AAOM Names Assemblywoman Chu Legislator of the Year

Assemblywoman Judy Chu (D-49th District), who introduced a bill that raised minimum education and training hours for acupuncture schools in California, and who has been a relentless advocate of the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession, was named the "Legislator of the Year" be the American Association of Oriental Medicine. Ms. Chu was honored with the award at the AAOM's annual conference, held in Las Vegas last month. Accepting the award in Ms. Chu's honor was Michelle Lau.

As a member of the California Assembly, Ms. Chu chairs the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, which oversees more than $60 billion in spending for health and human services programs annually. As a legislative leader in the advancement of Oriental medicine, she was the author of AB 1943. Introduced in 2002 and passed later that year, the bill required an increase in Oriental medicine educational standards to include a minimum of 3,000 hours of study (increased from 2,348) in curriculum pertaining to the practice of an acupuncturist, and required that the revised standards be established by the board on or before Jan. 1, 2004, with mandatory implementation for all students entering programs on or after Jan. 1, 2005.

Look for a comprehensive article on the AAOM's annual meeting in the January 2005 issue of Acupuncture Today.