The year 2019 was a very busy one for NAMA. We are proud of our accomplishments and are excited about where we are headed in 2020!

 Here are a few of the highlights of our progress in 2019:

• Launched the National Ayurvedic Medical Accreditation Council (NAMAC) and hired our first Managing Director, Cynthia Papa-Lentini

• Raised $40,000 toward the start-up costs of NAMAC

• Ran our most successful conference to date at the beautiful retreat center 1440 Multiversity in Scotts Valley, CA

• Completed updates to educational standards for NAMA-recognized educational programs

• Launched our new store for conference videos (more to come in 2020)

• Finished writing the Ayurvedic Doctor exam and are now prepping to run the beta test in early 2020

• Launched our “Current News” page with a new look and lots of great articles

• Expanded the number of Seminars in Ayurveda in our archived library to more than 85 recordings 

• Added new PACE offerings and ways to earn PACE credits

• Grew our Membership Committee and Subcommittees with lots of monthly activity in our Schools Subcommittee, Student Subcommittee, and Professional Members Subcommitte

• Ran a survey of our Professional Members and enjoyed a great turnout with lots of very valuable information to inspire new initiatives and actions

• Experienced continued progress in the Standards Committee’s ongoing refinements to our educational guidelines and coordinated their joint effort with the NAMACB to  produce new exam study guides and resource materials for the certification exams

• Conducted a website review and ensured regular improvements and updates are in process to make our website more user friendly and informative

These are among the most demanding goals we reached as we continue to solidify our infrastructure, staffing, and committees into 2020. Over 120 people from our staff, our board, and all 19 of our committees and subcommittee’s participated in our work this year. We could not have accomplished all that we did without the support of all of these dedicated staff members and volunteers. The progress we made was truly a community effort. 

Ahead in 2020:

• Fully launch the NAMAC and begin accreditation applications

• Launch the Ayurvedic Doctor exam

• Continue making updates and improvements to our website

• Offer more conference videos from past conferences

• Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of NAMA at the April 24–26, 2020, Conference in Boone, NC

• Establish new committees: Governance Committee, Finance Committee, and BAMS Subcommittee of the Membership Committee

• Meet our fundraising goal of $100,000+

NAMA continues to set its sights on building and establishing a strong profession here in the United States. It has taken a great deal of vision and hard work to lay the groundwork for Ayurveda to fully take root in this country. By establishing the certification exams and the structure to maintain certification for our professionals and also creating an accreditation body that sets the highest of standards for our educational institutions, we have created the conditions for outside bodies to regard us as a strong and valid profession. We will now need to begin working state by state to carve out our niche within the healthcare structures currently in place. We want all our professional members to have opportunities to thrive while providing much needed healthcare alternatives to communities across the United States. NAMA will be building more connections and networks with other organizations, associations, and consultants to help us meet our goals in 2020. Another year of exciting opportunities for NAMA and our entire community lies before us. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

Hilary Garivaltis, NAMA Executive Director