Saturday, April 6, 2024

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM 

Welcome & Intro to ASA’s work 

Olivia Hsu Friedman, DACM, LicAc, Dipl OM (NCCAOM), ASA Chair

The American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) works to advance the professional practice of acupuncture as a whole system of medicine through advocacy, education, and research. This welcoming statement will highlight ASA’s work in supporting the acupuncture profession.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Acupoints in Acupuncture Research: Past, Present, and Future

Helene M. Langevin, M.D.

Acupuncture points are a 2000-year-old riddle that we have not yet solved. Acupuncture “skeptics” have long held that acupoints are part of a pre-scientific belief system with no redeeming value.  The enduring controversy surrounding the usage of acupoints have constituted an obstacle to optimizing the integration of acupuncture research into the overall research landscape.

This presentation will review the historical usage of acupoints in acupuncture research and outline a new NCCIH-funded initiative to better understand the anatomical and physiological underpinnings of acupoints. 

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM 

Topological Atlas and Repository for Acupoint Research (TARA)

Vitaly Napadow, PhD, LAc

The Topological Atlas and Repository for Acupoint Research (TARA) is a 5-year NIH-initiated project which will result in a new comprehensive resource for the acupuncture research and clinician community. In this talk, we will learn about new NIH NCCIH initiative to create an open-access, web-based portal, and database incorporating (1) an acupoint ontology using both Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) and conventional biological nomenclature systems; (2) male and female human and rat body atlases, each with a standardized 3D coordinate system; and (3) a searchable database of acupoint information along with previously published physiological data, curated by an expert committee, associated with acupoint stimulation.

10:30 AM  – 11:00 AM     EXHIBITOR BREAK

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Treating Peripheral Neuropathy with Different Electroacupuncture Wave Patterns Based on Symptom Differentiation

David Dehui Wang, PhD, LAc, Dip Ac, CH, ABT (NCCAOM)
(Sponsored by Treasure of the East)

Electroacupuncture is effective in treating peripheral neuropathy. However, electroacupuncture has various wave patterns, such as continuous wave pattern, dense-disperse wave pattern, and intermittent wave pattern, each with different therapeutic effects. The different frequencies of electroacupuncture, such as low frequency and high frequency, also have varying impacts on the nerves. Therefore, selecting the appropriate wave pattern and frequency is crucial to achieving optimal electroacupuncture treatment results. The main clinical manifestations of peripheral neuropathy include tingling, numbness, nerve pain, and more. Some patients primarily experience more tingling than numbness, while others primarily experience more numbness than tingling, and some may experience tingling and numbness equally. Patients may also have additional sensations such as burning or cold sensations. This lecture focuses on how to choose the correct electroacupuncture wave pattern and frequency based on the different clinical symptoms of peripheral neuropathy patients, taking into account the characteristics of electroacupuncture treatment. Additionally, the lecture covers the selection of acupuncture points for treating peripheral neuropathy and treatment precautions.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM     LUNCH and EXHIBITOR HOUR

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM 

Anti-Inflammatory Acupuncture (AIA): The Neural Basis and Clinical Applications

Guan-Yuan Jin, MD (China), Lic Ac,  Dipl. Ac. & CH (NCCAOM)
(Sponsored by LhasaOMS)

In this course, we will be introducing the concept, notion, and basic techniques of Anti-Inflammatory Acupuncture (AIA), which aims to enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture; while clarifying the neural mechanisms of AIA based on its micro-trauma and/or inflammatory reflex arcs; as well as exploring its significance in treating common inflammatory diseases, no matter acute or chronic, and demonstrating a series of techniques of AIA, including selections of acupoint,  stimulation means and parameters that can be simply and effectively applied in the clinic.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM 

Brain-based Mechanisms Supporting Patient/Acupuncturist Therapeutic Alliance: A Step Toward Reducing Clinician Burnout

Vitaly Napadow, PhD, LAc

The patient-acupuncturist interaction can powerfully shape treatment outcomes such as pain but is often considered an intangible “art of medicine” and has largely eluded scientific inquiry. Although brain correlates of social processes such as empathy and theory of mind have been studied using single-subject designs, specific behavioral and neural mechanisms underpinning the patient-clinician interaction are unknown. Using a two-person interactive design, we have constructed both a fMRI and EEG setup to simultaneously record hyperscan neuroimaging data from patient-clinician dyads, who interacted via live video (for fMRI) or face to face (for EEG), while clinicians treated evoked pain in patients with chronic pain. Our recently published fMRI results (Ellingsen et al., 2020, 2021) showed that patient analgesia was mediated by patient-clinician nonverbal behavioral mirroring and brain-to-brain concordance in circuitry implicated in theory of mind and social mirroring. Dyad-based analyses showed extensive dynamic coupling of these brain nodes with the partners’ brain activity, yet only in dyads with pre-established clinical rapport. These findings introduce a putatively key brain-behavioral mechanism for therapeutic alliance and psychosocial analgesia. Improving patient/clinician communication can help reduce the risk of burnout for acupuncture providers.

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM     EXHIBITOR BREAK

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Advanced Dry Needling, A New ASA Initiative

Mona Yuan, L.Ac., DiplOM (NCCAOM), P.T.

Dry needling is trigger point acupuncture, full stop, so what’s Advanced Dry Needling? 

In this presentation we will review the dry needling issue in the US and explain a new path forward.  As acupuncturists, we should be perceived as experts in needle therapy including dry needling.  For us to achieve this recognition additional training is required to build on our traditional methods that incorporate contemporary anatomical approaches.  We will discuss this new ASA initiative that helps define acupuncturists as the clear choice when it comes to needle care.

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM 

Listening and Receptivity in Clinic

Michael Max, LAc, Dipl Ac (NCCAOM)
(Sponsored by Jane)

In this presentation we’ll discuss the active components that go into the practice of receptive listening. We’ll touch on the importance of using empathy, wu wei— the doing of not-doing, and how often enough the people we feel like we understand, might be hardest to actually listen to.

More than anything, our attention, the ability to focus and the capacity to attend to our attending, is a key practice in helping us listen so that we might be helpful to our patients. In this hour long presentation, we’ll discuss some practices that you can investigate for yourself the next time you’re in clinic.

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM     EXHIBITOR HOUR

Sunday, April 7, 2024

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM 

Updates from the American Society of Acupuncturists

Olivia Hsu Friedman, DACM, LicAc

The leadership and the member associations of the ASA work to promote acupuncture legislation and access in the United States. We will provide a brief update on the activities.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM 

Pediatric and Adolescent Long-Covid: Key Concepts, Clinical Experience, and Patterns and Formulas to Consider

David W. Miller, MD, LAc

This presentation will review the clinical features of long-Covid in young people, and highlight the experiences and lessons learned in clinical practice thus far. We will review core theories of pathology, some of the most common complaints, and discuss a number of strategies for care including herbal formulas to consider.

Dr. Miller has been working collaboratively with Dr. Amy Edwards of Infectious Disease and others at UH Rainbow, together treating a growing population of more than 250 young people suffering from Long-Covid. The Rainbow Pediatric Long-Covid Recovery Clinic opened in 2021, and serves individuals in Ohio and beyond. It is one of only a handful of such clinics in the U.S. Dr. Miller directs the inclusion of integrative medicine techniques into the care plans for patients. The clinic is working to continually determine the most effective, most natural supports for all patients, and treats with a Biopsychosocial, Whole Health, philosophy.

Long-Covid is already at epidemic proportions, but is vastly underrecognized and goes predominantly untreated. There is high morbidity for many, with all aspects of life disrupted during a critical, developmental timeframe. Further, patients experience high levels of dismissal from care, medical gaslighting, substandard treatment, and other barriers to recovery.

Wildlife Protection: Chinese Medicine Should Act Proactively

Yemeng Chen, Ph.D., L.Ac. & Lixing Lao, Ph.D., L.Ac. Dipl OM (NCCAOM)

The presentation will introduce background on wildlife protection, including regulation by CITES and laws in China and the US, particularly as it relates to endangered animal species and their use as medicinal materials. Numerous media reports have shown that illegal trafficking is rampant for endangered animal species, especially pangolins, and Chinese medicine has been blamed and stigmatized. In actuality, animal species are not strongly recommended in real practice ever since famous practitioner Sun Simiao (581 – 682) in the Tang dynasty spoke against such use, and after much research on substitutions of animal species has been conducted. As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, we should declare we will not use any endangered wildlife (animal) products in Chinese medicine practice. In October 2022, the first conference of Wildlife Protection in Chinese Medicine was successfully held in San Francisco.

The second conference of Wildlife Protection in Chinese Medicine will be held on April 14, 2024  in New York, sponsored by New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Virginia University of Integrative Medicine. The conference aims to provide case studies and experiences in the Chinese Medical Practice that were successful without use of endangered wildlife products, presented by worldwide experts.

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM     EXHIBITOR BREAK

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Integrating Herbal Medicine into Oncology Care Delivery

Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, RPh, LAc, DiplOM (NCCAOM)
(Sponsored by Crane Herb Company)

This course explores the integration of herbal medicine into oncology settings, focusing on the feasibility and impact of the Herbal Oncology Program (HOP). Attendees will gain insights into patient-provider communication, shared decision-making, and the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbs to address cancer-related symptoms. The course will also emphasize the importance of evidence-based practice in herbal medicine and potential areas for future clinical research.

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM     LUNCH and EXHIBITOR HOUR

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM 

The New ICD-11 Traditional Medicine Codes and Supporting Documentation 

Marilyn Allen
(Sponsored by AAC) 

This session will provide an introduction to the new World Health Organization ICD-11 Traditional Medicine codes.  Learn the importance of ICD-11 Traditional Medicine codes, as well as how to navigate the Traditional Medicine classification and find the disorder and pattern codes.  Learn to create a Traditional Medicine diagnosis code along with Western Medicine code for Traditional Medicine diagnostic pattern.

Learning the process of creating an Illness Script as the first part of the documentation.  Following an outline that can be used in charting/documenting the entire patient encounter.

The Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Coalition 

Mina Larson, M.S., MBA, CAE, Chief Executive Officer NCCAOM
Mark McKenzie, Ph.D (China), MSOM, L.Ac – Executive Director ACAHM
Sharon Jennings Rojas, DOM, MAc, LAc, RT (NADA), Board Member at Large CCAHM
Olivia Hsu Friedman, DACM, LAc, Dipl.OM, Chair ASA

The AHM Coalition is a collaboration of the four major national acupuncture organizations to advance professional standards of acupuncture and herbal medicine through education, advocacy, and research. It is comprised of Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (CCAHM), National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) and the American Society of Acupuncture (ASA). This session will provide why this coalition began, what the mission/vision/goals are, and what the focus will be for the immediate future and five years from now.

As we wrap up our ASA 2023 Conference, we will recap the issues that affect our profession, and look at the steps that we can all take to help build our profession.

3:30 – 4:00 PM     EXHIBITOR BREAK

4:00 – 6:00 PM

Professional Advocacy

Jennifer Broadwell, AP, Dipl OM (NCCAOM), ASA Advocacy Committee Chair
& Nell Smircina, DAOM, LicAc, Dipl OM (NCCAOM), ASA Vice Chair of Public Policy

Join us to learn specific tools and actions for effective professional advocacy that will influence state and federal policies to secure our professional future, and ensure patient access to the comprehensive care provided by licensed acupuncturists.

Attendees will understand the importance and impact of professional advocacy for their patients, their practice and the profession. We will discuss and develop the necessary skills to become an effective advocate with interactive sessions.

Mazin Al-Khafaji, Doctor of Chinese Medicine (Shanghai, China); FRCHM graduated as Doctor of Chinese Medicine from the Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1987. For the past 36 years he has been in full time practice entirely devoted to three main areas – autoimmune disease, allergic disease, and skin disease. He lectures widely all over the world on these subjects and over the past 20 years has run the Dermatology Diploma Programme in both Europe & North America (www.mazin-al-khafaji.com other lectures are also available online), all graduates of this program automatically becoming members of the International TCM Dermatology Association (www.tcmdermatology.org).

He has developed the unique Dermatology-M range of topical products and herbal functional cosmetics from Chinese herbal ingredients to address many common skin disorders (www.dermatology-m.com & www.kamwoherbs.com). He is the author of numerous articles and co-author of the international textbook A Manual of Acupuncture.

Marilyn Allen served as the liaison to the World Health Organization for the International Classification of Traditional Medicine Committee and was a U.S. delegate to the International Standards Organization’s technical advisory group. She currently serves as part of the Allied Professional Insurance Company Board of Directors.  As a founding member of the Consortium for Oriental Medicine Research and Education (COMRE), Ms. Allen has been committed to Traditional Medicine for over 35 years. She currently teaches career development, practice management, and laws and ethics at acupuncture schools. She is a registered lobbyist in the state of Arizona and involved in legislative advocacy for traditional medicine. She is serving on the traditional medicine reference group for Acupuncture. 

Working with the International Standards Organization allowed her to help create standards for herbs, herbal formulas, and needle manufacturing, as well as update terminology. Her mission is to advance the traditional medicine classification for acupuncture globally, so that global citizens may have choices in their healthcare.

Jennifer Broadwell, MSOM, AP, Dipl OM (NCCAOM) is the Advocacy Chair of the ASA and a member of the ASA NCCAOM Medicare Task Force. She served on the Florida State Oriental Medicine Association Board of Directors as vice president, secretary, and board director from 2012 to 2022. She has her Master’s from the Acupuncture and Massage College. Jennifer is currently the acupuncturist at the Integrative Health Department of the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute

Yemeng Chen, Ph.D. (China), Dipl. OM (NCCAOM), L.Ac., FICAE, is President of New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Dr. Chen is now also President of National Federation of Chinese TCM Organizations (NFCTCMO), Vice Chair of World Traditional Medicine Forum, and an Executive Member of the Presidium of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS). Dr. Chen served as Chair of the Accreditation Commission of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), Vice-Chair of New York State Acupuncture Board, and Editor-in-Chief of American Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Chen graduated from the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1985. After his graduation, he worked as an instructor in the former Shanghai Medical University — now known as Fudan University — and practiced as a physician in the affiliated Huashan Hospital, becoming the Director of the Acupuncture Department in 1989. He completed his Ph.D. in Traditional Chinese Medicine at Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2012.

Olivia Hsu Friedman  DACM, LAc., Dipl. OM (NCCAOM) is the Chair of the American Society of Acupuncturists. Before serving on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Acupuncturists, she was one of two ASA Illinois delegates and served on the Illinois Society of Acupuncturists as Vice President.  She earned a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, a diploma in Traditional Chinese Medicine Dermatology from Avicenna UK, and an MSOM from National University of Health Sciences. 

Dr. Friedman serves on the Advisory Board of LearnSkin, the faculty of the Chicago Integrative Eczema Support Group sponsored by the National Eczema Association and the NUHS Presidential Alumni Advisory Board. She is the owner of Amethyst Holistic Skin Solutions and practices TCM Dermatology utilizing only herbal medicine in Chicago, Illinois.

Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, RPh, LAc, DiplOM (NCCAOM) is a pharmacist, traditional Chinese medicine herbalist, and coordinator of the herb information center at the Integrative Medicine Service,Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from The State University of New York (SUNY), School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and completed a Postgraduate Year 1 community pharmacy residency, both in Buffalo, New York. He received Master of Science degree from the New York College of Chinese Medicine, and a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, board-certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Jason is a registered pharmacist and licensed acupuncturist in New York State. His expertise is in the use of dietary supplements and botanical products.  Because many cancer patients use herbal supplements, there is an urgent need for reliable information on herb-drug interactions. Jason applies his experience in the areas of pharmacy and botanicals to consult and to educate patients and other healthcare professionals about the proper use of herbs and supplements.

Sharon Jennings-Rojas, DOM, is a Board Member of the Council of  Colleges of Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine (CCAHM). She is the Department Chair for the Acupuncture & Heral Medicine Department at the Maryland University of Integrative Medicine. Her 34 year career includes a strong emphasis in administration, education, community outreach, and healthcare advocacy. She served as an acupuncturist for the Howard County Health Department from 2005-2012, and has been a resident doctor of acupuncture and herbal medicine for the Howard County Detention Center. She has been a NADA member for over 30 years, and has served on NADA Executive Board, and was appointed to serve on the Maryland State Board of Acupuncture.  

Guan-Yuan Jin, MD (China), L.Ac, DiplAc & CH (NCCAOM), is an Expert in Medical Acupuncture, as a former Neurophysiologist, Cardiologist, Chronobiologist, and a Pioneer of System Medicine. He is the Director of International Institute of Systems Medicine, USA, and serves as Professor of DAOM Programs at the Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine and the former American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He is also an Honorary Professor of Guangzhou University of CM and Special Clinical Expert of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China.

Prof. Jin is recognized as one of world’s leading experts in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Qigong/Tai-Chi therapies. He has been practicing acupuncture and TCM for over 58 years while treating over 200,000 patients (Including many world-class sports athletes) with excellent results. He has established “Systems Medical Acupuncture/Acu-reflex Point Acupuncture” and completed the reflexive reconstruction of meridian system. He has authored /co-authored 27 medical books including “Principles of Systems Medicine” ( World Book Press, PRC, 2019) and “Contemporary Medical Acupuncture  A Systems Approach (Springer-Verlag Publishers & Higher Education Press, PRC, 2007), which is praised as “filling a huge gap in the development and scientification of clinical acupuncture” and “ranking first in the world in terms of the depth and breadth of acupuncture medicine” In the last decade, Prof. Jin and his colleagues once again contribute to the development of medical acupuncture. Their two articles “Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Acupuncture and its Significance in Analgesia (WJAM, 2019) and “Advantages of Anti-Inflammatory Acupuncture in Treating Sepsis of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia” ( World J Tradit Chin Med, 2020) have attracted high praises from peers in the field of Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

Helene M. Langevin, M.D., is director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As NCCIH director, Dr. Langevin oversees the U.S. Federal government’s lead agency for research on the fundamental science, usefulness, and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and health care.

Prior to coming to NIH in 2018, Dr. Langevin was the Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, jointly based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and professor-in-residence of medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2012 to She also previously served as professor of neurological sciences at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.

Over her career, Dr. Langevin’s research interests have centered around the role of connective tissue in chronic musculoskeletal pain and the mechanisms of acupuncture, manual, and movement-based therapies. Her more recent work has focused on the effects of stretching on inflammation resolution mechanisms within connective tissue. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Langevin received an M.D. degree from McGill University, Montreal. She completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in neurochemistry at the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit in Cambridge, England, and a residency in internal medicine and fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Lixing Lao, Ph.D., L.Ac is a professor and President of the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM), Tysons, Virginia, USA. Trained in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and obtained his Ph.D. in physiology at the University of Maryland Baltimore, Dr. Lao has practiced acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines for over 30 years. He has been also a principal investigator or co-investigator of over 20 clinical trials and pre-clinical studies in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funding agencies. Dr. Lao published over 300 scientific papers and 20 book chapters.

Dr. Lao has been a long-term advocator of wildlife protection in TCM since 1998 when he gave a testimony on a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Resources which led to the pass of the Act: “Use of Endangered Species in Chinese Medicines for the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act”. In 1999, he presented at the conference entitled “Traditional Chinese Medicine and Wildlife Conservation Health planet, health people”, in Beijing, China.

Mina Larson, M.S., MBA, CAE has utilized her association management and leadership experience to serve the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) for the past 20 years, moving up to the Chief Executive Officer position in July 2019. Mina helped create the public relations and marketing department and launched a media campaign that brought national recognition to NCCAOM and its Diplomates. She also led the Advocacy team that has helped bring federal recognition to NCCAOM National Board-Certified Acupuncturist™.

Mina has devoted many hours overseeing NCCAOM’s Regulatory Affairs Department, partnering with states to adhere to NCCAOM standards for the safe and ethical practice of acupuncture and herbal medicine resulting in 46 states plus the D.C. to require NCCAOM certification or exams as a prerequisite for state licensure. Under Mina’s leadership, the NCCAOM won the coveted ASAE Gold Circle Award in 2021 for their COVID-19 NCCAOM Diplomate Recognition and Awareness.

Michael Max, LAc, I began my study of acupuncture because it helped me and I got curious about. It seemed strange, and over the years I’ve practiced, it has not lost any of it strangeness. It is a curious medicine, and in part because it invites the practitioner into a receptive state of inquiry. “How we are” in clinic is every bit as important as the “what we do.”

I graduated from the Seattle Institution of Oriental Medicine in 1998, and after a few years of practice moved to Taiwan to see if I could learn enough Chinese to study our medicine in Chinese. I actually thought doing so would help me to better explain acupuncture to Westerners. I was wrong. But the Chinese has been helpful in other ways.

I’ve had the good fortune over the past seven years to sit with people who accepted an invitation to join me on Qiological for a conversation about medicine and practice. They’ve taught me something about listening.

Mark S. McKenzie, PhD, MsOM, LAc, is currently the Executive Director of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine after serving as Dean at the College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Northwestern Health Sciences University for over 10 years. 

Dr. McKenzie earned his PhD in TCM from Tianjin University TCM, in 2015, his Master of Oriental Medicine from the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 2002. He also completed the Summer Institute for Educational Management at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is currently co-chair of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health (ACIH) Council of the Academy for Integrative Health (AIHM) and has previously served in various positions on the boards of the ACAHM, AAAOM, and CCAHM.

David W. Miller, MD, LAc is the founding Medical Director for Pediatric Integrative Medicine with the University Hospitals Connor Integrative Health Network and Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.  He is one of the only physicians dually board certified in Pediatrics (American Board of Pediatrics) and Chinese medicine (NCCAOM – National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine).  Prior to joining the UH Connor network, Dr. Miller was in private practice with East-West Integrated Medicine, LLC in Chicago, Illinois for 15 years, and saw patients of all ages for holistic and integrative care.  He was also the founding Chair of the American Society of Acupuncturists and is the past chair of the NCCAOM Biomedicine Exam Development Committee.  

Vitaly Napadow, PhD, LAc is a Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Scott Schoen and Nancy Adams Discovery Center for Recovery from Chronic Pain at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and the Center for Integrative Pain Neuroimaging (CiPNI) at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital. Somatosensory, cognitive, and affective factors all influence the malleable experience of chronic pain, and Dr. Napadow’s Lab has applied human functional and structural neuroimaging to localize and suggest mechanisms by which different brain circuitries modulate pain perception. Dr. Napadow’s neuroimaging research also aims to better understand how non-pharmacological therapies, from acupuncture and transcutaneous neuromodulation to cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness meditation training, ameliorate aversive perceptual states such as pain. Dr. Napadow has more than 230 publications in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, is past-President of the Society for Acupuncture Research, and serves on the board of the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) and numerous conference, journal, and NIH review panels.

Nell Smircina, DAOM, L.Ac., Dipl. OM (NCCAOM) is the ASA Vice Chair of Public Policy and the Immediate Past Chair of CSOMA. She has served on both the Advocacy Committee and Medicare Taskforce for the ASA. She has worked to support the profession through many strategic initiatives, including work to further develop the implementation of ICD11 codes, established by WHO, which include Traditional Medicine diagnostics.

Clinically, Dr. Smircina specializes in acupuncture for optimal post-surgical recovery. She has been featured as an SME on Good Day LA and Good Morning Arizona; and her work has appeared in Thrive Global, Authority Magazine, and Acupuncture Today. She is a passionate international speaker on the topics of the integration of medicine and the constantly evolving healthcare industry.

David Dehui Wang, PhD, LAc, Dip Ac, CH, ABT (NCCAOM) has over 38 years of clinical experience, including 10 years working as a physician in China. He was a senior attending physician at the Guang An Men hospital in Beijing before moving to the United States in 1995. From 1995 to 2000, he was the Academic Dean and Clinic Director of the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in Santa Fe, NM. He also served as the Dean of Oriental Medicine at the American Institute of Alternative Medicine in Columbus, OH, from 2001 to 2005, where he designed and established the first professional master’s acupuncture program in Ohio. Since 2005, He is the founding acupuncturist at the Ohio State University Center for Integrative Health. He was a Senior Expert of the first expert committee of China-US Institute for Acupuncture and Rehabilitation at Wenzhou Medical University in China and the co-founder and past president of the Ohio Acupuncture Association.

Dr. Wang was honored in 2004 by the Ohio House of Representatives and Columbus City Council for his outstanding contributions to the field of alternative medicine. He received an Excellence rating in the Patient Health Education Interdisciplinary Team Award from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in 2008. He received a Certificate of Congressional Recognition in 2019 for his outstanding achievements in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine and his efforts to improve lives through the benefits of integrative medicine. He is a vice president of various acupuncture and Chinese medicine professional organizations. He is an advisor at the Acupuncture Advisory Council of the Ohio State Medical Board. 

Mona Yuan, LAc, PT, Dipl OM (NCCAOM) is dually licensed Acupuncturist with Herbal Medicine and a Physical Therapist. She graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Physical Therapy in 1983 and has been a physical therapist with a specialty in Pediatrics.  From positive personal experience with acupuncture treatments after a 2003 car accident, she decided to go back to school to study acupuncture as she felt this would fill the gap in the bridge for healing her patients.  She graduated from the New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NYCTCM) with a Master’s in Acupuncture and then returned to NYCTCM to complete her studies in Oriental Medicine with a Master’s in Herbology.  In 2006, she established Mind, Body, Spirit Acupuncture & Holistic Health, LLC in Oceanside NY and has since been in practice with her husband Runkel Yuan who is also a licensed Acupuncturist.  Mona’s specialties at Mind, Body, Spirit Acupuncture & Holistic Health includes but are not limited to women’s health, infertility and internal diseases.  Mona utilizes her knowledge of Acupuncture, Chinese Herbology, and Eastern Nutrition to help her patients return to a healthy state.  Her knowledge of Western Medicine with understanding biomechanics of the human body and western diseases also gives her patients the best of both worlds.  In 2014, Mona was asked to join the staff as a faculty member at the New York College Of Traditional Chinese Medicine where she is currently a Professor, the Clinical Director as well as a Clinical Supervisor for Interning students.  She is also on the Board of Directors of ASNY.