WICHITA, KS, November 19, 2010 – Robin A. Bernhoft, M.D., FACS was installed as the 43rd president of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) on Thursday, October 21, at the annual AAEM annual membership meeting in La Jolla, California.
Dr. Bernhoft will serve a one-year term and act as spokesperson for the international medical society on national and international policy issues.
As AAEM president, Dr. Bernhoft plans to spend his year raising the visibility of environmental medicine. At a time when NIH is investing billions in research on interaction between genes and the environment, it is time for patients and the profession to realize there are solid, effective, scientifically-validated means of treating common problems, most of which arise from environmental factors overpowering individual ability to detoxify.
Dr. Bernhoft graduated cum laude from Harvard College and earned his medical degree from Washington University Medical School, St. Louis. After surgery residency at UCSF, where he published over twenty scientific papers, and a liver/pancreatic surgery fellowship in London, England, he entered private practice in the Seattle area, joining the clinical faculty of the University of Washington Medical School. After several years of busy surgical practice, he became environmentally ill, from leaving disinfectant on his hands throughout 600 operations per year. The toxic chemicals he absorbed swamped his ability to detoxify, and gave him skin, respiratory and GI problems which caused him to lose 35 pounds in four months. In order to understand what was happening to him, and to survive, Dr Bernhoft retrained in environmental medicine, 2002-6. By applying what he learned, he regained his health, and shed his sensitivity to perfumes and mold. Dr Bernhoft is now able to run 20 to 30 miles per week, and is three belts short of black belt in Shito Ryu karate. Dr. Bernhoft practices environmental medicine in Ojai and Santa Monica California.
“As a survivor of environmental illness, Dr. Bernhoft is passionate about sharing what he has learned with other healthcare practitioners in order to help patients regain their health. He will be a brilliant spokesperson for the Academy” said De Rodgers Fox, Executive Director for AAEM.
Dr. Bernhoft and his wife, Allison, reside in Ojai, California.
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About AAEM
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine was founded in 1965, and is an international association of physicians and other professionals interested in the clinical aspects of humans and their environment. The Academy is interested in expanding the knowledge of interactions between human individuals and their environment, as these may be demonstrated to be reflected in their total health. The AAEM provides research and education in the recognition, treatment and prevention of illnesses induced by exposures to biological and chemical agents encountered in air, food and water.
