Eliot Tokar is one of the first Westerners to have received extensive textual and clinical training in Tibetan medicine, having apprenticed with renowned Tibetan physicians. He has practiced Tibetan medicine in NYC since 1993, and is an internationally experienced writer and lecturer.
Eliot Tokar is a traditional Tibetan medicine doctor and internationally experienced writer and lecturer. He has practiced Tibetan medicine in NYC since 1993, and is one of the first Westerners to have received extensive textual and clinical training in this field.
Eliot accomplished his studies by the Tibetan medicine tradition of Man Ngag Lugs (by direct instruction), beginning in 1983 with Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, and then from 1986 as an apprentice to Dr. Trogawa Rinpoche (founder Chagpori Tibetan Medical Institute, WB, India); both of whom were co-founders of the Tibetan Medical Institute (Men-Tsee-Khang) in Dharmasala, India. In 1993 Eliot began his clinical practice based on a directive from Dr. Trogawa Rinpoche. He additionally pursued continuing Tibetan medical education in the form of clinical internships and textual studies working with several Tibetan physicians. Eliot has also studied clinical aspects of Chinese and Japanese medicine with a diversity of senior clinicians.
Eliot has lectured widely on healthcare at universities, medical colleges and institutions such as Yale Univ., Princeton Univ., NYU, Harvard Medical School, Univ. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Washington Univ. School of Medicine in St. Louis, NY Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the NY Botanical Garden and at the Asia Society (NY). He was the only Western clinician to speak at the first modern International Academic Conference on Tibetan Medicine in 2000 in Lhasa, Tibet, PRC. Eliot has also served as an advisor to organizations such as the American Medical Student Association
Eliot’s work has appeared in American and international journals. His writings and lectures concern the theory and practice of Tibetan medicine, the role of traditional Asian medicine in the modern world and in context of globalization, as well as topics such as medical pluralism, integrative medicine, mind-body medicine, evidence-based medicine, bio-piracy and intellectual property rights. In 2008 his article “An Ancient Medicine in a New World” was featured with the work of many international scholars in “Tibetan Medicine in the Contemporary World: Global Politics of Medical Knowledge and Practice” (pub. Routledge). In 2009 the book was awarded the International Convention of Asia Scholars Colleagues Choice Book Prize Award.
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