News In Brief

Profession Celebrates Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day

On Oct. 24, 2007, the profession marked the fifth annual Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day. In light of a 2002 survey showing that one in 10 U.S. adults had received at least one acupuncture treatment and that 60 percent would consider acupuncture as a treatment option, this annual event was conceived as a way to raise public awareness of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. The event was sponsored jointly by the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia, the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Various colleges, professional organizations and practices marked the day with activities such as open houses, lectures and seminars to teach about AOM, acupuncture demonstrations and treatments, workshops and classes in AOM and qigong. Just a few of the celebrations included:

• Tai Sophia Institute offered free campus tours, including the acupuncture clinic, herbal preparations room, herb garden, library and bookstore. A limited number of certificates for a free acupuncture treatment were available after the tour.
• Five Branches Institute offered free acupuncture treatments and qigong classes.
• Pacific College of Oriental Medicine's San Diego and Chicago campuses had complimentary treatments for first-time patients, as well as $10 off treatments for current patients. The New York campus hosted a free Open House with complimentary acupuncture treatments for balance, as well as stress acupuncture and qigong workshops.
• Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College offered free pulse and tongue diagnosis, herb consultations and qigong demonstrations. Traditional medicine practitioners also demonstrated Japanese approaches and techniques to acupuncture.
• Blue Poppy Enterprises, Inc. donated 10 percent of its Web site purchases on Oct. 24 (www.bluepoppy.com) to Acupuncturists Without Borders.

For more information about Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day, including a listing of various events from this year, as well as ways for you to suggest events for next year, please visit: www.aomday.org/index.html.

SCU College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Welcomes New Faculty

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) has appointed three new faculty members to its College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CAOM).

Li-Min Fu joined SCU in May 2007 as part-time faculty but has transitioned to full time. He received his master's degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine from South Baylo University in 2006. Fu also earned a PhD and masters degree in medical engineering from Stanford University, as well as a medical degree from National Taiwan University. In addition to teaching experience, his clinical experience includes pain management, internal medicine, chemotherapy, post-surgery and trauma care.

Melissa Nagare joined SCU in September 2007. A recent graduate of CAOM and Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC), Nagare is a faculty member for both colleges. She received her master's in acupuncture and Oriental medicine and doctor of chiropractic degree with highest honors in 2007. She also has a bachelor's degree in religion from Dartmouth College.

She has received a number of honors, including the LACC President's Award and the CAOM Hua Tuo Service Award, and several scholarships, including the Tsai Family Scholarship, Hong-Yen Hsu Scholarship, Alumni Scholarship, E. Maylon Drake Scholarship and Regents Scholarship.

Thomas Cuongtuan Ly is part-time faculty as of September. He earned his medical and master's degrees from the American University of the Caribbean. He received his master of science in Oriental medicine and acupuncture from South Baylo University and his doctor of chiropractic degree from Cleveland Chiropractic College.

He also has a wide range of clinical and teaching experience, including four years of private practice, two years at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, Calif., and five years as an assistant professor at Cleveland Chiropractic College.