By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
Please enjoy this long-format interview I had with Barry Smeltzer, PA-C, who is on the Faculty and Board of Directors of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM). Barry is also the first Physician Assistant in the country that has earned the designation of Fellow of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine.
AAEM will mark its 60th anniversary with EnviroMed 2026, held March 11–14, 2026, at the JW Marriott in San Antonio, Texas. The conference stands as the premier gathering for clinicians and practitioners dedicated to addressing environmentally induced illness, a field rooted in understanding how chronic exposures to chemicals, toxins, and biological agents contribute to inflammation, immune dysregulation, and disease.
According to AAEM executive leader Barry Smeltzer, PA, the Academy’s mission since its founding in 1965 has been to educate physicians on the crucial link between environmental exposures and chronic illness. Historically, AAEM physicians were among the first to warn about the dangers of smoking and pesticide use. Their current focus includes the “total load” concept—how cumulative exposure to toxins, heavy metals, and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) overwhelms the body’s adaptive systems, leading to autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.
The 2026 conference features pre-conference workshops on Low Dose Allergen (LDA) and Low Dose Immunotherapy (LDI)—innovative techniques for retraining the immune system to regain tolerance—as well as an Introduction to Environmental Medicine course forming the first module of AAEM’s new Fellowship Pathway. Featured speakers include Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Dr. Elena Villanueva, Dr. Tom O’Bryan, and Dr. Aristo Vojdani, among others, addressing subjects from mitochondria dysfunction and mold exposure to gut-brain-immune interactions and chronic fatigue.
In celebration of six decades of pioneering research, AAEM will host a Diamond Gala on March 13. The event underscores the growing recognition that the diseases of modern civilization—autoimmune, neurological, and metabolic alike—are inseparable from environmental burdens. EnviroMed 2026 promises an educational and collaborative space for practitioners committed to treating the root causes of illness rather than its symptoms.
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Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
President, McCullough Foundation
References
– American Academy of Environmental Medicine. “EnviroMed 2026.” https://www.aaemonline.org/enviromed-2026/
– McCullough, P. (2026). The McCullough Report: Interview with Barry Smeltzer. America Out Loud Talk News.
– American Academy of Environmental Medicine. “Conferences.” https://www.aaemonline.org/conferences/
