Bastyr University

{{Short description|Alternative medicine university}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox university | name = Bastyr University | native_name = | image = Bastyr University Logo.png | image_size = 150px | latin_name = | established = 1978 | type = Private university | endowment = | rector = | chancellor = | president = Joseph Pizzorno<ref name=leadership>{{cite web |title= Bastyr University Cabinet |url=https://bastyr.edu/about/leadership-team |access-date=19 January 2026 |publisher=Bastyr University}}</ref> | provost = Loraine Devos-Comby<ref name=leadership/> | vice_chancellor = | principal = | dean = | head_label = | head = | students = 734 (fall 2024)<ref name=fast>{{cite web |title= Fast Facts |url=https://bastyr.edu/about/overview/fast-facts |access-date=19 January 2026 |publisher=Bastyr University}}</ref> | undergrad = 39 (fall 2024)<ref name=fast>{{cite web |title= Fast Facts |url=https://bastyr.edu/about/overview/fast-facts |access-date=19 January 2026 |publisher=Bastyr University}}</ref> | address = | city = Kenmore | state = Washington | country = United States | campus = | campus_size = {{Convert|51|acre}} | former_names = John Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine<br />Bastyr College | free = | colors = Cranberry and ginger | nickname = | mascot = | website = [https://www.bastyr.edu/ www.bastyr.edu] | logo = | staff = | faculty = | graduate = | professional = | affiliations = | coor = {{Coord|47.7304|-122.2528|type:edu_region:US-WI|display=inline,title}} | motto = ''Vis medicatrix naturae'' | motto_lang = la | mottoeng = The healing power of nature }}

'''Bastyr University''' is a private alternative medicine university with campuses in Kenmore, Washington, and San Diego, California. Programs include naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, Traditional Asian medicine, nutrition, herbal medicine, psychology, and midwifery.

Some of Bastyr's programs teach and research topics that are considered pseudoscience, quackery, and fake by the scientific and medical communities.<ref name= atwood2003>{{cite journal |last=Atwood |first=Kimball C. IV |author-link=Kimball Atwood |year=2003 |title=Naturopathy: A critical appraisal |url=http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465994 |url-access=registration |journal=Medscape General Medicine |volume=5 |issue=4 |page=39 |pmid=14745386}}</ref><ref name=atwood2003a/><ref name="Barrett-Naturopathy">{{cite web |url= http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Naturopathy/naturopathy.html |last=Barrett |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Barrett|title= A close look at naturopathy |publisher=QuackWatch |date= November 26, 2013 |access-date=28 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Sisson">{{cite news|last1=Sisson|first1=Paul|title=Med school embraces natural remedies|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2012/dec/08/natural-remedies-medical-school/|access-date=28 June 2016|work=San Diego Union-Tribune|date=8 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808141059/http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2012/dec/08/natural-remedies-medical-school/|archive-date=8 August 2016}}</ref> Quackwatch, a group against health fraud, put Bastyr University on its list of "questionable organizations" as a school which is "accredited but not recommended".<ref name=qw>{{cite web|url=http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/nonrecorg.html|title=Questionable Organizations: An Overview |publisher=Quackwatch |access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref>

Bastyr University and similar naturopathic programs are not accredited as medical schools but as programs that are overseen by a naturopathic council which is not required to be scientific.<ref name="health-robbers">{{cite book|last1=Barrett|first1=Stephen|last2=Jarvis|first2=William T.|author-link1=Stephen Barrett|title=The Health Robbers: A Close Look at Quackery in America|date=1993|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Buffalo, NY|isbn=0-87975-855-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/healthrobberscl00barr/page/236 236]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/healthrobberscl00barr/page/236}}</ref><ref name=MMStestimony2015>{{cite web |author= Massachusetts Medical Society |author-link= Massachusetts Medical Society |date= 17 November 2015 |title=MMS Testimony in Opposition to H. 1992 and S. 1205, An Act to Create a Board of Registration in Naturopathy|url=http://www.massmed.org/Advocacy/MMS-Testimony/MMS-Testimony-in-Opposition-to-H--1992-and-S--1205,-An-Act-to-Create-a-Board-of-Registration-in-Naturopathy/|website= www.massmed.org |publisher=Massachusetts Medical Society |access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref><ref name="Hermes-accred">{{cite web|last1=Hermes|first1=Britt|author-link1=Britt Marie Hermes|title=ND Confession, Part II: The Accreditation of Naturopathic "Medical" Education|url=https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/nd-confession-part-ii-the-accreditation-of-naturopathic-medical-education/|website=Science-Based Medicine|access-date=30 September 2016|date=29 August 2015}}</ref> Bastyr's naturopathic program has been accused by critics of misrepresenting its medical rigor and its ability to train primary care clinicians.<ref name= atwood2003/><ref name="Thielking2016">{{cite news|last1=Thielking|first1=Megan|title='Essentially witchcraft:' A former naturopath takes on the field|url=https://www.statnews.com/2016/10/20/naturopath-critic-britt-hermes/|access-date=22 October 2016|work=STAT|date=20 October 2016}}</ref><ref name="LeMieux2016">{{cite news|last1=LeMieux|first1=Julianna|title=Why 'Naturopathic Medicine' is an oxymoron|url=https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/11/16/why-naturopathic-medicine-oxymoron-10441|access-date=17 November 2017|work=American Council on Science and Health|date=16 November 2016}}</ref>

A 2024 report found that students in Bastyr's alternative medicine doctoral program had the second highest debt-to-income ratio among all US graduate programs, at 688%.<ref name="opb-part2">{{cite news |last1=Camhi |first1=Tiffany |title=Oregon alternative medicine students face a long road to loan forgiveness |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2024/08/30/oregon-alternative-medicine-loan-forgiveness/ |access-date=28 October 2024 |work=OPB |date=30 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="scorecard-data">{{cite web |author1=U.S. Department of Education |title=Most Recent Data by Field of Study |url=https://ed-public-download.app.cloud.gov/downloads/Most-Recent-Cohorts-Field-of-Study_06102024.zip |website=U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909175033/https://ed-public-download.app.cloud.gov/downloads/Most-Recent-Cohorts-Field-of-Study_06102024.zip |archive-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>

==History== Bastyr University was established in 1978 as the John Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle.<ref name="LATimes" /> Four co-founders, Sheila Quinn, Joseph Pizzorno, Les Griffith, and Bill Mitchell, named the institution after John Bastyr, a teacher and advocate of naturopathy in the Seattle area.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/William-A-Mitchell-1947-2007-Physician-1226634.php |work= Seattle Post-Intelligencer |title=William A. Mitchell, 1947-2007: Physician co-founded Bastyr |last=Black |first= Cherie |date=26 January 2007}}</ref><ref name="Birkland">{{cite news|last1=Birkland|first1=Dave|title=Dr. John Bastyr, 83, renowned For naturopathic medical skill|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19950701/2129107/dr-john-bastyr-83-renowned-for-naturopathic-medical-skill|access-date=28 June 2016|work=Seattle Times|date=1 July 1995}}</ref> Baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degree programs are offered.<ref name="NWCCU">{{cite web |url= http://www.nwccu.org/Directory%20of%20Inst/Alpha%20Cluster/a_d.html |title= Directory of Institutions A - D |publisher= Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities |access-date= 26 November 2017 |date= 26 July 2017 |archive-date= 2017-10-11 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171011021640/http://www.nwccu.org/Directory%20of%20Inst/Alpha%20Cluster/a_d.html }}</ref> In 1984, the school was renamed Bastyr College; in 1994, it became Bastyr University.<ref name="AANP 2011 pp. 5, 7">{{cite web |title=Naturopathic Medicine History and Professional Formation Timeline |first1=Steven |last1=Bailey |first2=Jared |last2=Skowron |first3=Craig |last3=Fasullo |first4=Mitchell Bebel |last4=Stargrove |first5=Mitchell Bebel |last5=Stargrove |editor-first1=Mitchell Bebel |editor-last1=Stargrove |editor-first2=Jared |editor-last2=Zeff |editor-first3=Hans |editor-last3=Baer |editor-first4=George |editor-last4=Cody |website=American Association of Naturopathic Physicians |date=2011-04-25 |url=https://www.naturopathic.org/Files/Committees/Board/Naturopathic%20Medicine%20History%20and%20Professional%20Formation%20Timeline.pdf |access-date=2019-02-01 |pages=5, 7}}</ref>

In 1996, Bastyr relocated to its current location in the Saint Thomas Center, formerly St. Edward Seminary, a Catholic seminary building in Kenmore, Washington.<ref name="LATimes" /> Pizzorno served as president until his retirement in June 2000.<ref name="webmdpizzorno">{{cite web |url= http://www.webmd.com/joe-pizzorno-jr-nd |title= Joseph E. Pizzorno Jr., ND |publisher= WebMD |type= Biography |date= 2008 |url-status= live |archive-date= 21 November 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171121095034/https://www.webmd.com/joe-pizzorno-jr-nd}}</ref> During his tenure, Bastyr became the first accredited university of natural medicine and the first center for alternative medicine research funded by the National Institutes of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine,<ref name="LATimes"/> the predecessor to the controversial National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.<ref name=atwood2003a/>

Its campus is surrounded by Saint Edward State Park's fir and hemlock forest. In November, 2005, the university purchased the property, which it had been leasing from the Archdiocese of Seattle.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url= http://www.bastyr.edu/about/about-our-university/history-heritage#Historical-Timeline |title= History & Heritage |publisher= Bastyr University |url-status= live |archive-date= 18 November 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171118230606/http://bastyr.edu/about/overview/history}}</ref> In 2010, Bastyr merged with Seattle Midwifery School to offer a Master of Science degree to become a direct-entry midwife eligible for certification.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bastyr University merges with the Seattle Midwifery School|url=http://www.bothell-reporter.com/community/87170452.html|access-date=26 June 2016|work=Bothell/Kenmore Reporter|date=9 March 2010}}</ref>

In 2024, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that students who pursued doctorates of naturopathic medicine typically took on high levels of debt. For Bastyr, the median loan was $300,530 and the median earnings were $43,703, resulting in a debt to earnings ratio of 688%. This was the second highest ratio among graduate programs in the US, with only the naturopathic program at National University of Natural Medicine being higher.<ref name="opb-part2"/><ref name="scorecard-data"/>

==Academics== {{Update|section|date=October 2024}} Bastyr offers bachelor's completion, master's, combined undergraduate/masters, doctoral, and certificate programs.<ref name="NWCCU" /> Average first-year cost (tuition, fees, and books) not including room and board for undergraduate programs is $26,523,<ref name="Bastyr-undergrad-cost">{{cite web|title=Fund Your Undergraduate Degree|url=http://www.bastyr.edu/admissions/financial-aid/fund-your-undergraduate-degree#Undergrad-Tuition|publisher=Bastyr University|access-date=2 September 2015}}</ref> and for the doctorate in naturopathic medicine is $39,589.<ref name="Bastyr-grad-cost">{{cite web|title=Fund Your Graduate Degree: Graduate Tuition|url=http://www.bastyr.edu/admissions/financial-aid/fund-your-graduate-degree#Graduate-Tuition|publisher=Bastyr University|access-date=2 September 2015}}</ref> Bastyr presents itself as the "Harvard of naturopathic medicine."<ref name=autogenerated1/> The Princeton Review reports that the naturopathic medicine program at Bastyr had an acceptance rate of 68%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bastyr University - School of Naturopathic Medicine|url=http://www.princetonreview.com/schools/1037876/med/bastyr-university-school-naturopathic-medicine|website=Princeton Review}}</ref>

===Accreditation=== Bastyr University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) as an institution that can grant undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwccu.org/member-institutions/directory/|title=Directory:NWCCU|publisher=Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities|access-date=December 17, 2017}}</ref> Bastyr's Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine program is accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), which is a naturopathic organization affiliated with the naturopathic profession.<ref name="Hermes-accred"/> The Master of Science in Acupuncture (MSA), the Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MSAOM), and the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM).<ref name="ACAOM 2017">{{cite web |title=Bastyr University » Directory of Accredited/Pre-accredited Programs and Institutions |website=ACAOM |date=2017-12-14 |url=http://acaom.org/directory-menu/directory/name/bastyr-university/ |access-date=2019-01-31}}</ref>

The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has accredited Bastyr's Bachelor of Science with a major in nutrition with Didactic Program in Dietetics, Master of Science in nutrition with Didactic Program in Dietetics, and Dietetic Internship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eatrightacend.org/ACEND/content.aspx?id=6442485327|title=Didactic Programs in Dietetics|publisher=Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics|access-date=January 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128104128/http://www.eatrightacend.org/ACEND/content.aspx?id=6442485327|archive-date=January 28, 2016}}</ref>

Bastyr University has received approval from the state of Washington as a recognized midwifery training facility and provides education for midwifery students in the articulated Bachelor/Master of Science in Midwifery degree. Both programs are accredited through the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council.<ref name="MEAC School Directory">{{cite web |title=MEAC School Directory |website=Midwifery Education and Accreditation Council |url=http://meacschools.org/member-school-directory/#col_01_sd |access-date=2019-01-31}}</ref><ref name="accreditation">{{cite web |url= http://www.bastyr.edu/about/accreditation |title= Accreditation |publisher= Bastyr University}}</ref>

The university is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Medical Colleges<ref name="AANMC 2019">{{cite web |title=Accredited Naturopathic Schools of North America |website=AANMC |url=https://aanmc.org/naturopathic-schools/ |access-date=2019-01-31}}</ref> and Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.<ref name="CCAOM 2019">{{cite web |url=http://www.ccaom.org/members.asp#Kenmore |title=Members |website=Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) |access-date=2019-01-30}}</ref>

===Reception=== {{Quote box |width=250px |align=right |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right |quote = [Bastyr naturopathic students] take classes with the same names as medical school courses, but pseudoscience and nonsensical information is integrated into every course. |source =Britt Marie Hermes<ref name="Kirkey2017">{{cite news|last1=Kirkey|first1=Sharon|title=Naturopaths not 'real' doctors, despite video claims they are 'medically trained': critics|url=https://nationalpost.com/health/naturopaths-not-real-doctors-despite-video-claims-they-are-medically-trained-critics|access-date=18 July 2017|work=National Post|date=7 July 2017}}</ref>}}

{{Quote box |width=250px |align=right |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right |quote = These schools of quackery operate like cults. People are being brainwashed with books, by peers, through media and so forth. |source =Edzard Ernst<ref name="Rathi2017">{{cite news|last1=Rathi|first1=Akshat|title=The journey of a "doctor" who joined the cult of alternative medicine and then broke out of it|url=https://qz.com/1088056/a-naturopaths-fight-against-her-alma-mater-shows-how-to-break-out-of-echo-chambers/|access-date=17 November 2017|work=Quartz|date=30 September 2017}}</ref>}}

{{further|Homeopathy|Naturopathy|Pseudoscience}} The Bastyr curriculum has been criticized for teaching pseudoscience and quackery, as its courses in homeopathy, herbalism, acupuncture, and ayurvedic methods lack a compelling evidence basis.<ref name=atwood2004>{{cite journal |last= Atwood IV |first= Kimball. C. |author-link=Kimball Atwood|date= March 26, 2004 |title= Naturopathy, pseudoscience, and medicine: Myths and fallacies vs truth |journal= Medscape General Medicine |volume= 6 |issue= 1 |page= 33 |pmid= 15208545|pmc= 1140750}}</ref><ref name="Palmer-Slate">{{cite news|last1=Palmer|first1=Brian|title=Quacking All the Way to the Bank|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/06/naturopaths_covered_under_medicaid_the_affordable_care_act_s_nondiscrimination.html|access-date=1 September 2015|work=Slate|date=3 June 2014}}</ref> Clinical training in the naturopathic medicine program was revealed to be significantly fewer hours than what Bastyr claims to provide its students, focusing on dubious diagnostics to prescribe experimental and pseudoscientific treatments that do not adhere to medical standards of care.<ref name="ND-confession">{{cite web|last1=Hermes|first1=Britt|author-link=Britt Marie Hermes|title=ND Confession, Part 1: Clinical training inside and out|url=https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/nd-confession-part-1-clinical-training-inside-and-out/|website=Science-Based Medicine|date=13 March 2015|access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref> Research conducted at Bastyr has been criticized as being a waste of taxpayer dollars by studying implausible treatments inconsistent with the best understandings of science and medicine.<ref name=Mielczarek2014>{{cite journal|last1=Mielczarek|first1=Eugenie V.|last2=Engler|first2=Brian D.|title=Selling Pseudoscience: A Rent in the Fabric of American Medicine|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=2014|volume=38|issue=3|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/selling_pseudoscience_a_rent_in_the_fabric_of_american_medicine/|access-date=2 September 2015}}</ref><ref name=atwood2003a>{{cite journal|last1=Atwood|first1=Kimball C.|author-link=Kimball Atwood|title=The ongoing problem with the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=2003|volume=25|issue=7|url=http://www.csicop.org/si/show/ongoing_problem_with_the_national_center|access-date=13 September 2015|archive-date=16 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116142044/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/ongoing_problem_with_the_national_center}}</ref>

The former president of Bastyr, Joseph Pizzorno, has been criticized for promoting dangerous and ineffective naturopathic treatments.<ref name="Barrett-Naturopathy"/><ref name="GorskiT"/> Pizzorno co-authored the ''Textbook of Natural Medicine'', which includes recommendations to treat diseases ranging from acne to AIDS using combinations of vitamins, minerals, and herbs at doses that would cause toxicity.<ref name="Barrett-Naturopathy"/> Pizzorno is an advocate of the discredited blood type diet, developed by fellow naturopath and Bastyr graduate Peter D'Adamo.<ref name="GorskiT"/> Pizzorno called the diet "the medical breakthrough of the ages" and described D'Adamo as "the best Bastyr has to offer.<ref name="GorskiT"/> The consensus among dietitians, physicians, and scientists is that blood type diets are unsupported by scientific evidence.<ref name=2013rev>{{cite journal | title = Blood type diets lack supporting evidence: A systematic review. |first1=Leila |last1=Cusack |first2=Emmy |last2= De Buck |first3=Veerle |last3=Compernolle |first4=Philippe |last4= Vandekerckhove | journal = The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | date = 2013-07-01| volume = 98 | number = 1 | pages = 99–104 | pmid = 23697707 | doi = 10.3945/ajcn.113.058693|doi-access= free }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title = Human Blood Cells (Consequences of Genetic Polymorphisms and Variations) |first= May-Jean |last= King | page = 44 | chapter = Ch. 2: ABO Polymorphisms and their putative biological relationships with disease | quote =  | publisher = World Scientific Pub | date = 4 July 2000 | isbn = 978-1-86094-196-2 | doi = 10.1142/9781848160309_0002 }}</ref><ref name=Mayo>{{cite web| url = http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/blood-type-diet/AN01415| title = Blood type diet: What is it? Does it work? |first = Katherine |last= Zeratsky | date = 12 August 2010 | publisher = Mayo Clinic | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110612124046/http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/blood-type-diet/AN01415 | archive-date = 12 June 2011 | access-date= 21 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="c_Roberts">{{cite journal | title = Quick weight loss: Sorting fad from fact | url = https://mja.com.au/journal/2001/175/11/quick-weight-loss-sorting-fad-fact|first = David C K |last= Roberts | year = 200 | journal = The Medical Journal of Australia | volume = 175 | issue = 11–12| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110824040839/http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/175_12_171201/roberts/roberts/html | archive-date = 24 August 2011 | pmid=11837873 | pages=637–40 | doi = 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2001.tb143759.x| s2cid = 39657374| url-access = subscription }}</ref><ref name=Wang>{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Jingzhou|first2=Bibiana |last2= García-Bailo |first3=Daiva E. |last3= Nielsen |first4= Ahmed |last4= El-Sohemy |title=ABO genotype, 'blood-type' diet and cardiometabolic risk factors|journal=PLOS ONE|date=15 January 2014 |volume=9 |issue=1 | article-number=e84749 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0084749 |pmid=24454746 |pmc=3893150|bibcode=2014PLoSO...984749W |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Naturopaths trained at Bastyr are required to study various non-medical folk remedies, including homeopathy.<ref name="bastyr-ND-curriculum">{{cite web|title=Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Program|url=http://bastyr.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2015-2016/2015-2016-Academic-Catalog/School-of-Naturopathic-Medicine/Doctor-of-Naturopathic-Medicine/Doctor-of-Naturopathic-Medicine-Program|publisher=Bastyr University|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref> David Gorski has been highly critical of this requirement; for him this makes the university fail the "litmus test" of whether it adheres to "science and reality".<ref name=sbm>{{cite web |publisher=Science-Based Medicine |last=Gorski |first= D |author-link=David Gorski |date=21 February 2011 |access-date=22 October 2016 |url=http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/naturopathy-and-science/ |title=Naturopathy and science}}</ref> In 1998, Bastyr offered an elective course in iridology, a debunked system of diagnosing medical conditions by looking for irregularities in the pigmentation of the iris.<ref name="Ernst-2000">{{cite journal|last1=Ernst|first1=E.|title=Iridology|journal=Archives of Ophthalmology|date=2000|volume=118|issue=1|pages=120–1|doi=10.1001/archopht.118.1.120|pmid=10636425}}</ref>

In 2007, Bastyr University was found by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) to have violated the standards of academic freedom and shared governance for faculty members who were fired without cause of academic due process.<ref name="Jaschik2007">{{cite news|last1=Jaschik|first1=Scott|title=Can Academic Freedom and 'at Will' Employment Co-Exist?|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/04/13/bastyr|access-date=1 December 2017|work=Inside Higher Ed|date=13 April 2007}}</ref><ref name="AAUP-report">{{Cite report |author=American Association of University Professors |author-link=American Association of University Professors |date=2007 |title=Academic Freedom and Tenure: Bastyr University |url=http://aaup.org/file/Academic-Freedom-and-Tenure-Bastyr-University.pdf |publisher=American Association of University Professors |access-date=1 September 2015}}</ref> Bastyr was placed on the AAUP censure list for violating generally recognized principles of academic freedom and tenure,<ref name="aaup-list">{{cite web|title=Censure List|url=http://aaup.org/our-programs/academic-freedom/censure-list|website=AAUP.org|date=18 July 2006|publisher=American Association of University Professors|access-date=1 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://aaup.org/AAUP/programs/academicfreedom/investrep/2007/Bastyr.htm |title= Academic Freedom and Tenure: Bastyr University |date= 11 April 2007 |publisher= American Association of University Professors }}</ref> but that censure was removed in June 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aaup.org/news/six-governance-sanctions-and-one-censure-removal|title=Six Governance Sanctions and One Censure Removal|date=9 June 2021}}</ref>

==Main campus== thumb|right|The building is the former St. Thomas Seminary alt=|thumb|Bastyr's Student Village consists of 11 buildings, each housing a dozen students. Bastyr's medicinal herb garden can be seen in the foreground. Bastyr's main campus sits on 51 acres (20.5 ha) of forests and athletic fields near Lake Washington.<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news|last1=Eng|first1=James|title=Bastyr University aims to meld traditional with 'natural' medicine|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-31-me-53284-story.html|access-date=26 June 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=31 March 1996}}</ref> The Saint Edward State Park forest surrounds it on three sides. Housing facilities include a student village of 11 cottage-style buildings designed to blend into the campus's natural setting and built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum specifications.<ref name="Sierra">{{cite news|title=The dorm gets a holistic upgrade|url=http://vault.sierraclub.org/sierra/201109/comfortzone.aspx|access-date=25 July 2016|work=Sierra Magazine|date=September–October 2011}}</ref>

The campus includes a renovated chapel,<ref name="Long2">{{cite news|last1=Long|first1=Katherine|title=Bastyr Chapel architect sets record straight on acoustics|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/bastyr-chapel-architect-sets-record-straight-on-acoustics/|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=25 July 2016|date=10 August 2009}}</ref> originally built in the 1950s for the St. Edward Seminary, which is now rented for musical performances, weddings, and other events.<ref name="rentchapel">{{cite web|title=Rent the Bastyr Wedding Chapel|url=http://www.bastyr.edu/public/event-hosting-weddings/bastyr-university-chapel |publisher=Bastyr University|access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref> The chapel is known for its acoustical quality and architectural details, which include stained-glass windows, mosaics, and a box-beam ceiling.<ref name=Long2/> Scores for films including ''Brokeback Mountain'', ''About Schmidt'', ''Mr. Holland's Opus'', and ''Mirror Mirror'' and for video games have been recorded in the chapel.<ref name=Long1/> Dave Matthews used it to record the orchestral track for one of his albums;<ref name=Long1>{{cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2009405044_bastyrsound01m0.html |work=The Seattle Times |first=Katherine |last=Long |title=Bastyr Chapel is feast for ears, eyes |date=July 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621112527/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2009405044_bastyrsound01m0.html |archive-date=2012-06-21 }}</ref> his wife, Ashley Harper, is a naturopathic doctor who received her degree from Bastyr.<ref name="Kroll">{{cite web|last1=Kroll|first1=David|title=Ontario naturopathic prescribing proposal is bad medicine|url=https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/ontario-naturopathic-prescribing-proposal-is-bad-medicine/|website=Science-Based Medicine|date=27 November 2009|access-date=25 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Rocker Dave Matthews' sustainable winery is truly the 'Best of What's Around'|url=http://www.thecultureist.com/2012/04/30/rocker-dave-matthews-sustainable-winery-is-truly-the-best-of-whats-around/|website=The Culture-ist|access-date=25 July 2016|date=30 April 2012}}</ref>

Seattle chef Jim Watkins became director of food services in 2011 and introduced meat dishes to the previously strictly vegetarian menu.<ref name="Cicero">{{cite news|last1=Cicero|first1=Providence|title=Mindful eating is Bastyr chef's mission|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/mindful-eating-is-bastyr-chefs-mission/|access-date=25 July 2016|work=The Seattle Times|date=7 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hopkins|first1=Katy|title=Colleges that offer courses, choices for vegetarians|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/06/07/colleges-that-offer-courses-choices-for-vegetarians|access-date=25 July 2016|work=U.S. News & World Report|date=7 June 2011}}</ref>

Bastyr operates a naturopathic teaching clinic in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, where they offer consultations to the public.<ref name="Stojnic">{{cite news|last1=Stojnic|first1=Niki|title=Mainstreaming alternative medicine|url=http://www.seattlemag.com/article/mainstreaming-alternative-medicine|access-date=25 July 2016|work=Seattle Magazine|date=11 June 2014}}</ref>

The university announced in 2025 that it would consider selling part or all of its Kenmore campus, which had become half vacant as more classes moved to remote learning.<ref>{{cite news |last=Groover |first=Heidi |date=May 15, 2025 |title=Bastyr University to sell Kenmore campus, but stay in the Seattle area |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/bastyr-university-to-sell-kenmore-campus-but-stay-in-the-seattle-area/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref>

==California campus== In September 2012, Bastyr University California opened in a two-story commercial building in San Diego with a small teaching clinic on the ground floor.<ref name="Sisson"/> The program offers the doctor of naturopathic medicine program<ref name="Sisson" /> The first students were expected to graduate in spring 2016.<ref name="Kunkler">{{cite news|last1=Kunkler|first1=Aaron|title=Dr. Charles Powell sets agenda for Kenmore's Bastyr University following busy summer|url=http://www.bothell-reporter.com/news/353055161.html|access-date=25 July 2016|work=Bothell Reporter|date=25 November 2015}}</ref>

==Research== The Tierney Basic Sciences Research Laboratory was the first research laboratory at a natural health university when it opened in 2000.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> One study, run jointly with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, was funded by a $3.1 million grant awarded in 2010 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://grantome.com/grant/NIH/U19-AT006028-02S1 |title=Bastyr/UW Oncomycology Translational Research Center |author= |date= September 29, 2010 |website=Grantome |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>

Despite receiving research funds from NCCAM, Bastyr has been criticized for studying topics that are implausible or impossible for medical effectiveness, which are considered a waste of precious federal research funds.<ref name=atwood2003a/><ref name=Mielczarek2014/> A paranormal study funded by NCCAM and conducted at Bastyr investigated extrasensory perception and "distance healing" of HIV/AIDS patients by psychic methods.<ref name="GorskiT">{{cite journal|last1=Gorski|first1=Timothy|title=White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy: A Membership Directory|journal=The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine|date=2001|volume=5|issue=4|pages=211–222|url=http://www.sram.org/article/white_house_commission_on_complementary_and_alternative_medicine_policy_a_m|access-date=15 January 2017|archive-date=4 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304041333/http://www.sram.org/article/white_house_commission_on_complementary_and_alternative_medicine_policy_a_m}}</ref><ref name="Offen">{{cite journal|last1=Offen|first1=M. Louis|title=Health Care Fraud|journal=Neurologic Clinics|date=1 May 1999|volume=17|issue=2|pages=321–333|doi=10.1016/S0733-8619(05)70135-3|pmid=10196413}}</ref> Bastyr's study was based on earlier work on the topic by Elisabeth Targ, which has been marked as scientific fraud.<ref name=atwood2003a/> An unidentified member of the NCCAM office described another of Bastyr's AIDS research projects – in which people with AIDS were surveyed as to what alternative therapies they were trying and how effective they were – as a "million-dollar fishing expedition."<ref name="Walker1997">{{cite news|last1=Walker|first1=Paulette|title=Dispute Persists Over Funds for Study of Alternative Medicine|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/Dispute-Persists-Over-Funds/74618|access-date=1 December 2017|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|date=11 July 1997}}</ref>

Other pseudoscientific topics researched as Bastyr include homeopathy, energy medicine, and remote viewing.<ref name=atwood2003a/> These topics are disproved by numerous rigorous investigations that preceded the studies conducted at Bastyr and have been criticized as serving only to justify NCCAM's continued existence.<ref name=atwood2003a/>

==Notable alumni== *Peter J. D'Adamo, a proponent of dangerous fad diets, and member of Bastyr University's first graduating naturopathic class.<ref name="Miller2016">{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Kelsey|title=Why The Blood-Type Diet Is A Dangerous Myth|url=http://www.refinery29.com/2016/07/116159/blood-type-diet-myths?geo=us&_ga=2.38824235.948070628.1510913324-1167827166.1510913324|access-date=26 November 2017|work=Refinery29|date=11 July 2016|language=en}}</ref> *Britt Marie Hermes, a 2011 graduate of the doctorate of naturopathic medicine program who went on to practice for three years in Washington and Arizona before becoming an outspoken critic of homeopathy and naturopathic medicine.<ref name="Belluz2015">{{cite news |last1=Belluz|first1=Julia |title=Why one naturopath quit after watching her peers treat cancer patients |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/9/2/9248713/britt-hermes|work=Vox|date=2 September 2015}}</ref> {{clear}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Bastyr University}} *{{Official website|https://bastyr.edu}}

Category:1978 establishments in Washington (state) Category:Universities and colleges established in 1978 Category:Naturopathic medical schools accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education Category:Naturopathy Category:Private universities and colleges in Washington (state) Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Category:Universities and colleges in Seattle