Speakers 2014
Dr Sreekala NP, BAMS An Ayurvedic Approach for Prevention of Disease, Restoration of Balance, and Longevity of the Five Senses, more
Amrita Shrivastava, BSc, MSc Stem Cells—The Physical Design of Our Consciousness, more
Dr Nan Bray, PhD
Growing Wool Ethically: Nutritional Wisdom and the Power of the Matriarch, more
Arabella Higgins, MPhil Redefining the Entrepreneur: Feminine Strength in a Buddhist Culture, more
Amy Hatkoff, BA We Are Their World: The Science of Love and Raising Babies, more
Dr Amanda Weltman, PhD Talk title to be announced, more
Dr Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACPEat Your Greens, Mind Your Genes—New Science Empowers the Mind-Body to Navigate the Challenges of Our Addictive Lifestyles, more
Dr Snehalatha SN Dornala, PhD Ayurvedic Guidelines for Each Stage of a Woman’s Life for Her Good Health and Happiness, more
Dr Yvonne Lagrosen, PhD Does practice make perfect? Or are some people more creative than others? If so, why? more
Dr Rannie Boes, PhD Mental and Physical Attributes Defining World-Class Norwegian Athletes, more
Speakers 2014
Fourth International Conference
Maharishi European Research University (MERU)
Vlodrop, Holland
21–24 July 2014
Theme of the Conference
The World Is As We Are: Culturing the Inner
and Outer Environment to Realize
Our Full Human Potential
During the conference experts from a variety of fields and many countries will shed light on this theme from their professional perspective and in discussions will explore the synergies and connections among their work. The conference provides an opportunity for women to work together across disciplines to inspire one another and have a positive impact on our world.
Conference Speakers
Opening Session
Monday 21 July evening, 8:15 p.m. (Holland time)
Amy Hatkoff, BA
A child and family advocate, parenting educator, author, and filmmaker with a BA in Child Psychology and Early Childhood Education from Hamilton College; graduate program in Parenting Education and Family Support at Wheelock College; and a post graduate program of the Jewish Board of Family & Children Services (JBFCS) at the Infant-Parent Study Center of the Institute for Infants, Children & Families, New York City.
Ms. Hatkoff has been a plenary or keynote speaker at numerous conferences; Coordinator of Programs for Homeless Families for the Children’s Aid Society; and Director of Development and Community Programs for the Institute for Infants, Children & Families at JBFCS. She conceived of and developed a plan for a National Parenting Education Program at the request of former USA Vice President Gore.
Her most recent book, The Inner World of Farm Animals (2009) raises awareness of the capacities of farm animals and makes a plea for their more humane and compassionate treatment.
Title of her talk: We Are Their World: The Science of Love and Raising Babies
Session 2
Tuesday 22 July morning, 11 a.m.
Dr Sreekala NP, BAMS
Director of Research and Senior Medical Officer of Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital & Research Centre in Kerala, India. She is a member of a renowned family of Ayurvedic doctors. Dr. Sreekala is an Ayurvedic opthalmologist with a Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery from Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai. (BAMS is an integrated medical degree in India, conferred on those who have studied the integrated system of modern medicine and traditional Ayurveda for five and half years.) She leads a team of more than 30 doctors and 100+ treatment staff, and has published her clinical research on opthalmology.
Title of her talk: An Ayurvedic Approach for Prevention of Disease, Restoration of Balance, and Longevity of the Five Senses.
Session 3
Tuesday 22 July afternoon, 2 p.m.
Dr Amanda Weltman, PhD
Senior Lecturer at the Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, working on string theory and cosmology. PhD from Columbia University, USA; National Women in Science award (2009); the Meiring Naude Medal from the Royal Society of South Africa (2011); elected into the South African Young Academy of Science (2012); recipient of the President's Award from the National Research Foundation of South Africa (2012) for best emerging young scientist; NSTF-BHP Billiton, TW Kambule Award to an emerging researcher for an outstanding contribution to SET [science, engineering, and technology] through research and its outputs (2012), for the development of the Chameleon Mechanism, which has provided a locally testable theory explaining the mysterious force causing the universe to accelerate – so-called Dark Energy. The 2013 Silver Jubilee medal from the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) was awarded for her original and high-impact research done as a young scientist, her contribution to outreach, and her contribution to promote the role of women in physics and mathematics. Dr Weltman is widely published and frequently cited.
Title of her talk: To be announced
Amrita Shrivastava, BSc, MSc—A talk by a new young scientist—Amrita Shrivastava received her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biotechnology from Amity University, Noida, India, in 2010 and her Master of Science degree in Human Genetics and Molecular Biology from Manipal University in Karnataka, India, in 2012, where she did original research on stem cells. She is also a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation programme and a researcher in the field of consciousness.
Title of her talk: Stem Cells—The Physical Design of Our Consciousness
Session 4
Tuesday 22 July evening, 8:15 p.m.
Dr Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP
A Pew Foundation Scholar in Nutrition and Metabolism, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (USA), and Fellow of the American College of Physicians; WebMD chief lifestyle expert; first senior research fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine; recipient of the National Health Research Science Fellowship and Intramural Research Training Award at the NIH, where she identified the relationship between chronic stress, intra-abdominal fat, and the metabolic syndrome; member of the Maryland Governor’s Council on Fitness; national spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise is Medicine global campaign; Senior Science Advisor to Elements Behavioral Health, the largest national group of addiction and eating disorders treatment centres; three-time New York Times bestselling author, including The Hunger Fix, the first consumer book presenting the relationship between food and addiction; Senior Olympian in the triathlon.
Title of her talk: Eat Your Greens, Mind Your Genes—New Science Empowers the Mind-Body to Navigate the Challenges of Our Addictive Lifestyles
Session 5
Wednesday 23 July morning, 11 a.m.
Dr Nan Bray, PhD
A successful wool producer in Tasmania, Australia, whose insightful observations of her sheep have led to ground-breaking new approaches to sustainable and profitable farming practices. Nan brings a new vision of social responsibility and ethics to animal husbandry.
Nan gained a PhD in Physical Oceanography, from America’s MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in 1981, and became the Chief of CSIRO Marine Research in Australia in 1997, having spent much of her scientific career researching the ocean's role in climate variability events like El Niño. Nan is discovering how to align animal production and landscape well-being, by staying attuned to the inherent creative intelligence of her complex production system.
Title of her talk: Growing Wool Ethically: Nutritional Wisdom and the Power of the Matriarch
Dr Snehalatha SN Dornala,
BAMS, MD, PhD Associate Professor at VYDS Ayurved Mahavidyalay, Khurja, Uttar Pradesh, India (Ayurveda is the traditional Vedic Science of Medicine). Dr Snehalatha is a specialist in Ayurvedic Paediatrics) and has recently made a great contribution to a spcieal one-month course for health professionals—the Maharishi Ayur-Veda Family Health Series, Course One: Healthy, Happy Mother and Baby Programme. She has introduced a time-tested traditional (Vedic) pre-birth treatment for mothers using warm oils for problem-free natural delivery. She has also introduced Ghrita Dhara into clinical practice in the cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, etc. She has done clinical research on the application of Panchakarma, the traditional Ayurvedic seasonal rejuvenation programme, for the treatment of disease and preservation of good health, and is a Life Member of the National Academy of Panchakarma and Research (NAPAR). She has participated in many national and international seminars, summits, symposia, workshops etc, and has many publications in the field of Ayurveda. Dr. Snehalatha received the AYURVISHARADA Award from the renowned Himalaya herbal healthcare company for meritorious performance at the BAMS level (2002).
Title of her talk: Ayurvedic Guidelines for Each Stage of a Woman’s Life for Her Good Health and Happiness
Session 6
Wednesday 23 July afternoon, 2 p.m.
Arabella Higgins, MPhil
MPhil (Social and Developmental Psychology), University of Cambridge, 2010–2011; University of Leeds, BSc (Psychology) 2003–2006; Maharishi School, 1988–2001. Currently teaching at Ruamrudee International School, Bangkok. Arabella has collaborated with UNESCO to research Thai female students’ perceived competency to become entrepreneurs with regard to socio-economic status. She has produced customized sustainable leadership programs for global business executives, such as Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the San Francisco Unified School District inner-city schools (with a David Lynch Foundation wellness non-profit—CWAE) . A member of Partners for World Peace, she is dedicated to bringing opportunities for education and growth to girls and women around the world.
Title of her talk: Redefining the Entrepreneur: Feminine Strength in a Buddhist Culture
Reports from previous conference speakers on their recent research (2013–2014)
Dr Yvonne Lagrosen, PhD
Associate Professor in Quality Management at University West, Trollhättan, Sweden. PhD from Chalmers University, Sweden. Her research and publications explore the connection of quality management and organisational learning to health and fitness, values/core values, performance, and brain functioning. She has a wide range of publications in those areas. Her latest paper, in collaboration with Dr Fred Travis of Maharishi University of Management, Creativity and Brain-Functioning in Product Development Engineers: A Canonical Correlation Analysis (Creativity Research Journal), found that creativity in the form of flexibility and originality is connected to whole brain functioning and psychological development. As creativity is highly important for individual success, optimising brain functioning should be a priority for every student. Dr Lagrosen also teaches the Transcendental Meditation technique, which enhances brain integration; it is not simply a matter of genes (nature) or a supportive environment (nurture).
Title of her report: Does practice make perfect? Or are some people more creative than others? If so, why?
Dr Leslee Goldstein, PhD
PhD in Maharishi Vedic Science, Maharishi University of Management (2014), researching the effects of the Transcendental Meditation Programme on mothers in Uganda; Assistant to the Legal Counsel and Co-Director of International Projects, Maharishi University of Management (2010–2011).; Executive Vice-President, Maharishi University of Enlightenment (2007–2009).
Title of her report: Empowerment from Within in the Lives of Mothers: Research on the Transcendental Meditation Programme
Dr Ragnhild (Rannie) Boes, PhD
PhD in Psychology, Maharishi University of Management (MUM) with dissertation on Mothers’ Postpartum Rejuvenation with Maharishi Ayur-veda (1999). Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at MUM, contributing to ‘Stress Reduction in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease’ by R.H Schneider et al (2012); research associate, Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition, MUM, Fairfield, Iowa, USA; co-authored an article on top Norwegian athletes in 2011 and now lead author of an article in Scand J Med Sci Sports, 24(2): 422-427, April 2014, as part of research into a Unified Theory of Performance. Currently lives in Denmark.
Title of her Report: Mental and Physical Attributes Defining World-Class Norwegian Athletes
Dr Martha Batorski, EdD
Dr Batorski is a published author, speaker, educator, and management consultant based in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Doctor of Education, Organization Change, Pepperdine University, USA (2012); completed her doctoral research at Norwich University, the oldest military college in the USA, with 40 emerging leaders (military cadets). At present she is CEO, Batorski Stevens & Associates, Inc. (established 2003) – Emerging Business of the Year Award, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) for 10 years— having previously served as an executive with Accenture (Associate Partner), Grant Thornton (Director), Fujitsu Consulting (Director) global management consulting firms for over 15 years. She is also Adjunct Professor, Roseman University of Health Sciences, Las Vegas (MBA Programme), and Executive Director, Transcendental Meditation for Women Center, Las Vegas, USA. She has worked on the Transcendental Meditation for Nurses project, and the Women's Heart Health project with Las Vegas cardiologists.
Title of her Talk: Developing Capacity to Improve Executive Judgment and Decision Making Under Stress
Closing Session
Wednesday 23 July evening, 8:15 p.m.
Celebration and discussion of the way forward for the Alliance
