Scott Gerson

Dr. Scott Gerson, M.D., Ph.D. was born in New York City and attended Brandeis University in Waltham, MA and received his B.A. in Philosophy. He then travelled to Europe and eventually to India where he met one of his early teachers, the highly renowned vaidya Dr. V.N. Pandey, the director of the Central Council For Research in Ayurveda and Siddha Medicine. Through this friendship, Dr. Gerson began to earnestly study Ayurveda and eventually continued his studies at the College of Ayurveda in Trivandrum, where he spent almost three years. He completed his full Ayurvedic training at the Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya in Pune. As his knowledge and insight into Ayurvedic principles developed, Dr. Gerson's interest started to become focused in the area of Panchakarma Chikitsa--the science of detoxification and rejuvenation. He therefore took up residence for some time in Kottakkal, India the home of the famous Panchakarma facility, the Arya Vaidya Sala, directed by the late Dr. P.N. Varier who became Dr. Gerson¹s second important mentor.

Dr. Gerson founded The National Institute Of Ayurvedic Medicine in 1982, his private medical practice, and since that time has integrated Ayurveda with conventional allopathic medicine. He does not travel extensively except for trips to India once a year. He prefers to remain as quiet and still as possible and to assists his patients with their understanding of their health conditions. The primary activity in his life is to be available as an Ayurvedic consultant and physician for his patients in his New York office. He supports the spread of Ayurveda through the research and educational activities of The National Institiute of Ayurvedic Medicine, where he gives regular seminars and workshops on Ayurvedic Medicine and related complementary medicine topics.

Currently, Dr. Gerson is the only Westerner to hold a Ph.D. degree in Ayurveda--the highest level of Ayurvedic education--and the only physician in the United States to have complete formal training in both conventional and Ayurvedic medicine. His Ph.D. thesis in Panchakarma Chikitsa (Detoxification Therapy) was accepted jointly by the Univerity of Poona and Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya in 2003. He was appointed Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Ayurved of University of Pune in 2004 where he is active in academic and research activities. He is a member of the teaching and research faculties at the prestigious Institute of Indian Medicine in Poona as well as numerous other academic affiliations including the Central Council for Rsearch in Ayurveda and Siddha Medicine, the Indian government¹s principal Ayurvedic organization. Dr. Gerson holds the position of Clinical Assistant Professor at New York Medical College in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine.