Terry Wahls, MD receives prestigious Linus Pauling Award

The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) announced the recipient of its Linus Pauling Award at the Annual International Conference in Hollywood, Florida on Thursday evening. The winner of this year’s award is Terry Wahls, MD.

The award is given to the clinician or researcher who has made a significant contribution to the development of functional medicine, either through their research or by their activities within IFM that enlarges the functional medicine model or extends the influence of the functional medicine approach.

Wahls, an assistant chief of staff at Iowa City VA Health Care, clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa, and creator of the Wahl’s Protocol, a functional medical approach to multiple sclerosis, received the award during an emotional ceremony for her work as a physician, researcher, teacher, and patient advocate.

“Her health journey has not only led to the publication of her pioneering research in neurological disorders, but has also served as a beacon of inspiration to the functional medicine movement and community as a whole,” reads the inscription of the award.

Previous winners include David Perlmutter, MD, Joseph Pizzorno, ND, Mark Hyman, MD, Dean Ornish, MD, Jeffrey Bland, PhD, Robert Rountree, MD, and Patrick Hannaway, MD.

Wahls was welcomed with open arms to the stage by a lineup of previous winners, who shared a package of tissues as they congratulated the latest award recipient.

“I’m crying because it’s a lot to remember,” said Wahls. “This is a tremendous honor and I will never forget this moment.”

Photo courtesy of the Institute for Functional Medicine. 

Editor’s note: This article is part of Integrative Practitioner’s live coverage of the Institute of Functional Medicine’s 2018 Annual International Conference. For a full list of coverage, click here.