Speakers at the International Ayurveda Symposium 2024

Secretary to the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha MD (Ayu) is the Secretary of State for AYUSH, Federal Government of India. Previously, he was the Vice Chancellor (President) of the prestigious Gujarat Ayurved University in Jamnagar. He is the founder of the Chakrapani Ayurveda clinic and product line in Jaipur. He has received several awards for his work, including the Padmashri Award, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

Director, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA)
Prof. Dr. Tanuja Nesari, BAMS, MD (Ayu), PhD (Ayu) Director, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA). She is the Chair for the Health Sector sub-skill Council for AYUSH and a member of Governing Council of IMS, BHU. Dr. Nesari is also a member of the General Assembly of ICCR, a Member of the Board of Governors, CCIM and serves on the academic board of various universities like ITRA, Jamnagar & National Academic and Research Bodies.
She serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of CCRAS and domain expert of the Technical Screening Committee (TSC) of NMPB. Her influential leadership has brought more than 20 MOUs into the credit of AIIA. She played a key role in converting AIIA Hospital, New Delhi into COVID Healthcare Centre, where the patients are being provided holistic Ayurveda treatment.

Practitioner of alternative medicine
Hans Heinrich Rhyner, MD, PhD (Alternative Medicine), Dipl. NHP Ayurveda Medicine, is a recognized expert and pioneer of Ayurvedic medicine in Europe. He lived in India for 25 years and ran his own clinic in Bangalore. He looks back on 40 years of clinical experience and is the author of textbooks on Ayurveda. He applies his knowledge in his Swiss practice in Teufen, in Munich, Vienna and on Mallorca as well as in his manufacture of Ayurveda products in Austria.

Ayurvedic nutrition therapist, masseuse and cook
Stephanie Albert leads Ayurvedic cooking courses as well as the training as an Ayurvedic cook at the European Academy for Ayurveda in Zurich. She also teaches as part of the nutritionist training in Zurich and Lucerne. She herself has completed Ayurveda training in Switzerland, Germany and India. The integration of Ayurveda into western health systems is particularly close to her heart.

Swiss certified naturopath
Sabine Anliker is a naturopath with a federal diploma in Ayurveda medicine and also holds a Master of Science degree in Ayurveda medicine. She has also completed training as a naturopath for classical naturopathy and homeopath. She runs her own practice in Lucerne and is on the board of the supporting organisation Ayurveda Medicine as well as a board member of the VSAMT (Association of Swiss Ayurveda Physicians and Therapists).

Master of Science in Ayurvedic Medicine, certified educator, alternative practitioner
Oliver Becker has been practicing Ayurvedic medicine in his own practice for many years. At the European Academy of Ayurveda, he works as a lecturer, module leader, educational coach and interpreter in the Ayurvedic Medicine course. In addition, he teaches in various other training courses of the Academy. His professional focus as a lecturer includes pharmacology and internal medicine of Ayurveda. In addition to Ayurvedic medicine, he has profound knowledge of yoga, Vedic knowledge systems and Sanskrit.

Assistant professor Panchakarma at the AIIA
Dr. Prasanth Dharmarajan PhD comes from a family of Ayurvedic doctors in Kerala and was one of the first employees of the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), the top institute of the AYUSH Ministry of the Indian government. In 2015, he was appointed advisor and assistant professor for Panchakarma. He built up and developed the Panchakarma Department, which now treats hundreds of patients per day. He created the first national standards for training panchakarma therapists in India and trained the Institute's postgraduate students and therapists. Zuvor he worked in the Department of Panchakarma and Integrative Medical Studies at the Mata Amritanandamayi Math and its Ayurvedic School of Kerala. There he led and taught educational programs for international students, including Western doctors and medical personnel.

Ayurveda Clinic Director, Professor, J.S. Ayurveda College, Vice Chancellor, Maganbhai Adenwala Mahagujarat University, India
Prof. Shivenarain Gupta MD (Ayu) is a physician and professor of Ayurvedic medicine from Nadiad (India). He earned his doctorate degree from the famous Ayurveda University of Jamnagar. Today he heads the Department of Internal Medicine at the P. D. Patel Ayurveda Hospital. As a professor of the affiliated J. S. Ayurveda College, he has succeeded in establishing one of the most prestigious pancakarma clinics in India, where patients from India and Europe receive help. He was awarded by IASTAM (India) for his achievements in teaching and appointed as Vice Chancellor, Maganbhai Adenwala Mahagujarat University in 2022. At the European Academy of Ayurveda, he has been one of the key teachers and academic head of training in Ayurvedic Medicine for many years.

Indologist and religious scholar
Prof. Dr. Martin Mittwede is head of the Master of Science in Ayurveda Medicine at the European Academy of Ayurveda. The indologist and religious scholar habilitated already in 1996 with a research project on Ayurveda and has many years of experience in further medical training. He also teaches at the University of Frankfurt/Main and has published numerous works on Ayurveda medicine.

Neurologist and Ayurveda doctor
Antonio Morandi is a neurologist and Vaidya (Ayurveda Academy, Pune (India) / Joytinat International College of Ayurveda). He also has a specialization in Ayurvedic Panchakarma therapy ( Ayurvedic
Institute Ashtavaidyan Thaikat Mooss',Thrissur). He has been Director of the Ayurvedic Point, Milan, for many years and is President of the Scientific Society for Ayurvedic Medicine Italy (SSIMA). In 2017 he was awarded the prestigious IASTAM ZANDU Award for Research in  Ayurveda. In 2019 he received the ECIM Award for the best clinical publication as co-author.

Specialist for physical and rehabilitative medicine, medical psychotherapist
Dr. med. Kalyani Nagersheth has been working as an Ayurveda doctor since 2000 and was head of the Ayurveda department at the Habichtswald-Klinik, Kassel. Today she runs her own practice for Ayurveda medicine in Frankfurt. She also takes over the medical supervision of Panchakarma cures at the Rosenberg Ayurveda Health and Spa Centre. One of her specialties is Western and Ayurvedic Phythotherapy. She is a book author and has many years of experience as a lecturer in Ayurvedic medicine.

Director of the Institute of Ayurveda SNA Oushadhasala
Prof. A.N. Nambi MD (Ayu) represents the rich heritage of the Ashtavaidyas, for centuries the largest family of traditional doctors in India. He is active as a speaker, lecturer and physician in clinical practice and research. In addition to his position as director of the Institute of Ayurveda S.N.A. Oushadhasla (P) Ltd,
Thrissur, Kerala, he is a faculty member at Ayurvedic Point, Italy. He also served as scientific coordinator of the INDRA network and was a member of the Council for International Cooperation of Indian System of Medicine in the AYUSH Department of the Indian Government.

Ayurveda doctor and pharmacologist
Vaidya Rammanohar MD (Ayu) is a doctor of Ayurvedic medicine and pharmacologist. He is currently serving as Director of Research at Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Kollam, Kerala. He also serves as a research advisor for the National Institute of Ayurveda and for History of Science at the Indian National Science Academy. He is an expert member of the World Health Organization Committee on International Standardization of Ayurvedic Terminologies. He served on the Kerala State Government Task Force for AYUSH response to COVID-19. Further, he is a member of the Interdisciplinary Research and Development Working Group for COVID-19 at the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. His special interest is psychology and spirituality from Ayurvedic perspective.

Specialist for Ayurveda nutrition
Kerstin Rosenberg runs the European Academy for Ayurveda together with her husband. The internationally renowned specialist for Ayurveda and nutrition has been training people in Ayurveda nutrition and health counselling, psychology and therapy throughout Europe since 1996. She has 25 years of practical experience in Ayurveda and is in daily contact with patients, training participants and spa guests. As an author, she has published numerous Ayurveda books, which are among the best known works of Ayurveda literature.

Anica Schmid is a naturopath specializing in Ayurvedic medicine. She holds a federal diploma and has been working in her own practice for 20 years. She is also an examination expert for the higher professional examination (OdA AM) in the "Organization of the Working World of Alternative Medicine Switzerland".

Ayurveda physician and health trainer
Win Silvester MA holds a master's degree in health management and heads the Q-Fitness Academy in Bonn. He completed a three-year study of Ayurveda medicine, supplemented by study visits to India and Sri Lanka. He also teaches the South Indian martial art Kalaripayattu, in which movement, meditation and massage come together. With his many years of training and course-leading experience, he enriches the Ayurveda Academy as a translator and specialist lecturer.

Yoga teacher, therapist, vice-director Ayurvedic Point
Carmen Tosto is a yoga teacher and Ayurveda therapist. She is also the Vice-Director of the Ayurvedic Point, Milan (Italy) and holds an Honorary Degree of Ayurveda Acharya from the Ayurvedic Institute Ashtavaidya Thaikat Moss, Thrissur.

Qualified nurse, Ayurveda practitioner and yoga teacher
Petra Wolfinger, qualified nurse, Ayurveda practitioner, yoga teacher, co-author of the book Ayurveda in Menopause, podcaster. She has been closely associated with Ayurveda and yoga for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in the fields of yoga, massage, manual therapies, gynecology, Ayurveda for children, stress prevention, lifestyle coaching and preventive health care. An important focus in her work is understanding and accessing the body. She was a representative of the European Academy in Austria for over 15 years and also had her own practice in Klosterneuburg near Vienna. Today she shares her wealth of experience as a lecturer and leader of Ayurveda cures and retreats at the Rosenberg Academy and Spa Center