Ayurvedic Medicine, Yoga Therapy, Clinical Herbalism and Aromatherapy, Planetary Health
Dr. Rioux holds a PhD in medical, cultural, and applied Anthropology and a Doctor of Ayurvedic
Medicine credential. Â In addition, she holds certifications:
- yoga therapist (IAYT)
- a registered herbalist (AHG)
- a trauma-wise mindfulness instructor (CMBM)
- a climate café facilitator (CPA-NA)
- Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and inter-professional spiritual care (ISPEC).
Dr. Rioux serves as Director of Planetary Health Initiatives at the George Washington Center for
Integrative Medicine and as Associate Professor adjunct, Integrative Medicine Programs,
Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
She completed a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Complementary
and Integrative Health (NCCIH) postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona,
Department of Family and Community Medicine, where she trained as a complex adaptive
systems researcher and completed the first pilot study of whole-systems Ayurvedic medicine and
yoga therapy intervention for weight loss. This intervention demonstrated clinically meaningful
weight loss in 12 weeks with continued loss during a 6-month follow-up. Â Jennifer
was on the Clinical Roundtable Team at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Rioux specializes in mixed methods, qualitative, ethnographic, and paradigm-consistent or model-valid research designs. Â Moreover, she has extensive expertise in integrative health equity, health justice, planetary health, traditional world and Indigenous medical systems, and the contemplative sciences. Jennifer currently serves on the Reimagining Equitable and Anti-oppressive Approaches to Contemplative Research and Healing Committee of the International Association for Contemplative Research and on the Board of the New York State Pain Society.
As a researcher, Dr. Rioux has numerous impactful publications in the evidence-based medical literature and presents nationally and internationally on systems transformation in health care delivery. Â She was trained at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM, and has provided comprehensive primary care to patients since 2000 patients.
Dr. Rioux loves to develop long-term healthcare relationships with her patients, including family members. It is easier for the whole family to be healthy when everyone follows a harmonious diet, lifestyle, and daily routine focused on balance, wellness, and joyous engagement with life. She is generous with her time and knowledge and focuses on individualized, whole-person care that is hard to find in this standardized world of algorithms and technology.
Ayurvedic medicine is nature-based and root-cause-oriented. Working together, a doctor-teacher and a patient-student will strive to regress conditions, rather than simply suppressing symptoms. Ayurvedic healthcare typically has no side effects and focuses on the gradual resolution of symptoms, the changes are sustainable, long-lasting, and grounded in well-established health-promoting behaviors that last a lifetime.
Dr. Jennifer Rioux says: “We all go out of balance sometimes – with the right tools and approaches we can maximize how often we feel well and happy and connect with others in ways that promote the well-being of communities and the planet.”
Ayurvedic care is wonderful for:
- digestive and mood disorders (depression/anxiety/isolation)
- autoimmune and endocrine conditions
- metabolic compromised and disordered eating
- after debilitating illness or chemotherapy
- to rebuild the immune system
- to address grief or trauma
- to integrative challenging life events or spiritually transformative experiences
- to navigate difficult family dynamics
- to identify and enhance one’s sense of meaning and life purpose
- or to ground and support children who are navigating an increasingly chaotic and confusing world that devalues the transcendent nature of human connection.
Dr. Rioux loves to work with children and young adults of all ages, and she has a background in learning differences, neurodivergence, ADHD, and school anxiety/avoidance.
At GW Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. Jennifer Rioux provides individual and family consultation in Ayurvedic Medicine and Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy. She offers an evidence-based 12-week online “Ayurvedic Weight Loss and Maintenance program”.
To schedule a new appointment: contact GWCIM
For Ayurvedic Weight Loss and Maintenance Program: Contact Dr. Rioux directly at shantiintegrativehealthcare@
