Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine
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Faculty

"The [ESATM] core faculty/department chairs are a shining example of the best in the field."
-- Site Visit Team, the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM).

Department Chairs:

TCM Theory: Dr. Lois Denmark, DACM, L. Ac., Dipl.OM (NCCAOM).
Acupuncture: Dr. Matthew Fellner, DACM, L.Ac.
Biomedicine: Dr. Robert Eisen, DC
Kiiko Style: Christine Kim Henckel, L.Ac.

Academic and Clinic Faculty

Nicole Allegretti, L.Ac.
Nicole Allegretti is a NY and NJ state licensed Acupuncturist, is certified by the national licensing body for Acupuncture, the National Certification commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) to practice Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, certified in Clean Needle Technique, CPR certified and specializes in sports medicine acupuncture (registered trademark) and dry needling/pain management (certified in Sports Medicine Acupuncture by Acusport/Matt Callison), emotional health and women's health (fertility, prenatal, postpartum, Doula DONA trained). She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC and completed a year of law school at St. Johns University before her studies at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, NYC and completed her Masters in Acupuncture and her Herbal Certification at Eastern School of Acupuncture, NJ. Nicole practices a combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Japanese style of which is grateful to have learned from the master Kiiko Matsimoto, 5 Element which treats specifically mental emotional disorders and Trigger Point therapy. Nicole is certified Yoga Instructor (certified by Sonic Yoga, NYC), certified in Prenatal Yoga (Integral Yoga, NYC), certified in Yin Yoga (Integral Yoga, NYC) and teaches Yoga at Vastu Health, Warwick. She offers complimentary acupuncture for PTSD to Veterans on Tuesdays in Warwick NY.

David Allen, DACM, L.Ac.
David graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in with his masters in 2007, and again with his doctorate in 2016, having spent many years studying directly under Alex Tiberi, widely considered to be the foremost expert on pediatric acupuncture and herbalism in the Western world. Part of this training included developing painless, needle-free alternatives to acupuncture, and safe, healthy, and tasty herbal formulas for a wide variety of conditions. David travels extensively in Korea and China furthering his studies in pediatrics. David is a faculty member at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, the nation's educational leader in Traditional East Asian Medicine. He also supervises acupuncture students at the Integrative Medicine program at Rady's Children's Hospital of San Diego.

David believes that all children deserve every chance at a healthy and happy life, and has devoted his life to helping them achieve their highest potential. While he specializes in pediatrics, David also treats adults for a wide range of ailments.

John Aguilar, Jr, DAOM, L.Ac.
Dr. Aguilar studied Chinese medicine at six different colleges, including two at the doctorate level, earning his MSTCM and then his DAOM. He has also completed undergraduate studies in psychology and Chinese studies. He is currently a graduate student at the University of Washington, Asian Languages and Literature department, focusing on the Han dynasty medical classics under the expert philologist Professor William Boltz. He has been working with patients for twenty years, offering acupuncture, herbal medicine, and qigong and meditation instruction. He has lectured extensively at Eastern and Western medical universities and is currently on faculty at four Chinese medical schools.

Peter Angelo L.Ac, MS, Dipl. AC. (NCCAOM)
Peter Angelo L.Ac, MS, Dipl. AC. (NCCAOM) Graduate of the Tri State College of Acupuncture (1995) and the Florida School of Massage in (1984), Has served on the faculty at the Eastern School as a professor and clinical supervisor since 2000 and since 2007 as the primary supervisor for Eastern School's clinical externship at the East Orange Veterans Hospital. His interest in Asian Medicine began with the study of Tai Chi Chuan and ChiKung in 1978 where he trained with students of the Grand Master Cheng-Man Ching..He continues to study and teach that art which is at the core of his practice of acupuncture. He then went on to study and practice several body centered therapies in 1984 (massage, acupressure , cranial sacral etc.) and received his Masters in Acupuncture in 1995. His approach to Asian Medicine has also been strongly influenced and enriched by two years of study of Classical Chinese Medicine with Jeffrey Yuen as well as the study of the acupuncture styles of Master Tung, Kiiko Matsumoto and Dr. Richard Tan's Balance Method.

His philosophy of medicine is that our body/mind knows what it needs. Symptoms are the language it uses to communicate how, what and where things have "gone off the rails" or , to put it more politely "we have gotten out of harmony". The practitioner's job is to understand that language and provide the input needed to help bring the person back toward balance and harmony. The body /mind will then itself restore health to the degree possible.

Ken Burgess, (certified teacher)
Ken Burgess has dedicated over three decades to the practice and study of traditional martial arts. He has attained teacher certification in Karate, Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Chi Kung. In 1991, after receiving the precepts, he became a Buddhist and was given the Dharma name, Hoshu (Treasured Practice). After clearly realizing the potential healing powers of these practices, he is now committed to deepening his understanding to help others improve their physical and mental health and fulfill his vow to relieve suffering. He is currently teaching Yang Family Tai Chi under Holly Sweeney-Hillman and is working toward full certification in the 18 Luohan Chi Kung System under Sifu Sergio Arione.

Tarun Chauhan, MD, MBBS (India)
Dr. Chauhan completed his medicinal studies from Osmania Medical College, India in 1996. He worked as a physician in various hospitals for 10 years in India. Finally, he worked in a country side hospital. This provided him the opportunity to manage all kinds of cases. Dr. Chauhan used to work as a Family Practitioner conducting surgeries, reducing and casting bone fractures, delivering babies, and conducting autopsies.

Dr. Chauhan's goal of getting into a medical residency in the US was realized after passing all required exams and becoming ECFMG certified. He has since worked at Elmhurst Hospital, Jackson Heights in cardiac clinical research. He has also worked in Saint Luke's Roosevelt hospital Manhattan in the physiotherapy department.

Dr. Chauhan has been teaching since 2008. He has taught at Dover Business College, Everest, and currently at Lincoln Tech. He has learned and developed skills in teaching and managing over the last nine years. His teaching philosophy includes helping students to understand the subject, so they have to cram study less. He shares his clinical experience and asks clinically oriented questions to foster excitement in his students. Importantly, Dr. Chauhan teaches students techniques to be good students and clinicians. Dr. Chauhan's vast experience and expertise covers areas such as Anatomy & Physiology, EKG, CPR, Pharmacology, clinical procedures, lab works, Medisoft, Computer skills, and Venipuncture. Dr. Chauhan is creative and a fast learner. He learned to stand up on a surfboard in one day! He loves skiing, sailing, and has grown his own rose garden. He is a good swimmer, tennis player, badminton and soccer player, and a former marathon runner. Dr. Chauhan is a recipient of several awards.

Faten (Fate) Daou, DAOM, AP, L.Ac.
Dr. Fate Daou, DAOM, L.Ac. is one of the East Coast's leading acupuncturists and herbalists (FL, NY, NJ). She holds a Doctoral degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine, Florida, specializing in internal medicine and pain relief. She earned a Master's degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York, NY. She is certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Dr. Daou provided supportive care for cancer patients at Mount Sinai Beth Israel's Cancer Medical Center of New York, where she drew on her clinical expertise in acupuncture as a complementary medicine to assist patients with reducing pain, minimizing side effects, and maximizing overall quality of life.

She is the president/owner of DAOU ACUPUNCTURE PC. where she treats hundreds of patients suffering from musculo-skeletal pain, seasonal allergies, fatigue, insomnia, gastrointestinal issues, acne, and depression. Dr. Daou is expert at finding the underlying causes of a disease and treating patients as a whole to regulate and balance disharmonies in accord with the ancient practice of Chinese medicine, which draws on the integrity and cohesion of the human body, mind and spirit.

Dr. Daou joined the faculty at Eastern School of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ESATM) in 2016, teaching traditional Chinese medicine theory and medical classics of Chinese medicine.

Debra Davies, DACM, L.Ac.
Dr. Deb Davies, DACM, L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist, childbirth educator, and the founder and owner of PUSH San Diego. She's spent over 20 years passionately following her mission of supporting women in fertility, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. She empowers expectant couples by educating and equipping them with natural and integrative health care options.

Over the course of her career, Deb has helped thousands of families in their childbirth journey. She has a renowned expertise in helping families overcome fertility obstacles, maintain a healthy full-term pregnancy, and prepare for an optimal birth experience. She also provides support during labor and birth with acupuncture, acupressure, and massage therapy, and is highly skilled in postpartum recovery care and optimizing C-section recovery time.

Deb brings a remarkable degree of empathy to her practice at PUSH San Diego. Her first daughter, Mia Belle, was stillborn at term from an umbilical cord accident in March of 2001. Her second daughter, Lauryn, was born a year later. Both girls instill Deb's work with an unparalleled degree of inspiration and passion that enable her to compassionately support other women through the childbirth process, including support for miscarriage and recurring pregnancy losses.

Even outside of her work at PUSH San Diego, Deb continues to follow her passion for integrative medicine. In 2006, she founded the Integrative Medical Discussion Group to bring together Eastern and Western medical students. She also served as the director of Alumni Services and Community Education at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego and as the Community Partnership Committee co-director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. She's currently an event coordinator and continuing education provider for licensed acupuncturists and was recognized as an Alumni Leader in the field of Chinese Medicine and Integrative Medicine.

Joseph DelGiodice, C.H., L.Ac.
Joseph DelGiodice is an acupuncturist, Chinese and Western herbalist, and naturopath, with a tenure in the healing arts that stretches across four decades. With his great grandfather an herbalist and bone setter, great grandmother a midwife, and godfather a 1949 graduate of The Swedish Institute, the practice of healing stretches even further back in his family, to nineteenth century rural Sicily. His lifelong fascination with health and longevity began at age 7. Having studied extensively with herbalist priest Jeffrey Yuen, and having been a long time apprentice to Master Western Herbalist David Simon, Joe is a graduate of Rutgers College, the Somerset School of Massage Therapy, the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and the American Naturopathic Medical Institute.

Joe has been a member of the ESATM community since summer. Prior to that, Joe was a faculty member at PCOM NY and an acupuncture proctor for the NJ State Board of Medical Examiners. Since July of 1999, he has maintained a private practice in Hoboken, focusing on whole body wellness, geriatrics, musculo-skeletal care, women's and men's health, and natural food education. He is also a volunteer gardener at the Community Church of Hoboken Organic Vegetable Garden.

Lois Denmark, DACM, L. Ac., Dipl.OM (NCCAOM)
Lois Denmark has been a Faculty Member and Clinical Supervisor at the Eastern School of Acupuncture since 2004. She teaches core curriculum courses in the Theory, Acupuncture & Herbology Departments and is the current Traditional Medicine Theory Department Chair. She has been in private practice in NJ & NY since 1998 and is a graduate of PCOM NY & PCOM SD where she attained the degree: Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine. She has a B.A. from Montclair State College.

Jaime L. Dixon, DPT
Dr. Jaime L. Dixon is a recent graduate from the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine where she earned her Master's Degree in Acupuncture in 2019. Jaime is also a practicing physical therapist and a board-certified specialist in orthopedics (OCS) which is highly recognized in the field of physical therapy. She has over 10 years of experience working with patients suffering from chronic pain as well as orthopedic and sports injuries. Over the course of those 10 years, she began to feel there was something more that she could do for those suffering from chronic pain as well as other maladies. She first discovered acupuncture through her own personal experience and truly felt the healing abilities of the medicine. From there Jaime was inspired to become an acupuncturist herself and combine the two worlds of physical therapy and acupuncture to form a well-rounded and holistic approach to patient care. Jaime truly enjoyed what she was able to learn and experience as a student of acupuncture and is excited to join the Eastern School and help students learn and love the medicine just like she does.

Chenxia Duan, L.Ac in NJ ,Dipl. O.M (NCCAOM)
Chenxia received her academic and medical training as a physician in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Zhangjiakou Medical College and Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, as well as the School of Medicine at Kyoto University in Japan, where she studied Pulmonary Biology.

Over the last two decades, Chenxia was a research scientist at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Schering-Plough (now Merck), and most recently was the community liaison at Saint Barnabas Medical Center's Center for Asian Health.

Chenxia joined Mecca in 2018 in order to return to her roots as an acupuncture practitioner and help patients from a variety of backgrounds to treat numerous conditions. She is passionate about furthering the discourse of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and complements her clinical practice with teaching at the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine.

Robert D. Eisen, DC
Dr. Robert D. Eisen is a 1988 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport Iowa, where he earned his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree. He has earned a B.S. in Biology from the National College of Chiropractic, in Lombard Illinois and an A.S. degree in Chemistry from Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dr. Eisen has been a practicing chiropractor in New Jersey since 1989 and his current practice is located in Paramus, N.J. He has a family practice that specializes in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Eisen holds advanced post graduate training in Manipulation under Anesthesia and has completed the course in study to sit for the Department of Transportation Certified Medical Examiner certification. He continues his post graduate education by taking various continuing education courses in topics ranging from musculoskeletal conditions to nutrition. "I believe that it is important to continue your education to learn new cutting edge technologies and treatment to better serve my patients and help them achieve their goals of optimal health".

Dr. Eisen began teaching as an adjunct professor at the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine in 2012, where he began teaching Medical Terminology. He continued on staff at ESATM and became the acting Bioscience Department Chair as well as teaching Anatomy and Physiology, Bioscience, Anatomy Intensive and Biology.

"I believe that a whole person approach to health, incorporating chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, regular exercise and good nutrition will help my patients to achieve the results they desire for their health. The more proactive you are in keeping yourself healthy the less likely you will be to become sick and dependent on medications to try and improve your health status."

Matthew Fellner, DACM, L.Ac.
Dr. Matthew Fellner is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist with over 15 years' experience in the field of Chinese Medicine and alternative health. Dr. Fellner graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Sociology. In 1998 he began training in traditional Ba Gua Zhang Kung Fu with Shifu Ahles in Bergenfield, NJ. There he began learning about traditional Chinese herbology and eventually began teaching Kung Fu, Ch'i Kung, and meditation classes. In 2002, he enrolled in Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, earning his Master's degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine. In December 2016 he completed the DACM program through Pacific College of Oriental Medicine earning the title of Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine. He is also the chair of the Acupuncture department at the Eastern School of Traditional Medicine, and a clinical supervisor & instructor at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York. Dr. Fellner treats a wide variety of conditions with a focus on stress related disorders including acute & chronic pain, headaches, insomnia, depression, anxiety.

Constance Fraser, RN LAc
Constance Fraser is a registered nurse and licensed acupuncturist. She graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. She trained in Chinese and Japanese martial arts since 1979, and was introduced to Chinese Medicine in 1982 by a qi gong teacher. She earned undergraduate degrees at FDU. Additionally, she has studied various systems of bodywork.

Mayda Gonzalez, MD
Dr. Mayda Gonzalez has been a faculty member at the Eastern School of Acupuncture since 2010 and has previously serve as Eastern's Bioscience department Chair. Dr. Gonzalez has been involved in the medical field for more than 18 years, foreign medical graduated with more than 8 years' experience working as a general doctor first (Santa Clara Medical University Medical Degree) and as a pediatrician later. When she came to US 12 years ago she started teaching and was using all her western medicine knowledge and her Medical Degree to teach. Dr. Gonzalez was working more than 10 years in a Nursing college as a Faculty helping the students to success in the medical field and holding an Allied Health Instructor, a BLS instructor and research coordinator certification.

Christine Kim Henckel, L.Ac.
Christine Kim Henckel has 11 years' experience working in Mental Health and Addiction services. Her interest in Eastern Medicine was sparked by her observation of the limitations and inconsistent results with Western pharmaceutical treatment. After graduating ESATM in 2011, Christine stayed on as an assistant and is currently a Faculty member and Clinic Supervisor. She treats patients in her private practice and continues to study under the renowned Master Acupuncturist, Kiiko Matsumoto.

Irene Hong, LAc. LMT
Irene was born and grew up in China, where Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used for thousands of years. During her study in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, she found TCM techniques such as Acupuncture Moxibustion, Acupressure, Tui-Na, Cupping and Gua-Sha are greatly beneficial for addressing body mind disharmonies, also excellent at maintaining health and vitality. She is eager to learn these unique techniques to continuously improve her skill set, incorporate them into each treatment session to allow her patients receive a real body mind healing experience.

Irene is certified by National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) as a Diplomate of Acupuncture, and is a licensed acupuncturist (LAc) of New York and New Jersey. She is also Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCTMB), and is a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) of New Jersey. She completed the New Jersey Professional Massage Therapy Program from Cortiva-Hoboken in 2012 with Academic Excellence. In 2014, she completed her three-year Acupuncture program and earned her Master of Science degree in Acupuncture from Tri-State College of Acupuncture in New York City.

Caroline Kiley, D.Ac., Dipl. Ac., L.Ac.
Dr. Caroline Kiley graduated in 2021 from Pacific College of Health and Science with her Doctorate of Acupuncture, and previously, her Master's of Science in Acupuncture in 2019 from Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine. She attended the University of the Sciences where she earned her Bachelor's of Science in Health Sciences. She is Board Certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and tri-state licensed (NJ,NY,PA). She has joined the Eastern School faculty to share her passion for Traditional Chinese Medicine with students, and pass along the wonderful teachings her former Eastern School professors shared with her. Dr. Kiley specializes in the treatment of pediatric disorders in her private practice, as well as working in a multidisciplinary facility treating a multitude of health conditions.

Dr. Kiley shares her patient philosophy, "I believe that when caring for children, there is no One-Size-Fits-All method. Kids are surprising and ever-changing in their development, both physically and emotionally. When one is given the opportunity to be part of a child's life, treating him or her as an individual and unique case is of highest importance. I intend to apply this ideology to Chinese Medicine - the true individualized medicine".

Richard Lai, DPT
Dr. Richard Lai is a graduate of ESATM for Acupuncture and Northeastern University for Physical Therapy where he earned his Bachelor's in Rehabilitation Sciences, Doctorate in Physical Therapy and minor in Business Administration. Currently, Dr. Lai is the Regional Director of Education and Development with CareOne Management and oversees the rehabilitative services in 12 Sub-Acute Rehab Facilities in the Northeast region.

Dr. Lai has worked in a variety of settings including: outpatient physical therapy which he had his own private practice in Edgewater NJ, acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing and when he was in Boston was lucky to have worked with the Boston Celtics under Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist Ed Lacerte.

Outside of his professional career, Dr Lai enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid videographer/photographer.

Dr. Robert Seungmin Lee, DC, L.Ac, RT-NPS, LMT
Dr. Robert Seungmin Lee started his medical career studying Pre-Med and Health Science, especially focusing his studies in Respiratory Care. After graduation, he went on to acquire clinical experience in Long Island Jewish Medical Center, working as a Pediatric/Neonatal Specialist in the Intensive Care Unit for eight years. It was during these years while working at the bedside of critically ill patients, that he saw a great potential in integrating conventional medicine with traditional Eastern medicine and decided to commit himself to further studying East Asian Medicine.

He received his Master's degree at the New York College of Health Professions and was designated as Honors student, which allowed him to stay and train as a resident for two years. After resident training, he remained at school for two more years as an Adjunct Professor and taught basic East Asian Medicine studies before opening his own clinic. In the clinic, he has learned that the disruption in order and balance of the body can directly affect quality of life and death. He found solutions to modern day health problems by approaching internal imbalance with the wisdom of East Asian Medicine, and regulating external imbalance with his knowledge of anatomical structures and bio-mechanisms. Especially in the treatment of pain, he realized that the inner & outer alignment & balance is crucial, and further acquired a doctorate in Chiropractic.

Dr. Lee is also a certified MicrogateUSA specialist who is specialized in human performance and movement analysis by using the optical device called Optojump/ Optogait. He has various experiences in performance analysis with pro-teams such as USA Baseball, NY Rangers (NHL), Tampa Bay Rays (MLB), NE Patriots (NFL), Novak Djokovic (Pro-tennis) and various high school teams. He also volunteered in many different sporting events as a medical staff and has treated athletes on site.

Today, he is the founder of Robert Lee Integrative Chiropractic & Acupuncture, in Syosset, NY. His treatments in Sports Medicine focus on reconstructing the key components of movement: balance, timing and coordination. He especially finds great joy in teaching and training specialists in sports and musculoskeletal diseases.

Karen Lin, L.Ac., MD (China)
Karen Lin graduated from the Eastern School of Acupuncture in New Jersey. She subsequently became a faculty member teaching the clinical research class to third year students. She established Harmony Acupuncture and Wellness, LLC in Cranford, New Jersey, to treat people with various conditions. Long before working in this field, Karen earned her M.D. degree from Guangzhou Medical University in China in 1992 and worked as a physician in the affiliated hospital. She came to the United States to continue her education and obtained her Master's degree in biochemistry in 1996. Since then, she has been working in the biomedical research field for 20 years.

Sheila Mason, B.A, M.S., L.Ac. (NJ, PA)
Sheila Mason received her BA from the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL and her MS from George Williams College in Chicago, IL. She is a graduate of the Tri State College of Acupuncture in New York (1983). She worked at the Lincoln Hospital Acupuncture Detox in the Bronx, NY and at other detox programs in Paterson, NJ and Jersey City, NJ. She has been a faculty member and clinic supervisor of the Eastern School of Acupuncture since its inception. She is a former member of the New Jersey Acupuncture Examining Board. She is a longtime practitioner of Tai Chi and teaches classes in Englewood, NJ and New York City. She has a private practice in Englewood, NJ.

Mandanna G. Naleyanda, M.D.
Dr. Naleyanda further pursued his science passion further and received medical education from Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Science located in Poland with externships/ interships at various Hospitals in the States. He worked as a consultant at Dendrite, a Pharmaceutical company - neuroscience division and then moved to Kaplan Medical and has been imparting medical knowledge for more than a decade as an instructor. His focus has been in USMLE preparation, Nursing and Allied Health related fields.

Michael Paff, MSAc, L.Ac.
Michael was graduated from Eastern School of Acupuncture & Traditional Medicine, in April 2020, having earned a Master of Science in Acupuncture and is currently in the process of taking NCCAOM National Board examinations. Michael's also currently enrolled in Eastern's Herbal Certificate program, which will complete December 2020. In addition to working as an acupuncture intern at the Eastern school clinic, Michael spent a year, specifically, treating musculoskeletal pathologies and acute and chronic pain conditions, while interning at the East Orange campus of the Veteran's Administration Hospital. An invaluable acupuncture intern experience, as Veterans are limited in the number of treatments they may receive annually, requiring an intern to quickly achieve a high level of efficacy in a limited amount of time.

In addition to an education in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, Michael has more than two decades experience in medical and therapeutic exercise. Clients he's worked with range from elite disabled athletes (i.e. wheelchair racers, amputee runners), cerebral palsy, FSH muscular dystrophy, scoliosis, cardiac and pulmonary pathologies to post physical therapy for surgery and joint reconstruction. Michael's been a student of martial arts since adolescence; first studying Japanese style fighting arts and meditation. In the mid 1990's, he began studying, practicing and teaching Qigong. Michael also has an undergraduate degree in finance from NYU Stern School of Business, which lead me on a short detour from health and wellness, to be a global commercial real estate investment banker.

Sally Rappeport, MSTOM, LAc.
Sally Rappeport has been practicing in Brooklyn, NY since 1998. She received her degree from PCOM-NY. She focuses on internal medicine and has a passion for classical herbal medicine. She has studied with many teachers including, Sharon Weizenbaum, Ed Neal, Yaron Seidman and Dr. Feng Shi-Lun. In 2005-6 she did a one-year internship at High Falls Gardens in order to connect to the pharmacopeia from germination thru processing. In 2016 she joined the board of the High Falls Foundation.

Warren Sheir, DAOM, LAc
Warren Sheir earned his Masters of Traditional Oriental Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego and has been a faculty member there since 2000, teaching Herbology and Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine. He also has a master's in performing arts from the Cleveland Institute of Music/Case Western Reserve University, majoring in vocal performance and opera. His areas of specialty include disease prevention and the treatment of sports injuries and mental disorders. Passionate about the connection between food and health, he is the author of Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen (Da Capo Lifelong Books, March 2010) with Dr. Yuan Wang, LAc, and Mika Ono.

John Shin, Esq.
Mr. Shin is former President of Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (formerly VUOM), where he served as its President for 6 years, who led the institution through its initial ACAOM candidacy and accreditation. He has served as a site visitor for ACAOM on several site-visit teams since 2014 and also served on a special judicial commission for ACAOM. He remains a Trustee of VUIM, serves as its legal counsel and is an adjunct professor in bioethics there.

Mr. Shin has been involved in the academic arena in various aspects during his legal career – as a guest lecturer at Boston University School of Business and other guest speaking events, and was co-producer of two legal education products (one with William & Mary School of Law and the other with Stanford Graduate School of Business).

A lawyer by trade, Mr. Shin is the founding partner at Shin Law Group and has been a lawyer for over 20 years. He has worked with in-house counsel of Fortune 500 companies such as Merck and Walmart and created a joint venture with Court TV Extra where he served as Senior Vice President. He is also Vice-Chairman and counsel for CourtScribes, a legal technology company.

John earned his Juris Doctor at Syracuse University Law School where he was the recipient of the Lawyering Skills Award and Bachelor of Science at the University of Maryland, where John served as a legislative intern for Congresswoman Constance Morella. Mr. Shin served on the finance committee for Baltimore Mayor and future Governor Martin O'Malley and also raised campaign funds for current Governor Larry Hogan.

Rosie Strelnick, DACM, L.Ac.
Dr. Rosie Strelnick is a Nationally Certified Licensed Acupuncturist in Illinois, New York, and New Jersey and Oriental Medicine Practitioner with a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. After earning a Bachelor's of Arts in East Asian Studies and Philosophy from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, Dr. Rosie ventured to San Diego, CA to attend Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) – an institution known for its intensive acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine instruction, as well as its emphasis on integration with Western Medicine. She studied at PCOM for four years to acquire her MSTOM and Clean Needle Technique Certificate. Dr. Rosie graduated with her DACM (Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine) from PCOM in August 2016. Dr. Rosie also had a life changing opportunity to study intensively in Beijing, China at the WHO Collaborative International Acupuncture Training Center. She takes particular interest in treating psycho-emotional disorders, chemotherapy side effects, and pain management/sports medicine. In addition to teaching, Dr. Rosie is working in a psychiatrist's office.

Richard Therkelsen, DC
Dr. Richard Therkelsen is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, licensed by the New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners since 1978, and after 39 years as the director/owner of the Central Jersey Lordex Spine Institute, he is joining the faculty of The Eastern School Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine as a Medical Terminology instructor.

Dr. Therkelsen has post-graduate training in Lumbar Closed-Decompression Therapy (LTD), Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA), Para-Surface EMG Protocols, Low Back Pain Diagnosis and Management, Comprehensive Management of Low Back Pain, Sports Chiropractic, and is a certified Medical Examiner of the Department of Transportation.

Throughout his career, Dr. Therkelsen has been a certified instructor for the YMCA's "Y's Way to a Healthy Back" and the American Red Cross' "Protect Your Back" programs, and has lectured on Stress Management for business, church, and private groups. His hobbies include racquetball, basketball, reading, crossword puzzles, playing guitar and watching movies.

Adam Wasserman, MS, L.Ac.
Adam spent the first 13 years of his professional life in the fields of graphic design and computer programming. He began his career doing layout and design for newspapers and magazines. This interest in design quickly transformed from designing for print to designing for the web. After a few years of design, he transitioned to programming, initially programming front-end widgets and HTML mark up and then advancing to database programming and back end enterprise level development. This culminated in the merging of design and programming in his position as an interface developer for Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) engineering firm in New York City.

In 2002, Adam began training the Chinese martial art of bagua zhang. This interest in Chinese martial arts soon expanded to include other aspects of Chinese culture. He began to practice qi gong, a practice of Chinese health exercises, in 2003 and to practice tui na, a style of Chinese medical massage, in 2006. After completing an intensive instructor training program under Tom Bisio in 2007, Adam began to teach bagua zhang and qi gong on a weekly basis. After several years of immersion in Chinese martial and medical arts, Adam decided to change his career path and went back to school to earn his Master's in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 2011. Upon graduation from the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine, Adam returned to New York and began to apprentice with Tom Bisio.

Adam has been teaching bagua zhang several times per week since 2007, first as an assistant instructor and then, starting in 2011 as a lead instructor. In 2010, Adam also began to teach qi gong workshops, running from 5 to 16 weeks. In 2011, Adam began to teach tui na and Chinese herbs for Zheng Gu Tui Na. These classes include instruction in relevant anatomy, Chinese and Western disease pathologies and differential diagnoses, qi gong, tui na, and ancillary techniques such as gua sha, cupping, seven star hammer and moxibustion.

Adam's long history of analyzing and solving visual and technical problems translates well into solving medical problems. He has learned the analytical thinking that is required to isolate variables and test theories to determine the underlying cause of disease states within the body. In addition, he has learned how to take complex concepts and reduce them into understandable terms when conversing with lay people.

In 2017, Adam moved to Colorado to be closer to family. Upon arriving in the Denver area, Adam began teaching at the Southwest Acupuncture College. Endeavoring to raise the standard of education in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, Adam began to volunteer for the Accreditation Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine as a site visitor.

Shiaomei Weingarten, B.A., M.S., Lic. Ac. (NJ, NY, CT, PA), Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
Shiaomei Weingarten is a clinic supervisor at The Eastern School of Acupuncture. A graduate of the Eastern School, Shiaomei holds a B.A. in Oriental Languages from Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan and a M.S. in Hotel and Food Service Management from the School of Hospitality Management, Florida International University, Florida.

Shiaomei has postgraduate studies in Advanced Japanese Treatment (Kiiko Matsumoto Style), is certified in Reflexology by the International Institute for Reflexology, Florida and has professional training with Professor Lin Yun, leader of Tibetan Black Sect Tantric Buddhist Feng Shui. She is also studying energy work with Donna Eden of Energy Medicine, classic Chinese medicine including knowledge of essential oils, stones and Chinese herbs with Jeffrey Yuen and Japanese acupuncture with Kiiko Matsumoto and Tsuyoshi Shimamura. Shiaomei also studied a comprehensive two-year herbal program with David Winston, founder of Herbalist and Alchemist.

Maahwush Zahidi MS.Ac, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.
Maahwush Zahidi is a Licensed Acupuncturist in the states of New Jersey and New York and is nationally Board Certified in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). She holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Psychology from Rutgers and Boston University, respectively. She attained her M.S. degree with honors in Acupuncture from Tri-State College of Acupuncture where she was trained in three distinct modes of acupuncture—TCM, Mark Seem's Acupuncture Physical Medicine (trigger point), and renowned Master Acupuncturist Kiiko Matsumoto's Japanese meridian style.

Upon graduation from TSCA, Maahwush joined its faculty staff as a Kiiko Matsumoto intern, Teaching Assistant for Acupuncture Physical Medicine classes, and Anatomy/Physiology instructor until the closing of TSCA. Upon the closing of TSCA, she was a faculty member and clinical supervisor during the TSCA Teach-Out at PCOM.

Her style in private practice and in community acupuncture integrates Chinese and Japanese-based techniques, myofascial trigger point release, facial acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, electric stimulation, and moxibustion. She continues to follow and study the teachings and style of Kiiko Matsumoto.

Yanming Zu, Ph.D.
Dr. Yanming Zu received her B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University in P.R. China, and her Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutics from University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Zu is a Registered Pharmacist in New York State and has been working in pharmaceutical industry for almost 20 years. Born in a family of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacists, Dr. Zu always has her personal passion and special loving for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Hence Dr. Zu also achieved her Master degree of Acupuncture from Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine.

Guest Lecturers:

Kiiko Matsumoto, L.Ac.
Kiiko Matsumoto is the founder of Kiiko Matsumoto Style of Acupuncture (KMS) and considered to be a "living Master of Acupuncture". She is well known for her ability to integrate the work of some of the most famous Japanese masters into her practice for the last three decades. Her style of acupuncture focuses on treating the root cause with emphasis on the entire body rather than a single symptom.

Kiiko Matsumoto regularly teaches her style of acupuncture around the world and in the U.S. Her dedication to researching and understanding the Chinese medical classics makes her one of the authorities on the subject of acupuncture. She shares this knowledge with her patients in her clinic and with students around the world in her seminars. Kiiko's passion for sharing her research makes her a popular and sought-after teacher. Her students find her seminars to be practical, fun and dynamic.


Text's Authored by ESATM Faculty