The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), a California-based non-profit herbal medicine research organization, welcomed Dr. Ingrid Bauer as Medical Director. Dr. Bauer is an integrative physician who emphasizes affordable, effective, and culturally oriented therapies for her patients. She enjoys teaching about herbal medicine for Western medical practitioners and delights in sharing Western medical knowledge with the herbal community. Through practicing and teaching, she seeks to bridge conventional and alternative paradigms to expand access to holistic healthcare, especially for underserved communities. 

Dr. Bauer has undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Latin American Studies. She worked for eight years in organic agriculture and farmworker advocacy and volunteered as a street medic before studying Western and Chinese herbal medicine at the American School of Herbalism in Santa Cruz, CA. After becoming a mom, she went on to complete her master’s degree and MD through the UC Berkeley/UCSF Joint Medical Program in the San Francisco Bay Area. She completed residency in internal medicine at Highland Hospital, Oakland’s public teaching hospital, with a focus on primary care. She now practices at La Clinica de la Raza, a community health center in East Oakland serving a diverse community, as well as at local hospitals. Dr. Bauer also owns and operates Five Flavors Herbs with her husband, herbalist and acupuncturist Benjamin Zappin LAc. Dr. Bauer is a proud mother of two, an avid cook, yoga practitioner, gardener, and Spanish-speaker.

According to AHP President Roy Upton, “I have known Ingrid going on 20 years when she, Ben, and other local Santa Cruz herbalists were studying in the East–West herbal program. Many physicians dabble in herbs after obtaining their medical degree, but relatively few experienced herbalists go on to become medical doctors. Given her East–West background and familiarity in Western, Chinese, and Ayurvedic herbal traditions, Ingrid is an awesome addition to the AHP team.”

Dr. Bauer replaces former AHP Medical Director, herbalist, midwife, and physician Aviva Romm MD, whose other responsibilities prevented her from continuing in this position. AHP said it was grateful for the contributions made by Dr. Romm, who will continue to serve among AHP’s medical advisors.