Dr. Joseph Schnurr MD, LAc

Dr. Joseph A. Schnurr was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba. He attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (General) Degree (1978).

He is a co-founder and former Medical Director of the Centre for Integrative Medicine, at the University of Saskatchewan

He attended the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, and obtained his M.D. Degree (1983). This was followed by a medical internship in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (1983-1984), and medical locums in Saskatoon, Hudson Bay, and Melfort (1984-1986).

Dr. Schnurr began practicing family medicine with the Saskatoon Medical Associates in Saskatoon in 1987.  In 1995, he became a licensed Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) acupuncturist, and continues to practice medical acupuncture. He currently splits his time between the medical clinic, a naturopathic clinic, surgical assistance at Royal University Hospital, and teaching/research duties in the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Schnurr returned to the University of Saskatchewan in 1996 to study medical anthropology with a special focus on critical medical anthropology and health-seeking behaviours. He completed his Degree of Master of Anthropology in the Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology in 2003. His Master’s thesis focused on fibromyalgia, a highly prevalent chronic pain/fatigue syndrome that has defied treatment by conventional methods.

Dr. Schnurr is a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan and of the Canadian Medical Acupuncture Society. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology and an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology.

Dr. Schnurr has chaired several continuing medical education conferences, including one in 1997 titled Crossroads of Healing:  An Introduction to Complementary Medicine.  Dr. Schnurr was an invited speaker at the 1995 CAPE/SIPPCA conference held in Saskatoon and spoke on the topic of “healing the body”. Dr. Schnurr is a past member of St. Paul's Hospital Clinical Pastoral Education accreditation team, a former chairperson of Saskatoon Health Oasis (a collaborative health care initiative in Saskatoon), and a past member of the Saskatchewan Socio-Behavioral Research Centre.

Dr. Schnurr has delivered presentations at university classes, public meetings, and health conferences on various topics in complementary/ alternative medicine, integrative medicine, and health promotion. His research and clinical interests include the integration of evidence-based complementary/ alternative medicine with conventional medicine, nutrition and preventive medicine, integrative health centres, determinants of health, and health education.

Dr. Schnurr is married and has two children.