Overview

Ms. Missenda is an assistant professor and program director of the Integrative Health Studies department at Maryland University of Integrative Health(MUIH). She has more than 25 years of experience as a health systems pharmacist and got her master's in Nutrition and a certificate in herbal medicine from MUIH in 2014.

Professional Narrative

In addition to over 25 years working in hospital pharmacy, Ms. Missenda was the Director of Pharmacy for Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, in Deschapelle Haiti from 1992-1995 and consulted for the Pan American Health Organization for the Essential Drug Program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and on the island of Montserrat during their volcanic crisis. Her diverse background provided a passion for promoting interprofessional collaboration in healthcare and a focus on bringing together diverse perspectives from traditional medicine and conventional medicine into her teaching and research initiatives. She currently serves on the MUIH Institutional Review Board and is a co-chair of the research and education committee for Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4US).

Ms. Missenda has a small practice where she collaborates with an herbalist and acupuncturist in collaboratively supporting the health and wellbeing of clients who are currently on pharmaceutical medications and are looking to add complementary health approaches. She provides comprehensive Medication Therapy Reviews that include herbal and dietary supplements.

Marybeth’s research interest and scholarly focus are on the intersection between different healthcare paradigms honoring the cultural traditions that expand our understanding of health and wellness while exploring whole-system’s research to provide an evidence-informed foundation for her clinical practice. Her work also focuses on how practitioners most effectively can work together to support the health and wellbeing of patients.

Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief in supporting each student's development of a growth mindset. For her, this means that we are all whole and complete exactly as we are AND there is always room for transformation. Each student brings experience and perspective to the course material which contributes to the learning for all through the sharing of ideas. She sees this exchange of ideas as the seeds of creative solutions for the challenges of our current healthcare system.

Selected Publications & Presentations

Ahmann,E., Saviet, M., Fouche, R., Missenda,M., & Rosier,T. (2021). ADHD coaching and interprofessional communication: A focus group study. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring. 19(2). 70-87. https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/7fb85226-e680-47bb-af3f-672cf5787a80/1/

Missenda, M. (2021). Yoga therapy and pharmaceuticals: A cautious approach to interaction. In D. Finlayson & L. Hyland Robertson (Eds.). Yoga therapy foundations, tools, and practice: A comprehensive textbook, London: Singing Dragon.

Missenda, M. (2021). Cardiorespiratory medications. In D. Finlayson & L. Hyland Robertson (Eds.). Yoga therapy foundations, tools, and practice: A comprehensive textbook, London: Singing Dragon.

Missenda, M. (2021). Diabetes medications. In D. Finlayson & L. Hyland Robertson (Eds.). Yoga therapy foundations, tools, and practice: A comprehensive textbook, London: Singing Dragon

Clare, B., Missenda, M., & Courie, J. (2018). Adding a narrative practitioner perspective section to case report publications. Advances in Integrative Medicine, 5(2), 52-55.

Missenda,M (Guest).(2021,June 9). Conversations on Integrative Medicine. (029) [Audio podcast]. In The Better Outcomes Show. https://rehabupracticesolutions.com/better-outcomes-029/

Courses

ISCI631 Introduction to Complementary and Integrative Health

ISCI630a Survey of Complementary Health Approaches

INHS620 Integrative Care Models

INHS710 Seminar in Integrative Health Studies

ISCI754 Biomedicine: Safe Practices

Awards

2017 2018 & 2019 Great Esteem Award

2020 Faculty Excellence and Innovation in Service Award

Personal Narrative

Marybeth lives with her twin sister in Southern Maryland and enjoys walks in the wooded areas around her home where she practices identifying local botanicals and wildcrafting invasive medicinal herbal to create custom cordials and tincture blends for friends and family. Her love of herbal medicine came through her experiences in Haiti during the emergence of the AIDs epidemic in the 1990s. There were few treatment options in those early days and the “Western” hospital had little to offer patients with AIDS beyond a bed. The local traditional medicine provided support through a person-centered, mind-body-spirit approach, planting the seed for where she is today advocating for complementary and integrative health. Marybeth’s herbal lineage is from her mother’s side of the family who lives in Great Britain. Her aunt is an herbalist and her mother shared her passion for plants, passing down the love of nature.

Marybeth enjoys watching medical dramas in her downtime with her all-time favorite being the Korean drama called Live Up to Your Name (Korean: 명불허전; RR: Myeongbulheojeon; lit. Deserving of the Name on Netflix) which reminds her what it means to be an integrative health practitioner.

DISCLAIMER: The content of this faculty profile page was created, authored, and published by the identified faculty member. Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) makes absolutely no guarantee as to the currency, accuracy, or quality of information published. The views and opinions expressed on this page or any links made available are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of MUIH. The content of this profile page has not been reviewed or approved by Maryland University of Integrative Health.