DrWHL executive director and national leader in integrative medicine and ‘whole health’ to address graduating class.

The National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) will welcome pioneer in integrative medicine Dr. Tracy Gaudet as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, June 28. 

Gaudet is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, expert in ‘Whole Health’ principles, and founding leader across clinical, academic, and federal systems that aim to redefine healthcare.

“It’s an honor to welcome Dr. Gaudet as our keynote speaker,” said NUNM President and CEO Dr. Melanie Henriksen. “She is a visionary leader who has helped transform how the larger medical system thinks about health and healing.”

As the founding executive director of the Doctor of Whole Health Leadership (DrWHL) program at Southern California University of Health Sciences, Gaudet currently oversees a groundbreaking educational initiative designed to prepare working healthcare professionals to drive systemic change.

She is also co-founder of the Cornerstone Collaboration for Societal Change, which works alongside DrWHL to provide support in research and partnership-building.

In 2011, Gaudet founded and served as executive director of the Veterans Health Administration’s Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, where she spearheaded the transition from a disease-focused system to a proactive model of care.

“Her work advancing integrative, person-centered care resonates deeply with NUNM’s mission and offers the perfect inspiration for our graduates as they prepare to lead the future of healthcare,” said Henriksen.

After earning her bachelor’s degree and medical degree from Duke University in 1991, Gaudet returned to the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine as its executive director, where she established a state-of-the-art health facility and continued working to advance new modes of patient-centered care.

She is the author of titles such as “Consciously Female: How to Listen to Your Body and Your Soul for a Lifetime of Healthier Living” and was nationally recognized in 2011 for Modern Healthcare magazine’s “Top 25 Women in Healthcare.” 

Graduating students will participate in NUNM’s commencement ceremony, which is set to take place at the Portland Art Museum’s Kridel Grand Ballroom and be streamed live. More information can be found at nunm.edu/commencement.