The most important relationship I seek to nurture in the treatment room is the one a patient has with their own body. We live in a culture that teaches us to override pain, defer to outside authority, and push through discomfort. Patients often arrive hoping I can “fix” them, but the truth is, we can’t do the work for them. We can offer guidance, insight and support, but healing requires their full participation.
Lisa Conboy, MA, MS, ScD
Lisa Conboy has conducted health research and taught research methodology to students of sociology, biomedicine and complementary medicine for over 30 years. With degrees in public health and sociology, she specializes in the study of traditional and complex health systems. She is published in the areas of women’s health, complementary and alternative kedicine, qualitative research methodology, and complexity science. An Instructor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, she is also the Director of Research and Special Projects at Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine.; and chair of the Research Committee of the American Society of Acupuncturists.