Dear members of the CAND,
I appreciate this opportunity to introduce myself as the incoming Chair of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND). Over the past 6 years, I have had the privilege to serve on the CAND board and appreciate the board and the staff’s dedication to the profession as well as the crucial role the national association plays in the advancement of our profession.
The CAND’s mandate is to build public awareness of naturopathic medicine’s value within the Canadian healthcare system, to inform and support our ND membership and to advocate on the profession’s behalf with the federal government, health insurance companies, and corporate partners. Through its work, the CAND has launched numerous Naturopathic Medicine Weeks and a National Awareness Campaign, aided in regulatory efforts across the provinces and territories, lobbied for greater coverage of naturopathic services among insurance companies, and lobbied the federal government for greater consultation on public health matters, such as the inclusion of naturopathic benefits for Veterans Affairs and Indigenous Peoples and attending stakeholder consultations on Canadian federal healthcare reform.
With a strong professional association, our members can look forward to continued cultivation of our public image and further consultation with the federal government on how naturopathic medicine can strengthen our Canadian medical system through “Better Health Together.”
Finally, I would like to specifically thank Shawn O’Reilly for her mentorship and service as the Executive Director and Director of Government Relations of the CAND for over 20 years and to the outgoing Chair, Dr. Mark Fontes, ND, for his invaluable leadership and guidance as Chair over the last 3 years.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to serving the strong and growing community of Canadian Naturopathic Doctors.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jatish Kaler, ND
Dr. Jatish Kaler, ND, is Chair of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors.
Correspondence to: Jatish Kaler c/o Shawn O’Reilly, Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors, 20 Holly Street, Suite 200, Toronto, ON M4S 3B1, Canada. E-mail: soreilly@cand.ca
To cite: Kaler J. Update from the Chair. CAND Journal. 2023;30(3):3. https://doi.org/10.54434/candj.153
Received: 11 August 2023; Accepted: 11 August 2023; Published: 28 September 2023
© 2023 Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors. For permissions, please contact candj@cand.ca.
CAND Journal | Volume 30, No. 3, September 2023