Shala is a highly accomplished senior scientist and integrative medicine naturopath, with a passion for herbal medicine, nutrition, and oncology support. She is particularly interested in hormonally driven cancers, specifically prostate, breast and thyroid cancers, as well as other cancers such as lung cancer, haematological cancers, and melanoma. Her approach is thorough in creating comprehensive treatment plans based on the most current research and evidence in integrative oncology. Shala also treats general naturopathy patients (i.e., non-oncology), and is very experienced in complex hormonal issues, autoimmune conditions, digestive, and cardiovascular health; Shala has been in clinical practice since 2015.

In 2002, Shala finished her PhD in cancer immunology (melanoma cancer research, Monash University). Her research thesis focused on enhanced immunity to tumours using vaccines in animal models. After her PhD, Shala’s 10-year career as a postdoctoral fellow started with Shriners Hospital for Children (Oregon, USA) for 3.5 years, followed by St Vincent’s Hospital fellowship (Melbourne, Australia) for 4 years and Sienna Cancer Diagnostics, PTY, LTD for 2.5 years. After 10 years of postdoctoral fellowship in oncology and immunology, Shala sought to start her second bachelor’s degree in Health Science (Naturopathy) at the Endeavour College of Natural Health. In 2018, Shala undertook a 12-month intensive training in integrative oncology in practice offered by BioCeuticals and Dr. Lise Alschler (ND, FABNO, USA).

With respect to academic field and teaching experiences, Shala was involved in managing the practical component of the Biological Chemistry course for undergraduate students at RMIT University for 10 years (2009–2019). Her teaching engagement with the Endeavour College of Natural Health, Melbourne campus started in January 2021. Shala is currently affiliated with Southern Cross University.

Presentation: Thyroid Gland: Anatomy, Physiology and Clinical Disorders

In this presentation, the anatomy of the thyroid gland (as an endocrine gland) will be discussed in detail. The hypothalamus–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis plays a significant role in manufacturing thyroid hormones, which allow the thyroid gland to carry out its main functions in the body. Further, thyroid disorders will be discussed in detail; this section includes the clinical presentations for each disorder and clinical interpretation of test results.

With respect to patient management and support, we delve deeper into the relevance of key nutrients and herbs, as well as the main treatment goals. Additionally, the complexity of managing patients with thyroid disorders will be illustrated through three case studies.