Rita Bettenburg

Born August 2, 1951 in Minneapolis Minnesota, Rita is the middle of three children. She has an older sister Barb and a younger brother Rick and two lovely nieces, Alicia and Angela. Three illnesses when she was younger led to her interest in naturopathic medicine. After NDs helped her all three times, Rita decided, "Three strikes and I'm in." She first set foot in National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) as a student in 1985 and has never looked back. Upon graduation, she went into private practice after a residency at NCNM, then became adjunct and fulltime NCNM faculty, Community Clinic Director, interim Dean and finally permanent Dean.  In addition, she has a part-time general naturopathic practice in Portland. In 1994, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians named her as its Physician of the Year for her work on the Dietary Supplement Act of 1993.

In her free time, gardening is a big, therapeutic hobby. Years of hard work have transformed her backyard to an English-style garden with fountains, flowers, benches and flowering cherry trees. It abuts a green space and is home to hummingbirds and mated pairs of mourning doves, and occasionally deer, raccoons, and coyotes. She likes riding motorcycles and playing pool. Her home is full of embroidery, crocheting, sewing, and knitting projects as well as several rescued stray cats. A speed reader, Rita finishes about four books a week -- everything from classics to who-dunnits to fantasy fiction. Rita has been an avid traveler.  She lived for four years in Australia, and has traveled in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

She is past president of the Oregon Naturopathic Physician Association (OANP), has served on the board of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and is currently President of the CNME or Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. Rita has been actively involved over the years in the political issues related to the Naturopathic profession on both the state and national levels. She is actively involved with continuing the outreach to the community for both the profession and the college (NCNM), including building liaisons with other local healthcare providers and teaching intuitions. She also finds time to work with insurance companies to help them better serve both Naturopathic physicians and their patients. Rita has offered her services as a doctor, speaker, and financial contributor to many local health projects, out reach programs, and free clinics in the greater Portland area.  As a teacher, professor, Dean, and private practitioner, Rita has been relentless in her pursuit to better the Naturopathic profession and general health of the world at large.

As her husband, I am of course somewhat biased. That having been said, I have lost count of the number of times I have been privileged to have someone lecture me, without knowledge of who I am or my relationship to Rita, on the outstanding attributes, accomplishments, and contributions Rita possesses and has made to our community and her chosen profession. I have had the honor of supporting and watching someone who does what so many of us only dream of, making her dreams and vision of a better world come true.

While all the things Rita has accomplished so far in her life I find impressive, it is the inner light that guides Rita that I find so impressive. She measures herself against the integrity of her intent and is constantly challenging herself to raise that bar, in both herself and others. She seeks the truth in all she does and strives to bring it forth in as pure a form as she can. I can find no greater gift to offer the world.

By Michael Peden (Rita's husband), with Kathleen Howlett

Locate on Walk:

• Stage Wall (Left Wall), 2-2