Gannady Raskin, MD, ND, Enhances Bastyr’s Naturopathic Education in Position as Dean

When Dr. Gannady Raskin drove all the way to the Northwest region of the United States from Toronto, Canada, to head Bastyr University’s School of Naturopathic Medicine, he welcomed a break from the hot and humid Toronto summers. Bastyr’s reputation and its location in the temperate and beautiful Northwest, with surrounding woodlands and a large herb garden onsite, made the decision an easy one.

Yet, while the picturesque environment and mild weather was satisfying, he really only had one thing on his mind: to assist the University in enhancing the leading naturopathic medicine program in the nation by applying his depth of skills and experience.

Although Dr. Raskin was aware that Bastyr already had an excellent program, he hoped that by applying his experience as a medical doctor, a naturopathic doctor, and former dean of clinical education and chief naturopathic medical officer at Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), he and his colleagues could make nation’s top natural medicine program even better.

“I’ve always known that Bastyr University is the educational leader of the naturopathic profession,” says Dr. Raskin, who became dean of the School of Naturopathic Medicine in 2003. “When I came to Bastyr, I simply wanted to integrate clinical education more thoroughly into the curriculum while continuing to improve it.”

Although challenging, the goals of enhancing the program, Dr. Raskin believed, were achievable owing to the University’s long-standing commitment to excellence in education. Additionally, he felt very well supported by faculty, students, the University leadership and President Dan Church in these endeavors.

He considers the goals accomplished, with continuing improvements inevitable. “Our clinical education has improved considerably,” says Dr. Raskin. “We now have a beautiful state-of-the-art teaching clinic; we offer 14 external training sites with greater diversity of patient populations and variety pathologies; our research focus has been strengthened by an NIH education grant; we offer significantly more residencies both onsite and offsite; and our science-based approach to natural medicine continues to garner worldwide respect.”

The results are evident in Bastyr’s successful graduates. “The most satisfying part of my job is knowing we are providing excellent education to our students that will allow them to become great primary care doctors,” he says. “I am confident that our graduates go on to become top-notch physicians.” He also notes that every year, Bastyr graduates excel in their licensing exams. The August 2007 results of the Naturopathic Physicians’ Licensing Examinations (NPLEX) — a test that graduates of all CNME-accredited programs are required to pass — showed that Bastyr graduates passed the exam at a higher rate than all other schools combined and surpassed the scores of other schools in almost every subject tested.

Making a significant impact on clinical operations is nothing new to Dr. Raskin. Previously he served in managerial roles at several large medical establishments, and as dean of clinical education at CCNM, he transformed the school’s clinical training program.

Since arriving, Dr. Raskin has directed his focus toward a variety of aspects of the naturopathic education. His first major task involved Bastyr’s change-over to the “schools model.” He was charged with shaping the School of Naturopathic Medicine from a number of previously stand-alone departments.

Shortly after that, he was involved in efforts to locate a new space for Bastyr Center for Natural Health, the University’s teaching clinic. In 2005, a new, beautiful state-of-the-art facility was opened, significantly enhancing the clinical experience. The new facility boasts 40 patient care rooms, improved equipment, a large natural products dispensary and a Chinese herbal medicine dispensary. It is the largest and busiest natural health clinic in the Northwest. “The students are very satisfied by and proud of this clinic,” he says.

Dr. Raskin and his colleagues also have accomplished a major goal of expanding the number of additional external training shifts, preceptorships and residency programs. Bastyr University already requires as many or more clinical training hours as comparable schools. But under his leadership, the training opportunities achieved greater diversity and scope. Students now have a chance to work with diverse populations, including pediatric, geriatric and Spanish-speaking patients. He also has succeeded in improving the preceptorship program dramatically, which now has a dynamic database of 500 preceptors, who are licensed naturopathic physicians who host the students-in-training. “It’s a very successful program,” says Dr. Raskin.

Dr. Raskin also has overseen the steady growth of the naturopathic medical residency program at Bastyr. During his tenure, the University has developed several new affiliate residency sites, including naturopathic and integrative practices in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Montana, Utah, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Hawaii. The residencies offered at Bastyr Center for Natural Health have also been expanded to include observership rotations at large medical clinics in the region.

One of the most important achievements for the naturopathic medicine program has been an education grant funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NCCAM), called the Naturopathic Physician Research Education Project (N-PREP). This grant is intended to strengthen the research expertise and curriculum at Bastyr University. The attainment of this grant was a concerted effort of a number of distinguished Bastyr University faculty, and Dr. Raskin feels privileged to be the principal investigator.

Additionally, the School of Naturopathic Medicine, under Dr. Raskin’s leadership, was influential in efforts by the Washington State Naturopathic Association to successfully expand the scope of practice for naturopathic physicians in Washington state last year.

Amidst all of these accomplishments, Dr. Raskin has had some time to enjoy the beauty of the Northwest. But even when he doesn’t have time, he is fortunate to be surrounded at his workplace by a beautiful campus and adjacent state park, with extra benefits that include a medicinal herb garden and coworkers who are passionate about natural medicine.

Friends and former colleagues from his native Ukraine who have visited him in the Seattle area have been, as Dr. Raskin says, “overwhelmed with the hospitality here.” He notes that the warmth of the people and the mildness of the weather in this region are a nice change from the austerity of the Ukraine. He is committed to staying at Bastyr to further this reputable program as well as the field in general. As he does, the future of naturopathic medicine looks brighter than it ever has.