
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Camosun to develop pathways for students to further explore the field of chiropractic care,” said Nathan Long, Ed.D., president of UWS. “This partnership showcases our shared commitment to advancing whole-person health both in the U.S. and in Canada. As a proud member of The Community Solution Education System, we understand the critical role strategic relationships like this have in the advancement of student success and community impact. I look forward to seeing the relationship between UWS and Camosun blossom.”
The MoU will help establish a pathway for undergraduates to further their studies in chiropractic health care. The agreement creates a framework of benefits and collaborative offerings including the exchange of materials, joint research agendas and collection of data, and access to interdisciplinary grant opportunities. Additionally, Camosun kinesiology students enrolling in the chiropractic doctoral program at UWS are eligible to receive transfer credits for three courses (8.5 credits).
“We’re pleased to partner with The Community Solution to promote academic cooperation and provide opportunities for further education for Camosun College students,” said Carly Hall, Dean of Health Sciences and Human Service at Camosun College.
The Bachelor of Kinesiology program at Camosun is a four-year applied degree program that prepares students with the knowledge and skills to work in the fields of exercise physiology, kinesiology, exercise therapy, fitness, high-performance sport, adapted physical activity, health and community recreation.
The UWS Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) program is a rigorous, 12-quarter doctoral program designed to be completed in three years. Students learn from experienced faculty with practice experience and clinical training at the UWS campus in Portland, Ore. The UWS DC program qualifies graduates with the coursework required for licensure in the U.S. and Canada.
Explore how occupational therapists are redefining mental health care through practical, person-centered support.
Occupational therapy professionals (OTPs) have long been associated with physical rehabilitation, but their expertise increasingly plays a vital role in psychiatric care. From managing the impact of trauma to helping individuals rebuild disrupted lifestyles, the role of occupational therapists has become essential, offering personalized support that helps people function in their daily lives.
At University of Western States (UWS), this intersection of mental and functional health is core to the institution’s philosophy. Guided by a whole-person approach to health, UWS prepares occupational therapists to understand the full complexity of a person’s life, environment, and goals, training them to restore practical function.
Learn more about the impact OTPs are making within the field of mental health.
A Whole-Person, Function-First Philosophy
When mental health conditions take hold, even simple routines can unravel. Getting out of bed, showering, preparing a meal, or sticking to a sleep schedule can feel like monumental tasks. Through trauma-informed care practices, occupational therapists learn to see people as more than diagnoses. Their focus on function helps them empower patients to rebuild routines and reestablish confidence in their ability to navigate life.
“Think of it as the doing therapy instead of the talking therapy,” says Michele Tilstra, OTD, Ph.D. The founding program director for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at UWS, Dr. Tilstra has more than 30 years of OT experience, having practiced in hand therapy, home health, skilled nursing, and mental/ behavioral health. To her, an OTP’s work is grounded in the belief that healing happens through meaningful activity, helping patients reconnect with who they are and what they can do.
By focusing on function, not just symptoms, OTs empower people to rediscover balance and purpose in their everyday lives.
What Does It Mean To Be Function-First in OT?
In occupational therapy, every goal connects back to one thing: the functions needed for a patient’s daily life. “Function-first means everything we do has to apply to a daily activity,” says Dr. Tilstra. “Everything you do in your life counts as a function. Sleeping, getting dressed, showing up on time for work or school, sitting at a desk, grocery shopping: These are all functional tasks or your occupations.”
Being function-first means focusing on what people need to do: helping them adapt, stay engaged, and live with purpose each day. For clients living with depression, anxiety, or major life changes, OT care might involve rethinking routines that suddenly feel impossible. For example, “If someone loses a spouse, counseling helps with grief, while OTs look at how that loss affects daily life,” explains Dr. Tilstra. “Was the spouse responsible for paying bills, buying groceries, or keeping track of appointments? How can the patient maintain functioning while still working through their grief? In OT, we step in to help them build systems that make everything more manageable.”
This lens also aligns with the University of Western States commitment to whole–person health, which recognizes how physical, mental, socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors intersect to impact well-being.
Collaboration and Care Teams: Why Occupational Therapists Belong in Mental Health
Imagine someone facing depression who can’t get out of bed to take their medication or prepare a meal, or a trauma survivor struggling to focus at work. OTPs step in to help rebuild routines, adapt environments, and create strategies that make daily life more manageable and meaningful.
This practical, person-centered approach reflects the values of University of Western States where collaboration is at the heart of the educational experience. Students in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program learn to think across disciplines, combining evidence, empathy, and real-world understanding to support whole person health. This prepares students for the collaborative nature of occupational therapy. OTPs often collaborate with other mental health providers to create integrated treatment plans that center both clinical and functional recovery.
How Is an Occupational Therapist Different From a Counselor, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or Social Worker?
Occupational therapy and counseling often go hand in hand: one helps people understand their struggles, while the other helps them live differently because of that understanding.
“Counseling is where you go deep into the ‘why,’ while OT is about the ‘how,’” explains Dr. Tilstra. “We’re always applying what we talk about to daily life.” She notes that more than half of her clients see both a counselor and an OT.
While counselors help clients explore and process trauma, OTPs focus on how those experiences show up in everyday routines. “OTPs are trauma-informed and aware of factors that contribute to behaviors, but we focus on the day-to-day activities people are struggling to accomplish.”
For example, when a client experienced anxiety after being attacked in a grocery store, counseling helped her process the trauma. Occupational therapy focused on the next step: rebuilding confidence to return to the store. “We looked at what was stopping her and created small, practical goals to help her get back to doing what she needed to do,” Dr. Tilstra says.
What Does OT Care Look Like for Different Age Groups?
Occupational therapy is a valuable resource for patients across ages and backgrounds. In community-based practice, Dr. Tilstra serves a wide range of neurodivergent clients with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or depression, from toddlers to adults in their 60s. “With the little ones, it’s a lot of sensory regulation: teaching families about sensory needs and how to meet them in healthy ways,” she explains. “For adults, it might be about organization, task initiation, or giving them permission to find strategies that actually work for them.”
Dr. Tilstra recalled working with a college student newly diagnosed with ADHD who struggled with organization and self-doubt. “We went through his syllabi, mapped out his schedule, and built in time for work, exercise, and socializing. It was the first time he had seen his whole life in one view,” she says. “He left with strategies that worked for his brain, and permission to do things differently.”
In school settings and nursing homes, OTPs will sometimes create dedicated sensory rooms (depending on state and institutional resources). For pediatric patients, these rooms might feature climbing features, bubble tubes, swings, soft textures, compression vests, and compression tunnels to help with calming. In assisted living facilities, these rooms might have quiet music, calming scents, bubble tubes, soft textures, and baby dolls.
Beyond the sensory room, environmental modifications benefit patients of all ages, creating comfort and preserving dignity. Dr. Tilstra shares an example of an elderly patient who is hesitant to shower: “Sometimes it’s because they’re embarrassed, cold, or just don’t understand what’s happening,” she says. “It’s amazing what lowering the lights and putting a robe around them to keep them warm can do to reduce agitation and improve some behaviors.”
No matter the age or diagnosis, the goal is the same: helping clients understand themselves, build practical coping tools, and move toward greater balance and independence.
What Mental Health Conditions Are Supported by Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy professionals in mental health settings support clients across a wide range of diagnoses. While the specifics vary, here are some of the most common conditions and the functional strategies OTs bring to care:
Depression: Reestablishing routines, increasing engagement in activities, and overcoming fatigue and low motivation
Anxiety Disorders: Grounding techniques, calming routines, and trigger management
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Trauma-informed safety strategies, sensory regulation, and gradual reentry into community
Substance Use Disorders: Healthy-lifestyle routines, relapse-prevention strategies, and reintegration into work, school, or community
Serious Mental Illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder): Independent-living skills, medication management, social participation, and vocational readiness
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Organizational strategies, time management tools, and sensory regulation techniques
For example, in patients with schizophrenia, OT interventions have been found to improve social functioning and cognitive performance, reducing the duration and rate of rehospitalization. By focusing on function and context, OTPs help clients carry therapeutic progress into daily life.
Where Do Occupational Therapists Serve?
Occupational therapy professionals make a difference wherever people need help finding their strength and independence. While many work in hospitals or clinics, OTs serve across a variety of settings. UWS graduates will go on to serve in roles within skilled nursing facilities, transitional housing programs, nonprofit agencies, and more.
Inpatient and psychiatric settings
In hospital and psychiatric environments, OTPs lead practical, hands-on sessions that help patients reestablish daily routines like cooking, nutrition, hygiene, and budgeting.
“It’s not always about the physical act itself,” Dr. Tilstra says. “Sometimes it’s about helping someone remember to take care of themselves: bathing, dressing, or preparing meals.”
These activities build life skills patients can carry into everyday life after discharge.
Community and Outpatient Clinics
In community-based care, therapy becomes highly individualized as OTPs help clients navigate real-world challenges.
“If someone has panic attacks, it might take us three weeks to work toward going to the grocery store,” Dr. Tilstra says. “We plan together, build familiarity, and practice coping strategies, breaking big fears into manageable steps.”
These sessions combine emotional awareness with real-world problem-solving to rebuild confidence and independence.
Creative and Group-Based Therapies
OTs use shared, purposeful activities (such as crafts, cooking, or team projects) to build emotional regulation and social skills in safe, engaging ways.
Occupational therapy has deep roots in creative, activity-based interventions, and those methods are making a comeback. Participating in activities (such as crafts, cooking, or team projects) builds emotional regulation and social skills in safe, engaging ways.
“I might have a group of four adolescent boys building birdhouses,” Dr. Tilstra says. “While they’re working, we’re talking about anger: what happens when you start to feel it, and what you can do differently.”
Using the birdhouse example, Dr. Tilstra emphasizes how activity-based interventions help cultivate problem-solving skills. “If there aren’t enough materials for everyone to make their birdhouses, for example, they learn to share and work together,” she says. “Those are real social skills, and it all falls under the OT umbrella,” Dr. Tilstra says.
Forensic and Correctional Settings
In state hospitals, youth detention centers, and forensic units, OTPs often focus on long-term independence and reintegration.
“We work on transitional living skills,” explains Dr. Tilstra. “That is, what it takes to care for yourself, make safe choices, and build friendships that lead to healthier outcomes.”
These sessions often include anger management, stress management, and social skill development, all of which are critical tools for stability and self-sufficiency.
Looking Ahead: Why the Mental Health Field Needs More Occupational Therapists
The demand for mental health professionals is rapidly outpacing supply, especially in community-based and rural settings. At the same time, the field continues to broaden its understanding of what effective care looks like.
Effective mental health care extends beyond talk therapy or crisis stabilization. It also requires structured, everyday support that allows individuals to rebuild their lives.
Occupational therapy professionals address such needs. Their training in function, context, trauma, and daily living makes them essential members of any modern mental health care team.
And the workforce need is only growing: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 14% increase in demand for occupational therapists through 2032, much faster than average job growth. This is driven by aging populations, increased attention to chronic illness, and expanding recognition of OTP’s role in mental and behavioral health. “There’s a big gap in care,” Dr. Tilstra says. “Currently, there aren’t enough OTPs to serve the aging population.”
Why Should Someone Pursue a Degree in Occupational Therapy?
For Dr. Tilstra, the beauty of a career in occupational therapy lies in its remarkable variety. “In more than 30 years, I’ve worked in acute care, inpatient rehab, psychiatry, home health, hand therapy, and even pediatric occupational therapy, something I never thought I’d do,” she shares. “The best part is, I’ve always been an OT.”
Whether working with clients for hours each day in a rehab setting, traveling to patients’ homes, or treating children in a playful, creative environment, Dr. Tilstra found that occupational therapy offered endless opportunities to grow. “If you ever feel stagnant, you can take a continuing education class, attend a conference, or develop a new skill set,” she says. “You can completely change your trajectory and still stay within this field.”
How UWS Prepares Occupational Therapists for the Future of Mental Health Care
University of Western States is preparing students to meet this need with the launch of its new Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program, a flexible, hybrid occupational therapy degree designed with working professionals and career changers in mind. Students complete most of their coursework online with limited on-campus residencies, making the program accessible without requiring relocation.
“As the first occupational therapy program within our system, this launch represents a significant step in expanding our ability to impact health care delivery,” says Michael Horowitz, Ph.D., chancellor of The Community Solution Education System. “By offering a flexible and forward-thinking pathway into occupational therapy, UWS is preparing a new generation of practitioners to provide care that addresses not just physical needs, but the overall well-being of the individuals and communities they serve.”
Snapshot of the Occupational Therapist Program
From the very first semester, students take a four-credit mental health course designed to establish a foundation in mental health that runs through every subsequent part of the curriculum. “We wanted students to start with mental health because it’s the foundation for the remaining coursework in the program,” Dr. Tilstra says. “Mental health is woven into everything: our adult and geriatric courses, pediatrics, and even anatomy.”
Early fieldwork experiences reinforce this foundation. The first Level I fieldwork focuses entirely on mental health, giving students experience interviewing clients, writing evaluations and treatment plans, and leading group therapy sessions. “They plan and run social skills or anger management groups—seeing firsthand how people work through challenges together,” Dr. Tilstra explains.
Students also train through video simulations of challenging client behaviors to build confidence for real-world situations. Just as importantly, they’re encouraged to develop self-awareness and understand their own emotional triggers. “Part of mental health is knowing yourself,” emphasizes Dr. Tilstra. “If you haven’t dealt with your own trauma, it’s going to be difficult when you’re sitting with someone else’s pain.”
This holistic approach extends to advising, too. Each student is paired with both a faculty and a student affairs advisor who check in on academics and overall wellness. “They’re not just students,” Dr. Tilstra says. “They’re whole people. When they graduate, we want them emotionally intact and ready to care for others.”
By combining evidence-based training with a whole-person health approach, the OTD program at UWS equips future occupational therapists to support recovery.
Join the Next Generation of Occupational Therapy Leaders
University of Western States prepares students to become thoughtful, evidence-informed practitioners who honor the complexity of human health. Through programs grounded in rigorous science and compassionate understanding, UWS equips future occupational therapists to support recovery with excellent care.
By blending function and research with empathy, today’s OTs are making mental health care more practical and effective.
Explore how UWS faculty blend science, experience, and patient care to teach evidence-informed naturopathic medicine.
By Bryanna Somers
In naturopathy, being evidence-informed means leaning on the best available research while also considering a patient’s lived experience and the emerging science that hasn’t yet made its way into formal guidelines. In doing so, naturopathic doctors (NDs) meet patients where they are and create a plan that’s both safe and deeply personal.
To dig deeper into what evidence-informed medicine means in practice, we sat down with Marcia Prenguber, ND, dean of the Naturopathic Medicine program at University of Western States (UWS). A leader in integrative oncology and naturopathic medicine, Dr. Prenguber explains how evidence-informed care can support patients through diagnosis, treatment, and beyond.
What Evidence-Informed Care Means in Naturopathic Medicine
At its core, being evidence-informed means drawing on all the information available to make the best possible decision for a unique patient. In naturopathic medicine, that evidence can include:
Published research from peer-reviewed journals
Smaller-scale studies and observational findings
Traditional knowledge of therapies used safely for generations
Clinical wisdom from providers’ real-world experience
Patient presentation and preferences, which shape how care should be delivered
Dr. Prenguber describes the evidence-informed approach as building a pyramid. Each layer of information—research, case reports, clinical wisdom, patient presentation—narrows the choices until the right approach for that individual patient becomes clear. “This allows us to build a picture of the person and what their conditions are,” she says. “By the time you reach the top of the pyramid, you have a treatment plan that’s grounded in science and also tailored to the whole person in front of you.”
Whole-Person Health in Naturopathy Training
A defining feature of the UWS naturopathic medicine program is its grounding in whole person health. Students are taught to see patients not as a set of symptoms but as complex individuals whose physical, emotional, social, and environmental realities all shape their health.
Dr. Prenguber shares an example: Two patients may arrive with the same respiratory infection. One is a young athlete living in a sunny climate; the other is an older patient living alone in a damp apartment.
“The condition might be the same on paper, but the treatment won’t likely be the same,” she explains. “It’s about who the person is.”
Evidence-Informed vs. Evidence-Based: What’s the Difference?
The terms “evidence-based” and “evidence-informed” are often used interchangeably, but in naturopathic medicine, they mean very different things.
Evidence-based care typically relies on standardized treatment protocols drawn from large clinical trials. It asks, “What intervention has been proven most effective for the majority of patients with this condition?” While this approach offers clarity, it can also leave out the unique circumstances, values, and lived experiences of individual patients.
Evidence-informed care, on the other hand, starts with the research but doesn’t end there. It also considers smaller-scale studies, clinical wisdom from years of practice, traditional knowledge, and (most importantly) the patient’s personal story, all of which contribute to whole person health.
Dr. Prenguber explains, “I can gather all the double-blind placebo studies, but those don’t always tell us what we need to know for this particular patient. Evidence-informed care asks us to listen, observe, and think critically about who they are and what will help them most.”
In practice, this distinction matters. Evidence-based care might recommend the same treatment for every patient with a digestive disorder. Evidence-informed care recognizes that one patient’s lifestyle, emotional health, and environment may call for a different approach than another’s, even if the diagnosis is the same.
“No study can tell us who this person is or what matters most to them,” Dr. Prenguber says. “We have to listen, observe, and think critically. That’s what evidence-informed means.”
The Naturopathic Toolkit: Homeopathy, Botanicals, and Beyond
Naturopathic doctors rely on an expansive toolkit that includes homeopathy, botanical medicine, nutrition, physical medicine, and lifestyle care. Each therapy comes with its own kind of evidence, and UWS faculty help students learn how to weigh it all.
Homeopathy, for example, is one of the most individualized therapies. “Two patients with the same respiratory infection might receive different remedies depending on how their symptoms present,” Dr. Prenguber says. “For example, maybe one wants to stay home in bed to recover, while another seeks activity and company.”
Botanical medicine requires creativity too. Students learn not just about single herbs but how to combine them into tinctures that have a driving force, supporting remedies and even considerations such as taste. Nutrition adds another layer of complexity, one in which countless dietary approaches exist, and the challenge is deciding which one best fits a patient’s needs and circumstances.
“We draw from conventional research,” says Dr. Prenguber, “but we also look at smaller studies, faculty and practitioner experience, and what we know about how a patient will respond. It’s about making smart choices based on all the evidence we have.”
This diversity of approaches ensures that UWS students learn to evaluate options, balance evidence, and adapt care to the person in front of them.
How UWS Prepares Students for Real-World Naturopathic Practice
UWS students begin their education with the sciences, including physiology, anatomy, and diagnostics.
As they progress in the program, they learn more about the symptoms that inform the condition (in courses such as gastroenterology, cardiovascular health, homeopathy, botanical medicine, and nutrition). What does it mean when two people share the same diagnosis but experience it completely differently? How does stress or environment change the way an illness unfolds?
By the time students reach the clinic, they’re ready to apply this learning with real patients. Here, they learn to treat diverse cases under the supervision of naturopathic physicians with different specialties.
“This hands-on training is where students learn to bridge the science they’ve studied with the human stories unfolding in front of them,” Dr. Prenguber says. This also helps students see firsthand that there are many safe and effective ways to approach a condition.
Evidence-Informed Care in Action
Dr. Prenguber recalls supervising a student who was working with a cancer patient. The student pressed ahead with clinical questions, even after the patient mentioned the recent loss of her father. With expertise in oncology, Dr. Prenguber took note, then said, “Tell me more about your experience navigating the death of your father.”
“Her grief around her father’s death was impacting her ability to heal,” Dr. Prenguber says. Grief was at the center of the patient’s healing journey, and addressing this grief became just as important as treating her physical symptoms. “Once we realized this, the student was able to help her navigate her grief with a homeopathic remedy, which then allowed her to focus on the health challenges she had with her cancer.”
Moments like these remind students that patient stories are a form of evidence, too. Evidence-informed education trains students to notice those details, to hold space for them, and to integrate them alongside science.
The Impact of Evidence-Informed Naturopathy on Students and Patients
As students grow more comfortable with the evidence-informed model, they begin to see themselves differently. “I see students light up when it clicks,” Dr. Prenguber says. “They walk into clinic and realize, ‘Oh, I can do this.’”
That confidence translates directly into patient care. When practitioners can explain the reasoning behind a recommendation and show how it fits the patient’s life, it builds trust, and that trust becomes part of the healing process itself.
Mentorship and Faculty Leadership in Naturopathy Training
At UWS, faculty are practicing naturopathic doctors with specialties ranging from homeopathy and botanical medicine to nutrition and lifestyle care. Each brings their own perspective into the classroom, which means students see that there are often many safe and effective ways to approach the same health concern.
“We talk openly about our own approaches,” Dr. Prenguber says. “If I get a sore throat, I might reach for one remedy. Another faculty member might do something completely different, and that’s OK. We model openness and humility in our choices.”
This diversity helps students learn to weigh options, evaluate evidence, and trust their clinical judgment.
“We want students to see that there isn’t always one ‘right’ answer in naturopathic medicine,” Dr. Prenguber adds. “What matters is learning how to evaluate evidence, apply it thoughtfully, and remain open to the patient in front of you.”
Faculty also serve as mentors beyond the clinic. They guide students in understanding the day-to-day realities of practice: how to manage uncertainty, how to communicate effectively with patients, and how to stay grounded in compassion when care becomes complex. Dr. Prenguber reminds students that their presence matters as much as their prescriptions: “Sometimes what heals most is that the patient feels heard, understood, and supported.”
Through these relationships, students begin to find their own voices as clinicians. They learn to balance rigor with creativity, to ask better questions, and to see patient care not as a formula but as an evolving partnership.
Ready To Explore a Career in Naturopathic Medicine?
If you’re ready to practice a model of care that sees the whole person, UWS can help you get there.
Learn how a whole-person, evidence-informed approach to care sets UWS students apart in the field of integrative health.
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