Tabatha Parker, ND

Education

• Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder
• Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from National College of Naturopathic Medicine

Current Roles

Dr. Tabatha Parker is a core faculty member of the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University California. Her courses include Naturopathic Philosophy and Global Health. 

She is also co-founder and current executive director of Natural Doctors International (NDI), the oldest naturopathic global health organization of its kind.

Past Experience

Dr. Parker has worked for nearly a decade to bring naturopathic medicine to global health. After making the conscious choice to reside outside of the United States in Nicaragua, the second-poorest country in the western hemisphere, Dr. Parker worked from there as the executive and medical director of NDI, where she led the organization in developing both the first permanent global naturopathic clinic and the first naturopathic global health courses. She has worked in the trenches seeing how structural violence affects people and health and will bring this first-hand knowledge to her students. Her move to Bastyr University will only strengthen this work and the naturopathic global health movement. 

Dr. Parker’s policy work in global health paved in-roads into the World Health Organization and the United Nations for naturopathic medicine. Her work throughout the years with the Naturopathic Coordinating Council has created consciousness within the naturopathic community for the importance of global health work. 

As a researcher, Dr. Parker looks to strengthen naturopathic global health by choosing research projects that can have a long-term impact, such as adding natural medicines to the WHO essential medicine list.  

Interests

Dr. Parker thrives to use her activism in natural medicine to inspire students and doctors to become active globally. In addition to her work at Bastyr and NDI, Tabatha is a writer, social justice activist, and dedicated wife and mother. In 2011 she was given the prestigious UTNE Reader Visionary of the Year award, alongside other global visionaries. She is an active member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) and the California Association of Naturopathic Physicians (CAND).

Philosophy

Dr. Parker believes that humor, living in the now and community are all essential elements for health. She believes that social justice is necessary to fulfill Holistic Healthcare for All, the basic right of every individual on the planet to have access to health care, including access to natural medicine. By becoming responsible global citizens, Dr. Parker knows that we will change the consciousness of the planet and the health of our global community.