Nominations open in national competition to recognize achievement in complementary and alternative medicine in Canada

$250,000 Dr. Rogers Prize is the largest prize of its kind in North America

VANCOUVER, Feb. 20, 2013 /CNW/ - Nominations are now being accepted for Canada's foremost prize rewarding individual achievement in the growing field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Founded in 2007, the $250,000 Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine highlights the important contributions of complementary and alternative medicine to health care. Funded by Vancouver's Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation, the Prize is awarded every two years and is the largest of its kind in North America.

A 2006 study by the Fraser Institute showed Canadians spend over $5.6 billion on complementary and alternative medicine and 54% of Canadians use these therapies and services. CAM provides new choices for patients looking to complement traditional medical treatments or to seek alternative options.  As an expanding discipline, those who work within the field of CAM are pioneers who dare to "push the boundaries" in pursuing new and innovative approaches to wellness and the treatment of illness.

The Dr. Rogers Prize recognizes those who embody the same level of vision, leadership, and integrity as that of the late Dr. Roger Hayward Rogers.  Among the first physicians to provide non-traditional therapies for cancer patients, Dr. Rogers was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2001 in recognition of his ground-breaking work.

Nominations for the 2013 Dr. Rogers Prize will be accepted from now until May 31^st.  The competition is open to individuals whose complementary or alternative medicine activities are carried out within Canada.

The Dr. Rogers Prize will be awarded at a gala award ceremony and dinner in Vancouver on September 26^th and will feature a keynote address by Dr. Irving Kirsch, author of The Emperor's New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth. The Award Gala is scheduled to follow the third Dr. Rogers Prize Colloquium at which top Canadian and international experts will gather to share their ideas on the topic "The Mind-Body Connection."

ABOUT DR. ROGERS
Dr. Roger Hayward Rogers (1928-2011) graduated from the University of British Columbia as a Doctorate of Medicine in 1959. He worked in Family Practice for more than thirty years and taught medical students as a UBC Clinical Instructor.

A recognized Canadian leader in CAM, Dr. Rogers began offering innovative therapies for cancer patients who had limited or no success with traditional medical treatments. He was a co-founder of the Centre for Integrated Therapy in Vancouver in 1992, which later evolved into the Centre for Integrated Healing and today is known as InspireHealth.

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS

• Dr. Alastair Cunningham (2007)
• Dr. Abe Hoffer (2007)
• Dr. Hal Gunn (2009)
• Dr. Badri (Bud) Rickhi (2009)
• Dr. Marja Verhoef (2011)

MORE INFORMATION

Visit www.drrogersprize.org for more information or to begin the nominations process.

Image with caption: "Dr. Rogers Prize (TM) for excellence in COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CNW Group/DR. ROGERS PRIZE)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130220_C6913_PHOTO_EN_23882.jpg

PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2013/02/20/20130220_C6913_DOC_EN_23883.pdf

SOURCE: DR. ROGERS PRIZE

For further information:

Media contact:
Kate MacDonald
Dr. Rogers Prize Coordinator
coordinator@drrogersprize.org
(604) 683-7575