Keynote Speaker: Dr. Thomas Avery Garran

Keynote Address:

A Foreigner in His Own Country: Insights and Perspectives on Herbalism after Two Decades Abroad

After nearly two decades of living in China, immersed in Chinese medicine's clinical and scientific research branches, Dr. Garran returns home to the United States as a changed, if not older, man. His observations shed light on the differences and deficiencies of herbal medicine in the United States compared to those of China as he inspires us with his insights on the future of herbalism. 

About Dr. Thomas Avery Garran: After thirty years of studying and practicing herbal medicine, twenty-five of those years devoted to Chinese medicine, Thomas Avery Garran has been recognized by the Chinese government as an expert in the field of Chinese medicine and is a leading authority on herbalism as a clinical practice and the materia medica of both traditions. He holds a Master in Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (San Diego, CA) and a PhD from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences: National Center for Materia Medica Resources and Daodi (Beijing, China). A founding member of the Committee for the Preservation of Chinese Medicine (Beijing) and a member of the governing body of the Chinese Society of Medicinal Botany, Thomas is the author of four books and multiple peer-reviewed papers. His latest publications are Growing Chinese Herbs: Daodi Practices for Growing and Processing Chinese Herbs and Chinese Medicine and COVID-19: Results and Reflections from China (a free e-book). After returning home to the United States after two decades in China, Thomas is now the executive director of East West School of Herbology, where he teaches and mentors students. He and his wife, Holly, are founders of Herb Whisperer, Inc., a company focused on environmental and ecological literacy via its botanical sanctuary and farm in Western Massachusetts.