Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, eMBA begins as president of Sonoran University of Health Sciences in July 2025. She is Professor at Sonoran University and retains her rank as a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Arizona where she has been the Associate Director of the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University. Dr. Alschuler completed her naturopathic medical training at Bastyr University where she also completed her residency in general naturopathic medicine. She is board certified in naturopathic oncology. She completed an executive Masters of Business in 2023. She is co-author of Definitive Guide to Cancer, now in its 3rd edition, and Definitive Guide to Thriving After Cancer. Outside of her professional commitments, she enjoys early morning walks with her two dogs, relaxing outdoor evenings with her spouse, honing her golf game, and cultivating a deeper sense of purpose and authenticity.
In this edition, she shares her vision for a future where natural medicine addresses today’s biggest healthcare challenges—with prevention, personalization, and collaboration leading the way.
What do you think is the biggest untapped opportunity in our industry right now?
Healthcare spending in the U.S. now exceeds 17% of GDP and is projected to reach 20% within seven years – higher than any other nation. Despite this, the U.S. lags in life expectancy, preventable deaths, and access to care. Rising consumer costs and provider shortages, especially in primary care and safety-net systems, threaten care for vulnerable populations. Yet, this crisis presents a major opportunity for natural healthcare. With its emphasis on prevention, patient education, healthy lifestyles, and affordable supplements, natural healthcare offers a proven, cost-effective alternative. Strong research and successful implementation models exist. To address the current challenges, there must be an established unification of practitioners, supplement companies, policymakers, and educators. The aim of this collaboration would be to articulate a workable plan for cohesively integrating natural healthcare into the national system. As conventional healthcare systems grapple with mounting pressures, natural medicine must be ready to offer credible, integrative solutions for a healthier future.
If you had unlimited resources, what groundbreaking project or initiative would you pursue in our industry?
With unlimited resources, I would establish Sonoran University of Health Sciences as the global epicenter for natural healthcare education. With a large University endowment, we would develop and support the best-in-class educational programs in natural healthcare professions. We would launch research collaborations with other academic centers and with industry partners that continue to validate natural interventions. We would also establish a clinical network of natural healthcare providers with the goals of making natural medicine approaches accessible, affordable, and trusted for all. This vision seeks to establish a healing system fundamentally rooted in the restorative power of nature, with the goal of enhancing health outcomes and quality of life both nationally and internationally.
How do you think personalization will redefine the future of health and wellness?
Personalization is rapidly transforming the landscape of health and wellness by democratizing access to healthcare. Personalized approaches enable individuals to collect actionable health data through sophisticated wearable technologies and facilitate the adoption of lifestyle interventions and treatments precisely tailored to their unique genetic profiles, medical histories, and personal preferences. As the reliability and clinical relevance of personalized health strategies continue to advance, individuals will be increasingly equipped to engage proactively in preventive care, thereby mitigating the onset and progression of serious and chronic diseases. This paradigm shift moves beyond the limitations of conventional recommendations designed for the statistical average and instead empowers people to implement a truly individualized approach to wellbeing.