Speakers Bios

February 26-28, 2010

Southwest Symposium 2010 Speakers

Southwest Symposium 2010 Speaker Biographies

Marilyn Allen is a practice management consultant for the acupuncture profession. Her expertise includes office management, marketing, professional ethics and jurisprudence. With a MS in Management and Administration from Pepperdine University, she has honed her skills in several large complementary medical clinics. Marilyn is a consultant to the California State Board of Acupuncture for questions regarding health insurance coverage and malpractice insurance. Ms. Allen is also the editor of Acupuncture Today. Marilyn Allen will be speaking on the Ethical Practice of Acupuncture.

Steven KH Aung, MD, OMD, PhD, FAAFP, CM, is a geriatric and family physician and a traditional Chinese medical (TCM) practitioner and teacher. He integrates Eastern, Western and natural medicine in his medical clinic in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Aung is an associate clinical professor in the Departments of Medicine and Family Medicine and adjunct professor in the Faculty of Extension and the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, at the University of Alberta. Dr. Aung founded the Certificate Program in Medical Acupuncture at the University of Alberta in 1991, and he is the program’s chief instructor, examiner and curriculum consultant. He is a medical acupuncture consultant for the University of Alberta Hospitals, the Cross Cancer Institute the Caritas Health Group, the Glen Sather University of Alberta Sports Medicine Centre, and the Edmonton Oilers hockey team. Dr. Aung is the author of several articles and books on TCM as well as Chinese calligraphy and painting. Steven Aung will be speaking on Saturday on Clinical Use of Acupuncture with Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation.

Eric Brand, L.Ac., is a graduate of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. As a long-term resident of Taiwan, Eric completed a clinical internship in the Department of Chinese Medicine at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei in the departments of gynecology, pediatrics, and internal medicine. Eric pursued his interest in Chinese herbal pharmacy through an extended apprenticeship with a lineage-trained pharmacist and through travel and research of herbal quality discernment in mainland China. He is the co-author of the Concise Chinese Materia Medica, and has edited a variety of modern and classical texts, including Case Histories from the Personal Experience of Jiao Shu-De, Pathomechanisms of Heart Disease, Pathomechanisms of Liver Disease, A Heart Approach to Gynecology (Yi Zong Jing Jian), and Pathomechanisms of Spleen Disease. Eric is the President of Legendary Herbs. Eric Brand will be speaking on Friday on Powders to Clinical Pearls - Global Trends in Granule Use.

Joe C. Chang, L.Ac., is a second-generation acupuncturist currently working at the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center. This pilot program provides an integrated approach in the treatment of post-deployment soldiers who are diagnosed with PTSD. Joe is the first acupuncturist in the U.S. to be selected for this pilot program. Previously, he worked as an acupuncturist at the integrative PTSD program at William Beaumont Army Medical Center. He has co-authored for Occupational Therapy International and Medical Acupuncture and he was an invited speaker for American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s International Conference. Joe is currently a member of the Medical Acupuncture Society for Military Physicians. Joe Chang will be speaking in an all day workshop on Friday on Military Acupuncture - Healing Soldiers.

Misha Cohen, L.Ac., OMD, is recognized internationally as a practitioner, lecturer, researcher and leader in the field of TCM, and has been a practitioner for more than 34 years. She is the author of “The Chinese Way to Healing: Many Paths to Wholeness “, “The HIV Wellness Sourcebook” and “The Hepatitis C Help Book”. Dr. Cohen is Clinical Director of the Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine clinic, Research and Education Chair of Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, Research Specialist at the UCSF Institute for Health and Aging, and Research Consultant to the UCSF School of Medicine Cancer Research Institute. Dr. Cohen is a principal investigator in herbal studies for viral-related cancers and cancer prevention in HPV, HIV and hepatitis C. Misha Cohen will be speaking on Saturday on Herbal Research and Practice in the Prevention of HPV-Related Cancers.

To find our more about Misha visit her websites: www.docmisha.com or www.tcmeducation.org.

Lisa Conboy, MA, MS, ScD, is a social epidemiologist and a sociologist with an interest in the associations between social factors and health. She is published in the areas of Women's Health, Mind-Body Medicine, and qualitative research methodology. Lisa is co-investigator on three NIH funded grants at the Osher Research center. She is also the research director and part-time faculty at the New England School of Acupuncture where she teaches research methodology. She is also a founding member the Kripalu research collaborative which examines the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of yoga, meditation, Ayurveda and other holistic and mind-body therapies. Lisa Conboy will be speaking in an all day workshop on Friday on Military Acupuncture - Healing Soldiers.

Diane K Cridennda, LAc, DOM (New Mexico), ABORM is owner of East Winds Acupuncture in Colorado. She has published over 6 articles on the integration of acupuncture with IVF patient care and has a large collection of research data on the role of acupuncture and its impact on IVF outcomes. Her most recent work explaining the role of cortisol and Prolactin as a mechanism explaining acupuncture’s positive role in reproduction was recently accepted by Fertility and Sterility for publication. Diane Cridennda will be speaking at Saturday's lunch presentation on What Physicians and Acupuncturists Need From Each Other.

Rip Esselstyn is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Engine 2 Diet. Professional athlete-turned-firefighter Rip is used to responding to emergencies. So, when he learned that some of his fellow Engine 2 firefighters in Austin, TX, were in dire physical condition-several had dangerously high cholesterol levels, he sprang into action and created a life-saving plan for the firehouse. By following Rip’s program, everyone lost weight (some more than 20 lbs.), lowered their cholesterol and improved their overall health. The diet was modeled after the research of his father, Dr. Carl Esselstyn Jr., an endocrine surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic who put his patients on a low-fat, whole-grain vegetarian diet to reverse their heart disease. Rip has been featured on several programs such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, and NPR. Rip Esselstyn will be speaking at Friday's lunch presentation Cholesterol Lowering Plant-Strong Foods.

Pamela Ellen Ferguson, Dipl. ABT, CI- AOBTA ®, GSD (Germany), LMT, is an award winning international instructor of Asian Bodywork Therapy. Pam primarily teaches continuing education at schools of Shiatsu in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, including branches of the European Shiatsu Institute, Shiatsu Zentrum Edith Storch Berlin, and Flying Ki Shiatsu School Zurich. She has authored ten books, including The Self Shiatsu Handbook.and TAKE FIVE – the five elements guide to health and harmony. Together with Debra Duncan Persinger PhD, Pam co-authored, co-edited a teacher's anthology titled SAND TO SKY - Conversations with Teachers of Asian Medicine © 2008. Pam's latest work is a children's book titled Sunshine Picklelime to be published in June 2010. Pam served as AOMA's Dean of ABT from 1996-2004, and was Director of the Council of Schools and Programs on the national board of the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia from 2002-2005. Pamela Ferguson will be speaking on Friday about Integrative Palliative Care.

Yuxin He, L.Ac., PhD, MD (China), has taught at five of China’s top medical schools and has authored eight books and numerous research papers on Chinese medicine. He was one of two post-doctorate researchers in the field of TCM in China prior to 1995 in a program designed to develop excellent high-level young scientists and academic leaders in the profession. Dr. He served as the vice chairman of the Special Needling Technique Committee of the National Folk Therapy Association and as a committee member of the Editing Committee of the International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture and the NCCAOM. He is an acupuncture and herbal specialist with more than eighteen years of experience in practice and teaching acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Dr. He specializes in pain management, emotional stress, immune disorders, chronic fatigue, dermatology, and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. He is the Dean of Academics at AOMA and has been an instructor since 1996. Yuxin He will be speaking on Friday on Wei Qi/Immunology of Reproduction.

Meredith St. John, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist specializing in the treatment of oncology patients for symptoms and side effects of medications. Meredith also treats veterans and their families to reduce post-combat stress. Her work includes the treatment of symptoms of stress such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, musculoskeletal pain conditions, women’s health, chronic gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders. Meredith St. John will be speaking in an all day workshop on Friday on Military Acupuncture - Healing Soldiers.

Daniel L. Kirsch, PhD, FAIS, Dr. Kirsch has over three decades of experience in the electromedical field, including extensive clinical practice experience. Throughout his career Dr. Kirsch has designed medical instrumentation and their applications and developed clinical systems for implementing pain and stress control technologies. Dr. Kirsch has been on the faculty of several medical specialty boards annual relicensing conferences including the American Academy of Pain Management, American Academy of Orthopedic Medicine, Inter-Pain, American Institute of Stress, International Society for Neuronal Regulation, American Association for Sensory Medicine, American Society for Pain Management Nursing, and American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He is an expert research consultant at the Houston VAMC, Brooke Army Medical Center and the US Army Institute for Surgical Research. He has made presentations at many military and other programs such as the William Beaumont Army Medical Center, American Veterinary Medical Association annual meeting, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and the Nanjing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. One of the most recent books by Dr. Kirsch is The Science Behind Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation. Daniel Kirsch will be speaking on Saturday on Pain Management, Related Mood Disorders, Insomnia - Integration of TCM & Electromedicine.

Warren Kramer is an internationally recognized macrobiotic counselor, lecturer, and cooking teacher. He is a faculty member of the Kushi Institute, the Strengthening Health Institute, and a member of the Macrobiotic Educators Association (M.E.A.). Warren teaches the macrobiotic approach to health, including principles of food selection and preparation, exercise, work, and personal relationships. Not only has Warren lectured in such places as the United Nations Macrobiotic Society and Whole Foods Markets, but also in many community venues such as hospitals, churches, and temples. He has a counseling practice in Boston, Massachusetts, where he assisted Michio Kushi for 10 years. Warren Kramer will be holding an all day workshop on Friday titled Five Element Theory for Balancing Nutrition and Wellness.

Junfeng Li is the former Head Coach of the world renowned Beijing Wushu (martial arts) Team and National Wushu Team of the PRC, an instructor at AOMA, and head and principal teacher of the International Sheng Zhen Society. Master Li serves as advisor to the World Academic Society of Medical Qigong and Qigong Science Research Association of China. Master Li will be teaching all day Saturday on Healing Qigong: Cultivating Health & Wholeness - Part I and all day Sunday on Healing Qigong: Cultivating Health & Wholeness - Part II.

Tian Li, MD (China), is a professor at the Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Li specializes in treating such diseases as allergic rhinitis, rhinitis, nasosinusitis, vocal polyps, vocal nodules, tinnitus and deafness. She is the lead researcher on several scientific research projects including acting mechanism of tonifying Qi and strengthening defensive Qi in allergic rhinitis; and clinic and acting mechanism of Li Ke Min nasal spray in allergic rhinitis; and multi-center clinical research of treating the onset period of perennial allergic rhinitis caused by phlegm retention. Li is the author or two books, Herbs Administration on the Basis of Inspection, Smelling & Hearing, Inquiry and Palpation and Otorhinolaryngology on Integration of TCM and Western Medicine. Tian Li will be speaking on Saturday on TCM Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis.

Paul C Magarelli, MD, PhD, FACOG, is owner of Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Centers in Colorado and New Mexico and owner of Corona Institute for Reproductive Medicine & Fertility in California. He is advisor to the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine and he, along with Diane Cridennda, LAc, has published extensively on the topic of integrating Acupuncture with IVF practice. They recently published a landmark chapter
in the textbook, Infertility and Reproductive Medicine, Cambridge University Press October 2008. Paul Magarelli will be speaking on Friday on Wei Qi/Immunology of Reproduction and at Saturday's lunch presentation on What Physicians and Acupuncturists Need From Each Other.

Lynne M. Morgan, RN, L.Ac., currently works at the Veterans Health Administration in Salt Lake City treating veterans with acupuncture at an outpatient clinic. At the hospital, she is an integral part of the integrative health team focusing on the treatment of chronic pain, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, anxiety, and depression. Patients include veterans of WWII to the current Iraq and Afghanistan wars. After graduating from the Institute of Chinese Medicine and Southwest Acupuncture College in 2004, Lynne had a successful private practice in Salt Lake City. She received her bachelors degree in nursing from Ohio State University and has been working as a nurse in various Western medicine facilities for the past 22 years. Lynne Morgan will be speaking in an all day workshop on Friday on Military Acupuncture - Healing Soldiers.

Laurieanne Nabinger, RN, L.Ac., MAcOM. While working as a nurse for the VA Puget Sound, she approached the administration about providing acupuncture treatment to take healing to a “higher level”, and since November 2008, Laurieanne has been providing acupuncture care to patients dealing with chronic pain issues, PTSD, depression and other symptoms. She continues to practice both western medicine as a registered nurse and eastern medicine as an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist. This fusion of influences creates a rare balance and a unique perspective that helps her patients realize greater balance in their health care. Laurieanne’s acupuncture training includes a Master's degree from the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine (SIOM), as well as 300 hours of continuing education in China in 2001. Laurieanne Nabinger will be speaking in an all day workshop on Friday on Military Acupuncture - Healing Soldiers.

Shaobin Wei, MD (China), is a professor at the Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Wei is an academic leader in the use of traditional Chinese medicine for gynecological research and pelvic pain. She is also the vice chairman of the Gynecology Committee of the World Federation of TCM. Shaobin Wei will be speaking on Sunday on TCM Treatment of Gynecological Conditions.

Young Wei-Chieh, PhD., L.Ac., is a certified Chinese Medical Doctor in Taiwan, and a NCCA-certified acupuncturist and herbalist in the United States. He began learning TCM, orthopedics, traumatology, and acupuncture from a young age. In 1965, he began to study with Master Tung Ching-Chang as a direct-line disciple, and after four years of apprenticeship, he became Master Tung's clinic assistant and taught Tung’s Acupuncture. Dr. Young developed a powerful needling technique named "Chien-Yin (Pulling & Guiding) Needling Technique,” as well as a theory to explain Master Tung’s Acupuncture, "Zhang-Fu Bei Tong (Organ Divergent Communications) theory.” Dr. Young published "Zhen Jiao Jing Wei" (The Longitude and Latitude of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), the first book documenting Master Tung's points with expanded theories and clinical experiences. Master Tung highly commended the work. Young Wei-Chieh will be speaking all day Saturday on Advanced Tungs Points - Part I and all day Sunday on Advanced Tungs Points - Part II.

Dan Wen, MD (China), has over 20 years of experience in clinical and laboratory research. He was a faculty member at Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in gastroenterology research and completed a 3 year research fellowship in gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN. His research at the Gastroenterology Division at Washington University School of Medicine on absorption of vitamin B12 has been supported by a research grant from NIH. Currently he is the President of Honso USA Inc. and involved in clinical research on treating hepatitis C (HCV) with Chinese herbal medicine. The clinical research program directed by Dan involves major US universities and hospitals in clinical trials with FDA approved IND. Dan Wen will be speaking on Sunday on Chronic Liver Diseases and Chinese Herbal Medicine.

Qianzhi (Jamie) Wu, L.Ac., MD (China), MS, studied acupuncture from a veteran barefoot doctor, starting his practice of traditional Chinese medicine in 1977 and later enrolling in TCM schools for seven years. Wu is a past commissioner of the NCCAOM and served as the chairman of NCCAOM’s Chinese Herbology Examination Development Committee and the chairman of the Asian Bodywork Examination Development Committee. Wu has published six books (four of them as the primary author). He maintains an active clinical practice at AOMA’s Professional Clinic, specializing in treating internal medical disorders, sports injuries, pediatrics, and pain management. Dr. Wu is the Vice President of Faculty at AOMA and has been an instructor since 1996. Jamie Wu will be speaking on Sunday on Pediatric Tuina.

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