Council Members

Helene Benveniste, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Benveniste started her own lab at Brookhaven National Laboratory in 2001, before moving to a faculty position in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Benveniste’s laboratory explores the functioning of the ‘glymphatic system’—the waste disposal system of the brain. Foremost, she and close scientific collaborators study how the brain gets rid of toxic waste, and she has developed imaging platforms to examine how cerebrospinal fluid circulates in the brain and has explored how several critical processes (e.g., body position, respiration, type of anesthesia, body position) impact waste removal in healthy brains and neurodegenerative diseases. Her work’s overall goal is to develop therapeutic strategies to sustain optimized waste clearance through the given lifespan to prevent dementia. Dr. Benveniste has received a number of honors, including the Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholarship Award; NYS Office of Science, Technology & Academic Research Faculty Award; and “Best Doctor in New York” Award 2009. Dr. Benveniste is an elected member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Her research is supported by grants from NIH, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, and the Leducq Foundation. Dr. Benveniste received her B.Sc. degree in Denmark, majoring in mathematics and physics, and she attended the University of Copenhagen for her M.D. and Ph.D. (Doctor Medicinae) degrees. As a research fellow, she trained in high field magnetic resonance imaging at Duke University Medical Center and developed techniques for brain imaging focused on neurodegenerative disease processes including Alzheimer’s disease. She completed a residency in anesthesiology at Duke University.

Kristine Blanche, PA-C, Ph.D., is the chief executive officer and founder of the Integrative Healing Center. Dr. Blanche’s practice focuses on disease prevention and holistic healing. Her specialties include preventive care, digestive wellness, food allergies and intolerance, healthy cooking and meal planning, diet and detoxification, elimination diets, and thermography. Dr. Blanche is an expert in thermography, and her Ph.D. thesis research focused on thermography and breast health, with an emphasis on the significant effect of vitamin D and iodine deficiencies on breast health. Dr. Blanche has an extensive medical background, including 20 years of experience in emergency medicine, wound care, critical care, and general surgery at institutions such as George Washington University Hospital and the North Shore University Hospital at Manhasset. Dr. Blanche received a B.S. degree in biology from The Catholic University of America and a B.S. degree in physician assistant studies from Long Island University. She studied experiential health healing at The Graduate Institute and graduated with an M.D./Ph.D. degree focused on integrative medicine from the University of Science, Art and Technology.

Per Gunnar Brolinson, D.O., is a professor of family practice and vice provost for research at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). Dr. Brolinson is team physician for Virginia Tech Athletics and a team physician for the U.S. Ski Team. He is the emeritus program director for the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at VCOM and Virginia Tech. He is board certified in family practice and sports medicine and has over 35 years of clinical, administrative, and medical education experience. As a primary care physician and educator, Dr. Brolinson has participated in teaching students, interns, residents, and over 70 fellows during his career. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. Dr. Brolinson is a volunteer physician for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and was head team physician for the Freestyle Ski Team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. He was also named to the medical staff for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC, and was medical director of the USOC performance services center. Prior to working at Virginia Tech, Dr. Brolinson was the co-director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship training program at The Toledo Hospital and team physician for the University of Toledo. Dr. Brolinson has served on the boards of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and the Midwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is a past president of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. Dr. Brolinson is a fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Family Practice, and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice. In 1997, he was named outstanding young physician in Ohio by the Ohio State Medical Association. Dr. Brolinson is a frequent speaker at national medical meetings and often teaches didactic laboratory sessions on the use of osteopathic manipulative therapy for musculoskeletal injuries. Dr. Brolinson is a contributing author in the latest edition of Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine, and he has published several scholarly articles and book chapters on sport and exercise medicine. His research interests have included exercise and immune function, exercise and bone mineral density, mild traumatic brain injury in sports, impact biomechanics, human factors in auto safety, sports performance and manipulation, and other topics related to health and disease prevention. A 1983 graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, he completed his post-graduate training at Parkview Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.

Daniel Dickerson, D.O., M.P.H., is an associate research psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP). Dr. Dickerson’s research focuses on the development and analysis of substance use treatment and prevention programs for American Indian/Alaska Native youth and adults. He has conducted research as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on various NIH-funded studies, including Traditions and Connections for Urban Native Americans (TACUNA); Native American Youth Sleep, Health, and Wellness (NAYSHAW); Motivational Interviewing and Culture for Urban Native American Youth (MICUNAY); and Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans (DARTNA). His specialties include the evaluation of substance use characteristics in American Indian/Alaska Native populations, the role of culture on substance use behaviors, and the development of substance abuse treatments for American Indians/Alaska natives. Dr. Dickerson earned his D.O. degree from Western University of Health Sciences and his M.P.H. degree from A.T. Still University. He completed a residency in general psychiatry at Loma Linda University Medical Center and an addiction psychiatry fellowship at Yale University.

Erica Sibinga, M.D., M.H.S., is an associate professor in the Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Sibinga is the past chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Integrative Medicine. She is an expert in pediatric clinical research with a focus on developing evidence for the sensible integration of complementary approaches in pediatric care. Dr. Sibinga has adapted and rigorously evaluated the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program for urban youth in both clinic- and school-based studies, finding that MBSR leads to benefits in psychological functioning, improved behavior, and increased self-care (including improved HIV medication adherence). Her work has expanded to adapt and evaluate accessible mindfulness programming for urban teachers and mothers of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit, showing significant promise for self-care, as well as improving relationships with students and infants, respectively. Dr. Sibinga’s collaborations include evaluations of mindfulness programs for vulnerable adolescents with type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and homeless youth, as well as observational work on the broad range of mindfulness uptake in school settings. Dr. Sibinga advocates strongly for the thoughtful evaluation and integration of complementary approaches to improve the lives and well-being of children and youth. She received her M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and her M.H.S. degree in clinical investigation from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.