FACULTY
Cheryl Bemel, PhD
Cheryl S. Bemel, PhD is a licensed psychologist, serving children and adults. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Dentistry, training dentists and dental students in psychophysiological management of pain techniques with patients. Dr. Bemel has proudly deployed with the Minnesota Behavioral Health Medical Reserve Corps to provide Psychological First Aid at national disaster sites.
Dr. Bemel is a former provider of trauma services within Minneapolis Police Department’s Child Development Policing Project. She has also provided care as a Crisis Psychologist in hospital emergency rooms. Currently, she is a provider within Allina Health Medical Clinics, as well as in her own independent practice. Dr. Bemel is an Approved Consultant with the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
Dr. Bemel received the Courage Kenny Rehab Institute’s Jacobsen Award for her innovative design in safety measures, increasing protective head gear/helmet appeal for children with disabilities. For more information about her practice, visit www.drcherylbemel.com.
Melanie A Gold, DO, DABMA, DMQ
Senior Faculty
Professor of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and Professor of Population & Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, CUMC
Medical Director, School Based Health Centers, New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Dr. Melanie A. Gold, a pediatrician and Adolescent Medicine sub-specialist, is Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Section of Adolescent Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and in the Department of Population & Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. She is the Medical Director of New York Presbyterian Hospital’s seven School Based Health Centers (SBHCs). Dr. Gold serves on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Integrative Medicine and was a former board member of the American Academy for Medical Acupuncture. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture and holds a Doctorate in Medical Qi Gong. Dr. Gold has been a Motivational Interviewing Network Trainer since 2000 and has conduct numerous trainings on Motivational Interviewing (MI) and behavior change counseling for the health care setting with health care professionals. Dr. Gold started using hypnosis in 1993 and has been teaching pediatric clinical hypnosis since 1996.
With NICHD funding, Dr. Gold studied the effectiveness of MI for reducing sexual risk taking behaviors that lead to unintended pregnancy and STDs. She is Co-PI of a $3.6 million 5-year CDC and Office of Adolescent Health-funded study to modify and rigorously test her computer-assisted MI intervention to help young men avoid involvement in teen pregnancies. Dr. Gold has been training clinicians to provide adolescents long acting reversible contraceptive services and integrative health services within the school based health setting since 2014. Dr. Gold is the president and founder of Renaissance Research and Educational Consulting, Inc. (RRECI), a consulting firm offering health care professionals training, mentoring, and research consultation for various current life style and health-related issues.
Adam Keating, MD, FAAP (2014-)
Section Head, Community Pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic Children’s, Wooster, Ohio
Quality Improvement Officer, Cleveland Clinic Community Pediatrics
Former Medical Director, Longbrake Student Wellness Center The College of Wooster
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Adam Keating MD, FAAP is a General Pediatrician and Section Head of Community Pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic Children’s in Wooster OH. He is also Medical Director of the Longbrake Student Wellness Center at The College of Wooster. He is Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Keating has been using hypnosis as part of his general pediatric practice for his entire career, since being first introduced to hypnosis in his 3rd year of medical school at the University of Rochester. He is an American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) Approved Consultant. He is a member for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In addition to his community based pediatric practice, he regularly teaches medical students in the clinical setting, serves at primary care physician to the youth in The Village Network Wooster residential facility, and works to integrate mental health and primary care for the Cleveland Clinic Children’s population transformations.
Daniel P. Kohen, MD, FAAP, ABMH
Co-Founder National Pediatric Hypnosis Training Institute (NPHTI), and Director of Education and Training, NPHTI.
Treasurer, NPHTI 2010—2022.
Professor of Pediatrics and Family Medicine and Community Health (retired), Departments of Pediatrics, Family Practice and Community Health, University of Minnesota.
Former Director, Fellowship Training in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, Kohen Therapy Associates, Minnetonka, Minnesota (2013-2021).
Daniel P. Kohen, MD, FAAP, ABMH is Co-Founder of NPHTI and founding member of the Board of Directors of NPHTI, a 501c3 non-profit educational organization. He is Director of Education and Training for NPHTI (2010---).
He is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician with Kohen Therapy Associates (retired 12.31.21), and a retired (2013) Professor of Pediatrics and Family Medicine and Community Health in the Departments of Pediatrics and Family Practice and Community Health, University of Minnesota. Dr. Kohen is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Medical Hypnosis and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (FASCH), and the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (FSCEH).
He has been honored with multiple awards for scientific writing in clinical hypnosis and for clinical excellence and education in Pediatrics and Pediatric Clinical Hypnosis by local, national, and international hypnosis organizations. Dr. Kohen has published over 100 scientific publications including manuscripts in peer-reviewed publications, books, book chapters, and Abstracts. With Dr. Karen Olness he wrote a textbook, Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy with Children, the fifth edition of which is now available. (2023). Earlier editions are published in English, German, and French. He has also created dozens of educational video recordings of clinical encounters illustrating and elucidating therapeutic encounters in pediatric clinical hypnosis. Dr. Kohen is past-President of and examiner for the American Board of Medical Hypnosis, past-President of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and in 2016 completed 30 years as Director of Education and Training for the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
He is the former Director of Fellowship Training in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota and previously was the Associate Director of Medical Education, Minneapolis Children's Medical Center (1978-1986) and Director of the Emergency Room, Minneapolis Children's Medical Center (1978-1981). Dr. Kohen graduated from the Wayne State University School of Medicine (Detroit, MI) and completed Pediatric Residency training at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit and the Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma City. Dr. Kohen served as a Commissioned Officer in the Division of Indian Health of the U.S. Public Health Service (1971-1978).
Harriet Kohen, LICSW, CPT
Clinical Social Worker, Kohen Therapy Associates, Minnetonka, Minnesota
Leora Kuttner, MA, PhD (Clin. Psych.)
Clinical Professor, Pediatrics, University of British Columbia & BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadawww.drleorakuttner.com
Leora Kuttner, PhD, is a pediatric clinical psychologist specializing in children’s pain management and a documentary filmmaker. She is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, at the University of British Columbia and British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Kuttner is the recipient of the American Pain Society’s Jeffrey Lawson Award for Advocacy in Children’s Pain Relief in 2007, and is internationally recognized for her work in pain management.
She has published over 45 Journal articles, contributed many book chapters and has written two books, the most recent A Child in Pain, What Health Professional can do to Help (2010) has been translated into Italian, French and Mandarin. As a documentary filmmaker, Dr. Kuttner has co-produced and directed the award-winning documentaries: “No Fears, No Tears – Children Coping With Pain” (1985) on hypnosis to alleviate procedural cancer pain management; “No Fears, No Tears – 13 Years Later” (1998) on the long-term benefits of hypnosis for children and teens with cancer; with The National Film Board of Canada “Making Every Moment Count” (2003) on state the art pediatric palliative care, and “Dancing with Pain” (2013) exploring chronic pain treatment in teens through the lens of dance.
Dr. Kuttner was trained in Hypnosis in 1976. In 1983 she established the first pediatric pain program in North America at BC Children’s Hospital and in 1987 received an innovation award from The Association for the Care of Children’s Health: Washington, DC. Since 1987 she has taught pain management and pediatric hypnosis to pediatric professionals in hospitals throughout Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. She taught with The Society of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics from 1987, and with NPHTI since it’s founding in 2010, and is co-coordinator of the Advanced workshop. She has been on the Board of the Canadian Clinical Hypnosis Society (BC Division) since 1987 and is an approved ASCH Consultant. Dr. Kuttner was awarded the Vancouver Woman of Distinction for Health and Wellness in 1998.
Lisa Lombard, PhD
Lisa Lombard, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist in independent private practice, treats children and adults experiencing anxiety, stress-mediated health concerns/pain, and unexpected bereavement. She is a former Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and for many years has been a school-based clinical psychologist and consultant. At Northwestern University (CFAAR) she researched psychosocial factors related to chronic health conditions, particularly food allergies. She continues to provide clinical services and professional training related to coping with food allergies and atopic dermatitis. She is also a psychological advisor for Alerje, a start-up firm with a multi-disciplinary app for patients engaged in oral immunotherapy (OIT). During the first two years of the Covid pandemic she led the creation of a free, web-based platform of tiered behavioral health supports for faculty and healthcare providers.In March 2022 she founded an initiative, Comfort Kits for Children, in collaboration with NPHTI and Health Frontiers. Now a nonprofit, they have sent nearly 1000 kits with behavioral guidance pamphlets to children and caregivers impacted by the war in Ukraine. These kits provide children with a form of psychological first aid (toys and practices to re-regulate emotions and begin healing) after exposure to trauma. The organization expanded its mission in Chicago and other US communities impacted by gun violence and trauma.
he earned her Ph.D. in Psychology/Human Development from the University of Chicago, where she was a long-time member of Dr. Erika Fromm’s hypnosis research lab and co-authored several papers related to self-hypnosis. Dr. Lombard is an ASCH Approved Consultant and former President of the Chicago Society for Clinical Hypnosis. She is the APA Division 30 (Society of Psychological Hypnosis) Council Representative and former Clinical Section Head of the Illinois Psychological Association. She has been on the NPHTI faculty since 2012, joined the NPHTI Board of Directors in 2020, and was elected President of the Board of Directors in January 2021.Robert Pendergrast, MD
Robert Pendergrast, MD, MPH is Professor (retired, rehired), Department of Pediatrics, and director of Adolescent Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. He completed Pediatrics Residency and a Fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS. After a graduate degree in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, he has spent his career teaching medical students and pediatric residents in the context of pediatric primary care of children and teens. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Certified in Adolescent Medicine by the American Board of Pediatrics, and an Approved Consultant in clinical hypnosis, American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
Since 1997 he has been the director of Adolescent Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia. After beginning training in clinical hypnosis in 2002, he started the Pediatric Mind-Body Program at MCG in 2003, serving children and teens with chronic pain and other chronic medical conditions. In 2005 he completed the Fellowship at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and has since contributed to editing portions of their online curriculum in nutritional medicine. He is a founding member of the Section on Integrative Medicine of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has been part of NPHTI’s Core Faculty since 2012 and currently serves on the NPHTI Board of Directors. In addition to academic work, he has a private practice for integrative medicine consulting (www.csraholistichealth.com) and is on the staff of the George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine for telemedicine consultations.
He has authored and co-authored a number of medical research articles and book chapters, including published research through the Georgia Prevention Institute on the effects of meditation on cardiovascular disease risk factors in youth. He was honored by the MCG School of Medicine class of 2004 by being voted their Educator of the Year. He has received the Exemplary Teacher Award in the Department of Pediatrics seven times since 2010, and was Teacher of the Year for the Department of Pediatrics residency program in 2020. Major clinical and teaching interests include adolescent primary care, nutrition, doctor-patient communication, cancer and other disease prevention, and clinical hypnosis. His book, Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk with Foods You Love, was a Finalist in the Indie Excellence National Book Awards competition in 2011.
Dr. Pendergrast has been married to Gail Stokes Pendergrast for 40 years, loves gardening, birdwatching, nature photography, hiking and travel.
Laurence I. Sugarman, MD, FAAP, ABMH (2010-)
Research Professor and Director, Center for Applied Psychophysiology and Self-regulation;
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
Laurence Sugarman is Research Professor in the College of Health Sciences and Technology at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Over two decades of primary care pediatric practice Dr. Sugarman refined the integration of clinical biofeedback and hypnosis strategies to increase resilience for young people.
He has published dozens of peer-reviewed papers on his research and international teaching. He produced an internationally acclaimed video-documentary, Hypnosis in Pediatric Practice: Imaginative Medicine in Action. With William Wester, he co-authored and co-edited the text, Therapeutic Hypnosis with Children and Adolescents. With Julie Linden and Lee Brooks, he coauthored Changing Minds with Clinical Hypnosis: Narratives and discourse for a new health care paradigm. He is associate editor of the forthcoming International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis. At RIT, he focuses on the abilities of young people with autism spectrum disorder and other chronic health problems and pedagogy for professional development in psychobiological care. He maintains a clinical and professional consultation practice, LISMindCare, LLC, at the Golisano Autism Center in Rochester and has served leadership roles with the American Board of Medical Hypnosis, the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Jody Thomas, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Denver, Colorado
Adjunct Faculty, Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Executive Director, Meg Foundation
Dr. Jody Thomas is a licensed clinical health psychologist and specialist in pediatric medical illness and trauma. She also is an internationally known expert in pediatric pain, and sought after speaker and writer who has trained medical providers from all over the world.
As the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Meg Foundation, she leads a team of world experts in pain, technology, and design on their mission to empower kids and families to manage pain and medical anxiety. As a health care consultant, she helps organizations improve their patient care and outcomes for both patients and providers.
Before starting the Foundation, she was an Assistant Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the founding Clinical Director of the Packard Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center at Stanford. Though now living in Denver, CO she remains on an adjunct faculty of the School of Medicine supervising and teaching. She is also core faculty at the National Pediatric Hypnosis Training Institute. In order to increase awareness of and access to better pain management and it's role in health care outcomes, Dr. Thomas makes frequent media appearances.
Recent honors include being selected as a Trusted Messenger for the We Can Do This vaccine campaign for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the office of the Surgeon General.