Dear Colleagues and Friends,
As of February 1, the unification of the AAOM and AOM Alliance became official. And with Dr. Will Morris leaving his position as AAOM president and becoming the recent president emeritus, I officially left my positions as president and director of the AAOM. The newer organization, the AAAOM, now begins its maiden voyage.
The real credit for the unification of these two national organizations goes to the practitioners who continued to demand that the profession be represented by one organization, and the boards of directors of the two organizations who worked to find common ground. I must say that it gave me a great sense of accomplishment to be part of the group that put the unification deal together in Dallas.
Serving on the AAOM Board since 2001 has been both a challenge and an honor. Going forward, I believe that we, as a profession, have the same challenges facing us internally, as well as externally. But, hopefully, this recent unification will mark a major step in the direction of working together to find solutions. I must also say that it is important for practitioners to support this by becoming members of the AAAOM. Without an increase in membership, the AAAOM will not have the sufficient resources to assist state associations and practitioners. As past president of AAOM, I want to thank all of those members who have been so supportive over the years.
As one of the permanent advisors and founder of the Trudy McAlister Scholarship Fund, much of my time will be spent seeking donations to increase the fund's ability to provide scholarships for students of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.
In closing, I want to thank my teachers, Dr. Ju Gim Shek Ju, Dr. So Tin Yau, and Dr. William Prensky, sine qua non.
