Dr. Marsden ND obtained his undergraduate degree in Human Biology at the University of Toronto and graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2002. His journey to naturopathic medicine began after seeing the gaps that existed in conventional medical approaches to complex, chronic disease in family members and the prospect that integrative approaches to healthcare might offer to these challenging conditions. After graduation, he had the opportunity to travel to numerous teaching clinics/Hospitals in Germany and was able to see how non conventional therapies, when integrated properly, play an important role in the outcomes of patients with chronic disease including cancer. He recognized that there was an increasing body of research validating the use of what was then known as Complementary and Alternative therapies in many clinical situations.
Since then, he has been on a mission to expand the delivery of naturopathic supportive care and integrative medicine for chronic diseases, most notably cancer, informed by emerging clinical research. It was his vision to use the principles of evidence informed integrative therapies to build a centre aimed at improving care outcomes for patients right here in Canada. The result is the Marsden Centre for Excellence in Integrative Medicine a 6000 ft2 modern facility with 15 providers delivering care across multiple fields in a collaborative manner that he runs along with his wife Dr. Von Chaleunsouk ND.
Dr. Marsden ND also has a passion for sharing his knowledge with others and has been teaching integrative medicine concepts in the areas of supportive cancer care, intravenous infusion therapy and environmental medicine for over 15 years across the world. He began the first post graduate residency in cancer care in Canada (affiliated with the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine) over a decade ago and has graduated many naturopathic doctors from this program in. He is the course author and director for the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND) certification course for intravenous infusion therapy. He continues to be an in-demand lecturer both for the professional and public audiences with numerous appearances on programs like CBC News, CBC Marketplace, TVO, the National Post and more. Knowledge in any field can only be expanded through research. This is something that Dr. Marsden ND has realized for many years and why he continues to participate in clinical research both directly at the centre alongside clinic fellows, and as a consultant on various advisory boards.
Dr. Marsden ND also believes in the importance of supporting the naturopathic/integrative medicine and broader community. He has sat as an executive on the Board of the OAND and was a key player in the drive to modernization of naturopathic regulation in Ontario. He was proud to be the chair of the Principle of Practice committee for the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians. In that role, worked with a team of thought leaders in the field who developed the first Principles of Care guidelines in naturopathic cancer care which was published in Current Oncology in 2019. He currently sits on the medical advisory board for the Colorectal Cancer Research and Advocacy Network, an important organization providing support, education and advocacy for individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Finally, Dr. Marsden ND has many other interests. He is a proud father of two with a passion for being in the natural world. He enjoys hiking, sailing, camping, and spending time by the water. He has also been the volunteer basketball coach at the Toronto Waldorf school in Vaughan Ontario for over 10 years.
Dr. Von Chaleunsouk ND obtained her undergraduate degree in kinesiology at the University of Waterloo and graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) in 2004. Since that time, she has had a practice focused on complex chronic disease, allergies and environmental medicine. She has taken extensive additional training through the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, ACAM, and more in the role of environment and immune dysregulation. Dr. Chaleunsouk ND has recently expanded her practice focus to explore the role of autonomic dysregulation and trauma has on immune dysfunction and chronic illness.
Dr. Chaleunsouk ND has extensive experience in the field of integrative medicine management. She has been the COO of Body Mind Science Resources Ltd. (the professional health food store at CCNM and the Marsden Centre) for over 15 years and is the operational director for the Marsden Centre clinic. Her experience in the field of healthcare management and integrating provider care for complex patients is an important asset for ONIN.
Kim Rovers is a nurse practitioner and the Director of Integrative Care at ONIN.
She graduated from the University of Ottawa with her Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing in 1994, later completing her master’s in science and her Family Nurse Practitioner Certification at D’Youville College in Buffalo in 2007. Her nursing career started with the Victorian Order of Nurses, providing nursing services for people in their homes, focusing on palliative care. She later became a palliative case manager with Community Care Access Centre, coordinating care for dying patients and their families at home. To become a nurse practitioner was always a career goal and she went to Buffalo to complete both her nurse practitioner program and her Masters. While completing her Masters, she started to explore integrative medicine. Having a profound interest in functional and integrative medicine, Kim pursued further education with A4M and completed her Certification with the American Board of Anti-Aging for Health Professionals. Her educational journey didn’t end there. She has completed the FAAMFM – Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Metabolic and Functional Medicine. Kim strongly feels functional and integrative medicine reflect the philosophy of care she strives to provide her patients daily – seeing each patient as unique individuals requiring personalized medical care. It follows best practice guidelines, it is evidence informed, and embraces holistic care. Care planning aims to treat the whole person, identify underlying causes of disease and correct imbalances by partnering with the patient.
Kim is passionate about Health and Wellness and continues to avidly expand her knowledge in integrative medicine. Kim has worked with many NDs to support their care of patients and has extensive experience in hormonal health, intravenous infusion therapies, integrative approaches to cancer care, and more.