Jonathan Emord, lead counsel at Washington, DC constitutional and administrative law firm, Emord & Associates, is widely viewed as having made the single most important contribution toward triggering the expansion of the US natural health, integrative medicine and dietary supplement sector in the USA.

This attribution is down to Emord’s remarkable series of successful court cases, which challenged attempts by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restrict freedom of speech linked to claims for dietary supplements.  The seminal Pearson v Shalala case is so widely cited that it has over 1 million citations on Google.

To celebrate the firm’s 20-year anniversary, the firm organised a spectacular 2-day event in the US city of Cambridge, Maryland.  There, ANH International, ANH-USA and their respective leaders, Rob Verkerk PhD and Gretchen DuBeau, were given excellence awards for their contributions by an awards committee of the Emord firm.

Gretchen DuBeau with new baby and Freedom of Informed Choice Award (left);

Rob Verkerk PhD with Global Free Speech Award

Rob Verkerk was the sole recipient of the Global Free Speech Award and also received an award for Excellence in Integrative Medicine.  Both ANH International and ANH-USA were given awards for Freedom of Informed Choice.

First row, left to right: Jim Angle, Kate Obenshain, Tammy Bruce

Second row, left to right: Jonathan Emord, Dean Malissa as George Washington, Dr Julian Whitaker

Third row, left to right: Dr Joseph Mercola, Dr Jonathan Wright, Dr Rob Verkerk

Fourth row, left to right: Hyatt Regency Hotel, George Mason University’s fife and drum band, Elwood Richard.

For more information, see Emord & Associates' press release below, or download (please note the inclusion of the last 7 award recipients that were inadvertently omitted from the pdf).

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 9, 2014

CONTACT: Connie Wood (202-466-6937)

EMORD & ASSOCIATES HONORS LEADERS IN NUTRITION, INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE, MEDICAL SCIENCE, AND JOURNALISM AT SPECTACULAR GALA

Cambridge, Maryland—On September 5 and 6, 2014, the constitutional and administrative law firm Emord & Associates, P.C. held a spectacular celebration and awards program at the Hyatt Regency Resort on the occasion of its 20th anniversary and in honor of George Washington.  The event was entitled the “Sacred Fire of Liberty Gala” (see sacredfiregala.com) and included over 300 people, inclusive of guests, speakers, and world class entertainers.  Fox News Chief National Correspondent Jim Angle (keynote); former Treasurer of the United States and Fox News Contributor Bay Buchanan; former Chairman of the Virginia Republican Party and Chief of Staff to Senator George Allen, Kate Obenshain; and New York Times best-selling author and radio talk show host Tammy Bruce each addressed the audience on September 5, and actor Dean Malissa (Acquarius (2000); The Real George Washington (2008); and LaFayette: The Lost Hero (2010)) gave a stirring speech as George Washington condescended from Heaven.

From nominations received throughout 2013 and 2014, an awards committee of the Emord firm selected the following individuals to receive excellence awards in the following categories:

Excellence in Nutrition Science Award: Dr. Sidney Stohs; Dr. Mary Enig; Dr. Melvyn Grovit; Dr. Adrianne Bendich; Dr. Charles B. Simone; Dr. Jeffrey Bland; Dr. Robert I-San Lin; Dr. Harry G. Preuss; Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg; Elwood Richard; Dr. Jeanne Drisko; Dr. Neal D. Barnard; Dr. Stanley Dudrick; Michael Stroka; and Sally Fallon Morell.

Excellence in Integrative Medicine Award: Dr. Martin P. Gallagher; Dr. Dennis J. Courtney; Dr. Jonathan V. Wright; Dr. Julian M. Whitaker; Dr. Warren Levin; Dr. Charles B. Simone; Dr. Aruna Bakhru; Dr. Edmund Chein; Dr. Stanley Dudrick; Dr. Melvyn Grovit; Dr. Robert Verkerk; Dr. Harry G. Preuss; Dr. Alan R. Gaby; Dr. Gina Cushman; Dr. David Perlmutter; Dr. Joya Schoen; Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra; Dr. Carolyn Dean; Dr. Sherri Tenpenny; Dr. Sidney Stohs; Dr. Neal D. Barnard; Dr. Jonathan Collin; Dr. John Abramson; Dr. Ronald D. Hoffman; Dr. Michael Schachter; Dr. Andrew Weil; Dr. W. Lee Cowden; Dr. Joseph Mercola; Dr. Mark Hyman; Dr. Peter R. Holyk; Dr. Garry Gordon; Dr. Russell Jaffe; Dr. Mayer Eisenstein; Dr. Hyla Cass; Dr. Allan Magaziner; Dr. Bruce Shelton; Dr. Sara Gottfried; and Dr. Robban Sica.

Excellence in Medical Research Award: Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski; Dr. Charles B. Simone; Dr. Charles B. Simone II; Dr. Nicole Simone; Dr. Neal D. Barnard; Dr. Harry G. Preuss; Dr. Alan R. Gaby; Bastyr University; and the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

First Amendment Hall of Fame Award: Durk Pearson; Sandy Shaw; Dr. Julian M. Whitaker; Dr. Joel D. Wallach; Ray Hamel; Peter Hamel; Gretchen DuBeau; Dr. Alexander Schauss; and Dr. Richard Kleinberger.

Free Speech Global Award: Dr. Robert Verkerk.

Sacred Fire of Liberty Award: Donald E. Washkewicz; Paul F. Glenn; Hunter Lewis; NOW Foods; Berkley Bedell; William Faloon; Ben Suarez; Dr. Julian M. Whitaker; Julie Whitman Kline; and Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Freedom of Informed Choice Award: Alliance for Natural Health-USA (Gretchen DuBeau); Alliance for Natural Health-International (Dr Rob Verkerk); Life Extension Foundation; Institute for Responsible Technology; Bert Schwitters; Citizens Council for Health Freedom; Campaign for Liberty; Dr. John Abramson; Sheila Matthews-Gallo; Dr. Joseph Mercola; Mary Jo Siegel; Richard DeSylva; Dr. Jane Orient; Donna Navarro; Barbara Loe Fisher; and Doris Wood.

Excellence in Health Product Innovation Award: Dr. Mark Whitacre; Brian W. Shilhavy; Dr. Nicholas Perricone; Jerry Smith; Dr. Charles B. Simone; Dr. Patricia Bragg; Dr. Reginald McDaniel; Dr. Joel D. Wallach; Will Block; Dan Caudill; Dr. Luke Bucci; Corey Anderson; Janet Cherry; Frank Key; Scott Henderson; James Komorowski; Stan Soper; Durk Pearson; Sandy Shaw; Roland Jerch; and Elwood Richard.

Excellence in Health Journalism Award: James Gormley; William Skinner; Shane Starling; Robert Scott Bell; Dennis J. Courtney; John Rappoport; Bob Swientok; Frankie Boyer; Paul Rothfuss; Elaine Watson; Ron Waldman; Peter Starr; Vaishali; Dr. Ronald D. Hoffman; Deborah A. Ray; Dr. Joseph Mercola; Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra; Dr. Jonathan Collin; Joe Cosgrove; Dennis McCuistian; William Faloon; and Dr. Neal D. Barnard.

Voice of Liberty Award: Ted Anderson; Erskine; Mike Adams; Alex Jones; George Noory; Jeff Rense; John Stossel; Lars Larsen; Jerry Doyle; Robert Scott Bell; Deborah Ray; and Sean Hannity.

Fount of Freedom Award: Paul Walter; Wayne Barrett; Peter Schweizer; Kim R. Holmes; Jay Sekulow; Robert Oulds; Ramona Morrison; Rae Capitka; Cheryl K. Chumley; and Tim Delmastro

Fount of Freedom Award:

Tim Delmastro

Excellence in Health Journalism Award:

Mike Adams, Dr. Julian M. Whitaker

Excellence in Health Product Innovation Award:

Val Anderson, Scott Henderson, Christian Wilde

Sacred Fire of Liberty Award:

Manoj Bhargava

Excellence in Medical Research Award:

Dr. Joel D. Wallach, Dr. Melvyn Grovit, Dr. Stanley Dudrick, Dr. Jonathan Wright

Freedom of Informed Choice Award:

Twila Brase

Voice of Liberty Award:

Erskine

The two-day gala, on September 5 and 6, was emceed by Hollywood actor and producer Terrence McNally and included musical entertainment from gospel music great Alma Randolph; world renowned tenor Mark Harris; Fresh Air Music Entertainment’s Motown revue; and George Mason University’s fife and drum, string ensemble, and brass quintet.

Over the next several weeks, video footage from the gala will appear on the sacredfiregala.com web site and on YouTube.

Jonathan himself was also presented with an award for his extraordinary work and subsequent achievements. Read Robert Verkerk's speech.

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