American Society of Acupuncturists Celebrates 10 Years
Annual Conference Wrap-Up: Presentations, Collaboration – and Plenty of Fun!
LiMing Tseng, DAc, MAcOM, Dipl. OM
| DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Practitioners from 33 U.S. states, Canada and China gathered to celebrate ASA’s 10th anniversary at the American Society of Acupuncturists 2025 annual live in-person conference on April 26-27, 2025, at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Va. With the theme of “Cultivating Our Future Together,” practitioners shared practical skills to advance the professional practice of acupuncture through advocacy, education and research.
This three-part conference, which provided up to 34 PDAs/CEUs, started with a two-week pre-conference webinar series covering specific topics of interest in acupuncture and herbal medicine such as integrative oncology, immunology, artificial intelligence in acupuncture, and other topics. Additionally, the ASA committees discussed their work in promoting the acupuncture profession in the U.S.
The work began before the conference on April 25th when the ASA Council (composed of state representatives from ASA state association members), ASA committee chairs and ASA’s Board of Directors met for an annual in-person meeting to discuss issues affecting the acupuncture profession on the state and national levels.
David Miller, LiMing Tseng, Deborah Lincoln, Olivia Hsu Friedman, Candace Sarges, David Bock, speakers of the ASA's 10th anniversary banquet dinner. Photo credit: Alexandria Russell.
While state associations face unique challenges for state-level acupuncture regulations, this meeting promoted an opportunity for state leaders to collaborate and share ideas and resources on the many issues affecting our profession.
At the conference, to celebrate the 10th anniversary an eight-course Chinese dinner banquet was held on Saturday night at the Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant, featuring a fun photobooth and dancing to the tunes of our D.J., with a special song composed for the event by DocJin.
Four prominent leaders who have played key roles in our profession’s development each gave a brief presentation, sharing personal accounts of the pivotal moments, challenges and breakthroughs that helped shape the foundation of the ASA – and by extension, the profession as it stands today. Their unique perspectives highlighted the dedication, advocacy and collaboration that have propelled the profession forward, offering both a historical lens and inspiration for the future.
Lucky conference attendees received prizes throughout the two-day conference worth a total of nearly $4,500 (donated by our generous conference sponsors).
After morning tai chi (which started both days), the conference began with welcoming remarks by ASA Chair, Olivia Hsu Friedman, DACM, LAc, Dipl. OM, along with an import update for our industry by the newly formed Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Coalition (AHVC). A keynote presentation on TCM for Allergy and Immunology was presented by Xiu-Min Li, MD, MS. MPH, Dipl Ac & CH.
On the first day, presentations included Motion Acupuncture for Soft-Tissue Pain, Acupuncture Techniques for Alzheimer's Disease, Trauma-Informed Care, and Acupuncture Trigger-Point Therapy/Advanced Dry Needling.
We continued on day two with a panel discussion on the topic of Cultivating Collaborations. Our panel discussed different environments for providing acupuncture care, such as acupuncture services at a university, remote outreach, and providing care in hospital settings. We continued with presentations on Trauma-Informed Acupuncture Care, The State of 21st Century Acupuncture in the United States, and a class on Tongue Diagnosis.
Our closing session featured the Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Coalition, composed of the NCCAOM, ACAHM, CCAHM, and ASA.
Our community came together for a special Passing of the Torch ceremony to honor those influential figures in our profession who have recently passed. This began with a special presentation with a Certificate of Recognition and the presentation of the U.S. Flag & Flag Certificate to honor Richard Niemtzow, MD, PhD, MPH, for his contributions and achievements, received by his widow, Songxuan Zhou Niemtzow, MD (China), LAc.
Following the conference, on Monday, April 28th a team of licensed acupuncturists provided 116 acupuncture demonstrations on Capitol Hill at the Acupuncture for our Public Servants (AOPS) event, along with student assistants, led by Amy E. Mager, DACM, LAc, Dipl. OM, FABORM.
Our post-conference also included presentations on CLEAR conversation skills for difficult conversations in our practice, state advocacy and ways to reach out to legislators, and leveraging power through the formation of an acupuncture union at a Northern California Kaiser Permanente.
This joyful event would not have been possible without the hard work by dedicated acupuncture leaders over the past 50 years. The work of strengthening our profession is not easy, but when we do it together, it becomes a celebratory community event.
As we reflect on the past and examine our present, we ask all members of our acupuncture family (all stakeholders, practitioners, students, colleges, administrations, instructors and staff, and our patients) to support our profession together in cultivating our bright future. Please join your ASA state acupuncture association to support these efforts. After all, we are stronger together!
Thank you to all our supporters, and a special thanks to our conference attendees, our 32 conference sponsors, the ASA Board, and the amazing volunteers of the ASA Conference Committee that makes this annual event possible! We hope to see you next year!
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