Pregnancy Masterclass

Belinda Kirkpatrick BHSc(Nat), MRepMed, AssocDegClinSci is the author of ‘Healthy Hormones’ and creator of the period-tracking iPhone App ‘Seed’, is an expert Naturopath and Nutritionist with over 13 years of clinical experience.

Belinda specialises in women’s health and is especially passionate about hormonal health, fertility management and miscarriage prevention. Belinda is known for her extensive knowledge of natural and conventional treatment in addition to her evidence-based approach to integrative healthcare.

Belinda’s tertiary qualifications include Masters of Reproductive Health, Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy), Associate Degree in Clinical Sciences and Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy.

Sandra Villella Dip App Sci (Nat), M App Sci has been a practising naturopath and herbalist since 1994 and completed her postgraduate acupuncture studies with a Masters of Applied Science. Sandra specialises in the management of perimenopausal health complaints.

Sandra is also a consultant naturopath at the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health, a not-for-profit organisation providing valuable health education and services s for women from adolescence to mid-life and beyond. The foundation is regarded throughout Australia as a leader in women’s healthcare. Through her work with the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health, Sandra is constantly exposed to up to date research and trends with regards to perimenopausal women’s health.

She educates GPs and other health professionals throughout Australia on the evidence-based and traditional naturopathic managements of perimenopausal women. Sandra lectures final year naturopathic and nutrition students at Endeavour College.

Amanda Haberecht ND has practiced as a naturopath for over 22 years with a special interest in all aspects of women’s health from puberty to menopause. Amanda worked as a naturopath at The Jocelyn Centre with Francesca Naish for 10 years before she established the Darling Street Health Centre in Balmain, Sydney.

A passionate clinician at heart, Amanda was motivated to establish a multi-disciplinary clinic in the Inner West of Sydney to offer a professional and integrative approach to health and wellbeing. At Darling Street, Health Centre naturopathic practitioners work alongside other allied health professionals and medical practitioners to offer patients thorough and truly holistic care. Over the last eight years, the clinic has become one of Sydney’s major naturopathic centres for women’s health and fertility support.

Specialising in reproductive health, infertility, miscarriage prevention and preconception care, Amanda offers an alternative model for women and their partners experiencing issues surrounding conception. Amanda utilises both conventional and complementary medical models to diagnose and address any issues that could be compromising a couple’s chance to conceive a healthy baby. She is a regular keynote speaker on preconception and pregnancy health, natural fertility management and naturopathic IVF support.

Ljupka Peev ND. is a naturopath and nutritionist with over 10 years of clinical experience in reproductive health care and women’s health. Ljupka has recently completed a Master of Reproductive Medicine. As well as reproductive medicine, Ljupka has a particular interest and experience in gynaecology, the menopausal transition, men’s health, stress management and mood disorders, and preventative health through assessment and prevention/treatment of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and others.

Ljupka was contributing author and research assistant to the third edition of ‘Women, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle’, a clinician’s handbook, in the areas of PCOS, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, medical and naturopathic treatments, screening protocols and evidence-based methods for preventing chronic disease.

Ljupka is a student mentor, teaching and guiding final year naturopathic students. She is a lecturer in herbal medicine for the Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) at Endeavour College for Natural Health.

Angela Hywood BSc (Complementary Medicine/Naturopathy), Dip Bot Med, Dip Hom, Dip CN; Dip Natural Fertility Management, ND 
M.ANTA; Fellow NHAA; Member Association of Perinatal Naturopathic Doctors (APND) is an experienced specialist naturopathic clinician with over 22 years of clinical experience. Angela has run thriving practices in both Sydney Australia & Boston USA over the past 20 years. After having her second baby in 2015, she and her family relocated Perth WA, her hometown. Angela has recently established a new practice in women health, endocrinology, gynecology and obstetrics in Nedlands WA.

Prior to Angela’s career in naturopathy, she studied at the School of Pharmacy, Curtin University of Technology in WA and has a strong interest in herbal safety, herb-drug interactions and pharmacology. Angela is a well-known speaker at complementary and integrative medicine conferences both in Australia and internationally (NZ, USA, Canada, UK). As an author, Angela has published articles in CAM journals in Australia and USA and contributed as an author to the text Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health by Aviva Romm (Elsevier) and Clinical Naturopathic Medicine, Second Edition by Leah Hechtman (Elsevier). Angela holds faculty positions in esteemed institutes such as Miami Medical School Integrative Medicine Department; Bastyr University Post Grad Ed Dept; ACNEM Primary Course training for Integrative GP’s in Australia.

Angela’s clinical passion of the art and science of herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, homoeopathy and lifestyle medicines are tailored into dynamic clinical programs for her patients. Her passion and motivation is to help women of all ages flourish and to restore mental, emotional and hormonal health & fertility to women of this generation and the next.

Dawn Whitten BNat (Hons) IBCLC is a naturopath, herbalist and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She has been in clinical practice for 14 years, mostly in busy apothecary and clinic settings where she has had the opportunity to work with many mothers and babies. She participates in peer-education and is passionate about sharing her lactation knowledge in the naturopathy field.

Dawn is part of the collective running Goulds Natural Medicine, an apothecary and clinic, established in Hobart Tasmania in 1881. She also coordinates one of the units within the Evidence-based Complementary Medicine post-graduate program at the University of Tasmania.

Elizabeth Isaacs RM is a registered Midwife, Bachelor Of Midwifery Student Coordinator/Facilitator, Prenatal Parent Educator, Diploma Reflexology, Certificate IV Remedial Massage, Gentle Birth Practitioner, Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant and Baby Massage Instructor.

Elizabeth is a practising midwife in Sydney for the past 6 years. She has worked as a rotational midwife, as well as an MGP (Midwifery Group Practise Midwife) providing one on one continuity for women in the public system. Elizabeth also coordinates and facilitates the student midwifery clinical placement programs at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney. Educating the future midwives is an incredibly important role as we need to ensure these future midwives have a holistic overview of midwifery and to safeguard the role of midwives in a very medicalised model.

Elizabeth has been interested in the journey of pregnant women since the birth of her first child. Having had two children of her own naturally, she became very passionate about assisting and supporting women to attain positive birth outcomes. Not being able to find suitable programs to empower women during pregnancy, her passion led her to London to train with Dr Gowri Motha in the Gentle Birth Method. She has been a practising Gentle Birth Practitioner for 10 years. Through this program she has supported many women during their birth process.

Elizabeth states that it is such an honour and a privilege to be part of a couple’s journey through pregnancy, and the very intimate process of labour and birth. Each birth has its own story and each birth has taught me about the inner strength of women but also about the importance of providing quality and professional midwifery service. I am in a very honourable profession and the work of midwives is a very fulfilling role.

Dr Pina LoGiudice graduated from Bastyr University. Before naturopathic school, she received her Bachelor’s degree and completed her pre-medical studies at the University of Rochester. Dr LoGiudice then went on as a pre-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. In the clinical neuroendocrinology branch of the Institute of Mental Health at NIH, she researched the mechanisms of mind-body neurohormonal regulation. After medical school, Dr LoGiudice completed a specialty internship in pediatric medicine and women’s health.

Dr LoGiudice is a member of the Holistic Moms Association, Holistic Pediatric Association, American Association for Naturopathic Physicians and is a Diplomat in Acupuncture. She is a past board member, secretary and Vice-President of the New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

Dr LoGiudice is licensed as an acupuncturist in the State of New York and is considered a naturopathic doctor in the State of Washington, where naturopathic doctors are licensed to practice medicine. Dr LoGiudice enjoys working with various conditions – and especially enjoys helping each woman prepare her body for pregnancy and works extensively with natural and Chinese medicines for children’s best health.

Dr LoGiudice is a co-author in the third edition of the Textbook of Natural Medicine and recently authored an original chapter on Pregnancy and Primary Prevention for the upcoming fourth edition of the Textbook, where she teaches other physicians how to prevent disease by modifying the prenatal environment through natural means.

She is on the adjunctive faculty staff at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health in Manhattan and has taught at New York University. She has recently been published in the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, writing about the benefits of garlic for children’s health. She has lectured nationally at the Integrative Health Symposium (formerly CAM Expo) in both New York City and Los Angeles.

Considered a natural medicine expert, Dr LoGiudice has been asked to appear on national TV (FOX), where she instructed Dr Mehmet Oz the benefits of herbal antibiotics on the Dr Oz Show. She has been interviewed on the Hallmark Channel, as well as been called upon as an expert on television and radio. With daughter Sophia born in April of 2008, Dr Pina enjoys being a holistic mom, creating meals at home, and experiencing different cuisines with her husband Dr Peter Bongiorno.