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15th Annual
Rainforest Retreat
 
with Paul Bergner, herbalist, naturalist
       Tania Neubauer, ND, clinical herbalist
This year featuring: 
Nicole Telkes, Registered Herbalist (AHG) and Ecologist
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FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES
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Paul Bergner, Medical Herbalist, Clinical Nutritionist, Naturalist

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Paul is the Director the NAIMH, core clinical and classroom faculty and a primary mentor for our audio courses. He has studied, practiced, and taught natural medicine since 1973, with formal training in naturopathy, medical herbalism, clinical nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, flower essences, yoga therapy, and bodywork, including undergraduate studies in pre-medicine and psychology, and 50 semester hours of doctoral level medical studies at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. He has published the Medical Herbalism journal since the founding of the NAIMH in 1989, and has written seven books on medical herbalism, nutrition, Chinese medicine, ethnobotany, and naturopathic medicine. He has also edited periodicals on clinical nutrition and naturopathic medicine. Paul is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. Paul has taught clinical herbalism and clinical nutrition since 1989. He has mentored more than 350 students through clinical residencies at the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism, and the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism in Boulder since 1996. He is currently a clinical faculty mentor to students at the Colorado School of Clinial Herbalism in Boulder and the Vital Ways herbal school in Portland, OR. He also has taught nutrition academically at both the undergraduate university and master’s level. He lectures on the topics of medical herbalism and clinical nutrition nationally and internationally. Paul is a trained naturalist and tracker,  and has been teaching nature observation skills and taking students for retreats in nature since 1997.

Tania Neubauer, ND, Clinical Herbalist

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Tania Neubauer is a Clinical Herbalist and Naturopathic Physician who has studied and practiced herbalism since 1994. She is a primary clinical mentor and instructor at both the NAIMH and the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism.  She began her healthcare career as an herbalist. Inspired by the green world, she completed programs of study with Michael Moore, Karyn Sanders, and the Pacific School of Herbal Medicine. Tania also worked at the Berkeley Free Clinic for four years as a community health worker, counselor and medical coordinator. She merged these interests to become a naturopathic doctor, completing her N.D. degree at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2006. After graduation, she practiced primary care medicine in a small rural Nicaraguan hospital through a collaboration with Natural Doctors International, a nonprofit that works to bring natural medicine to global health. Here conventional treatments were mixed with naturopathic treatments including Indigenous and North American herbs. She has led four brigades of herb students to Nicaragua for training in primary care herbalism there.  She is now in primary care naturopathic practice at two health centers serving Spanish-speaking and low-income patients in Oregon, where she resides. Tania has traveled and connected with natural medicine practitioners throughout Central America and Mexico.

NIcole Telkes, RH(AHG), Ecologist

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Nicole Telkes RH (AHG) is a practicing herbalist, author, speaker and naturalist. She has a background in botanical studies, plant conservation, community activism and herbal first aid clinics. Nicole has spent the last twenty years exploring the wild and weedy corners of North America as well as studying and using bioregional native and naturalized medicinal plants with clients. She studied field herbalism in the Pacific NW, Desert SW, New England, and Mexico. She has worked both for Millenium Seed Bank and the City of Austin as a seed collector and botanist. She is the lead teacher and founded the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine in 2003 in Austin, offering onsite and online education in holistic Western Vitalist herbalism. In 2014, she published the book, “The Medicinal Plants of Texas”. Nicole is also a founder of the Traditions Not Trademark Free Fire Cider campaign, working to protect our traditional remedies for future generations. Currently she works as a herbal educator for the Wildflower School, Mother Earth Living Fair, Eclectic Herb Institute, Earthsong Herbals, and has spoken at many of the top herbal conferences and schools around the country, including the Traditional Roots Institute at the National University of Naturopathic Medicine, and Pacific Rim College. When she isn’t teaching, she manages a botanical sanctuary and apiary. In 2018, she returned to the Portland area and is now practicing and teaching in the area. 

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