Our highly qualified faculty members are recruited for their depth of knowledge, the diversity of their skills, and their unique personal qualities. Many of our instructors are skilled practitioners who maintain successful practices and believe in the importance of disseminating their knowledge ans sustaining the rich tradition of our medicine. Our didactic faculty are committed to guiding students through the exciting and challenging world of Oriental medicine and teaching them to transform theoretical education into practical application. Our clinical supervisors are committed to instructing interns in diagnosis, methodology, prognosis, proper record-taking, and clinical judgment. All are dedicated professionals who generously share their knowledge to develop and refine our students’ abilities.

Deans & Directors

Dean of Academic & Clinical Education: Yeaji Suh, MSOM, PhD, LAc

Clinic Director: Glenn Oberman, OMD, LAc, QME

Department Chairs

Herbal Medicine: Emmie Zhu, DMed (China), DTCM (China), LAc

Integrative Medicine: Timothy Schwaiger, NMD, MA

Oriental Medicine: Xin Zhu (Hua-Ling) Xu, MS (China), LAc

Western Science: Gary J. Wedemayer, MS, PhD

Joseph Adams, MTOM, LAc

A second-generation acupuncturist, Instructor Adams brings lifelong learning into his practice and service as a teacher. In addition to his family heritage and formal training at Emperor’s College, he served as senior protégé to Dr. William Morris, President Emeritus of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM), who entrusted Instructor Adams with passing on his specialized pulse taking lineages. He served on California State Oriental Medical Association’s Board of Directors, currently serves as an editor for the AAAOM’s quarterly journal The American Acupuncturist, and publishes articles relating to health, pulse diagnosis, and Chinese philosophy. Instructor Adams practices in Marin County.

 

Marilyn Allen, MS

A tremendous asset and tireless advocate for the acupuncture profession, Marilyn Allen has an extensive background in practice management, ethics, malpractice, and marketing. She is the editor for Acupuncture Today and the director of marketing for the American Acupuncture Council, which provides affordable comprehensive malpractice insurance to acupuncturists.

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Jason Beito, MSTCM, LAc, DNBA

While earning his undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of California, Davis, Professor Beito began studying the principles of Taijiquan, Aikido, and Qigong in an effort to enhance his athletic performance in football and judo. He received his Master of Science in 2001 from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) and studied applications of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion within the context of KeirakuChiryo (Japanese Meridian Therapy) under the guidance and direction of Koji Ichihashi. Certified in Firstline Therapy and Acupuncture Orthopedics (NBAO), Jason specializes in therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) and pain management. He provides acupuncture and TLC services in the AIMC Professional Clinic.

Ken Berry, MSOM, LAc

A black belt in Aikido and certified hypnotherapist, Professor Berry graduated from AIMC Berkeley. Prior to entering the profession, he worked in the fields of health care law, educational administration, and professional development. His professional interests include OB/GYN and fertility for women and couples. He practices privately in Sacramento, California.

Nishanga Bliss, MSTCM, LAc

Nishanga has been studying and practicing holistic health care for over twenty years, and practicing and teaching Oriental Medicine since 1999. She graduated with highest honors in English and Peace and Conflict Studies at UC Berkeley, and went on to receive her Master’s in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the American College of TCM in 1999. She is currently at work on her doctorate in Nutrition at Hawthorn University.  Nishanga specializes in Internal Medicine with an emphasis on nutrition counseling, women’s health, mental health and HIV. She supervises interns in the student clinic and teaches Oriental Medicine Theory, Diagnosis and Counseling & Psychology classes at AIMC Berkeley. She is the author of the forthcoming book Real Food All Year: Eating Seasonal Whole Foods for Optimal Health and All-Day Energy to be released in March 2012 by New Harbinger Press. Visit her blog at http://gastronicity.blogspot.com/.

Eric Brand, MSTOM, LAc

Prior to receiving his MSOM from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM), Instructor Brand studied Chinese language, religion, history, and cultural studies at the University of Colorado and the National Chengchi University in Taiwan. He completed a prolonged clinical internship in the Department of Chinese Medicine at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei. To complement his clinical training in mainstream Chinese medical environments, Eric has a cultivated interest in Chinese herbal pharmacy, which he pursued through an extended apprenticeship with a lineage-trained pharmacist and extensive travel and research of herbal quality discernment in mainland China. A translator and editor for Paradigm Publications, he is the co-author of the forthcoming Concise Chinese Materia Medica.

David Caruso-Radin, MSOM, LAc, Dipl ABT

Professor Caruso-Radin received his MSOM from AIMC Berkeley and his Master of Science in Organizational Psychology from Baruch College in New York, New York. He studied Shiatsu and Integrated Nutrition with Paul Pitchford at the Heartwood Institute in Garberville, California, and is a nationally certified diplomate of Asian Bodywork Therapy. David trained in Medical Qigong under Suzanne Friedman at AIMC Berkeley, and earned Wild Goose Qigong teacher certification from Master Hui Liu at the Wen Wu School of Martial Arts in El Cerrito, California.

Prajna Choudhury, MA, MATCM, LAc

Professor Choudhury graduated from Yo San University and completed her post-graduate training at the Teaching Hospital of Sichuan Academy for the Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine in Chengdu, China, with rotations in oncology, dermatology, internal medicine, and gynecology, and an emphasis in herbal medicine. She specializes in women’s health, digestive wellness, and mental-emotional balance, and her prior clinical experience includes Quan Yin Healing Arts Center in San Francisco, Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic for women with cancer in Oakland, Being Alive HIV Clinic in West Hollywood, and Venice Family Clinic’s integrated pain clinic in Los Angeles. Prior to her studies in Oriental Medicine, Professor Choudhury received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Johns Hopkins University, and master’s degree in research psychology from Stanford University. Prof. Choudhury currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lyon-Martin Health Services in San Francisco, and has been a long-time advocate for LGBT, women’s, immigrants’, and people of color rights and health.

Benjamin E. Dierauf, MS, LAc

Professor Dierauf has been honored as the “Acupuncturist of the Year” by the American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM), and he has received the “Professional Excellence Award” from the National Board of Acupuncture Orthopedics. He holds a BS in Nutrition and Food Science from UC Berkeley and an MS in Traditional Chinese Medicine from ACTCM. Professor Dierauf has worked extensively at two community clinics in San Francisco: the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center and the Immune Enhancement Project (IEP). Currently he practices in the AIMC Berkeley Professional Clinic, supervises in the Intern Clinic, serves as the Advisor to the President, and integrates Oriental Medicine into the Biology and Chemistry classes that he teaches. He has also been an active participant in the development of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine policy.

Lana Farson, MSTCM, LAc
A graduate of ACTCM, Professor Farson is co-director of the Well-Balanced Center, an integrative healing clinic in Lafayette, California, with practitioners from various health care systems. Twice a year she gives tours of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, where there is a lovely area dedicated to Asian Medicinal Herbs.

Suzanne Friedman MSTCM, LAc, DMQ (China)

Professor Friedman is one of the few Americans certified by Dr. Xu Hongtao to teach his form of medical Qigong, Guigen Qigong. She trained under Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson, an internationally recognized Qigong grandmaster and director of the International Institute of Medical Qigong, and completed a post-graduate medical Qigong program under Dr. Xu Hongtao at the Xiyuan Hospital in Beijing, China, Dr. Friedman is a licensed acupuncturist, a nationally certified herbalist, and a doctor of medical Qigong therapy. She received her doctorate from the Beijing Western District Medical Qigong and TCM Research Institute in Beijing, China.

Elyse Graham, MSTCM, LAc

Professor Graham serves as Co-chair of the Marin County HIV/AIDS Care Council, and for the past eight years has been working within the San Francisco County Jail system providing acupuncture, education, and counseling to support clients in addressing concerns of substance use, violence, and domestic violence. Professor Graham has served as the Executive Director of the Immune Enhancement Project and the Acupuncture and Recovery Treatment Services, the Program Director of Education and Counseling for the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, and as part of the San Francisco HIV Planning Council. A graduate of ACTCM, she is a certified National Acupuncture Detox Association (NADA) trainer.

Austin Hedeman

Professor Hedeman is a PhD candidate in Physics at UC Berkeley, where he is conducting studies on gravity and quantum mechanics. He grew up in New York State and went to college at Cornell. When he is not busy with physics or teaching, he can be found at various local coffee shops. His future plans include teaching and starting a research institute to conduct investigations on the foundations of quantum mechanics.

Michelle Hirsch, LAc

Professor Hirsch received a Masters of Science in Chinese Medicine in 2009 at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences (ACCHS). Prior to her studies in Chinese medicine, she spent 13 years devoted to organic farming and sustainable, community agriculture. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1997 with a major in Women’s Health. Currently she is also teaching for a TCM review classes. She has farmed organic vegetables, flowers, and herbs in Michigan, New Zealand, New Hampshire, and Northern California.

Koki Kawanami, MSOM, LAc

Professor Koki Kawanami is a graduate of Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley. He has been licensed in Acupuncture and Moxibustion since 2002 in Japan and has been a practitioner in different hospitals in Japan, including the Orthopedics Hospital in Kyo and the Otsuka Acupuncture and Bonesetter Clinic.

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Amanda Lien, ND

Dr. Amanda Lien is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in California. She has been in private practice for nine years. She earned her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University and her bachelor degree from UC Berkeley. Dr. Lien enjoys educating her patients about basic health and their body’s natural ability to heal itself. She specializes in using natural treatments such as diet, nutrition, herbs, homeopathy, and physical medicine as first line treatment or integrating those treatments with drugs and surgery, if needed. As an instructor, Dr. Lien strives to help her students develop critical and practical clinical skills, which are necessary for the real world. Dr. Lien also works as a research analyst for a healthcare consulting group.

Jorge Madrid, MSOM, LAc

A native of Mexico City, Instructor Madrid was drawn to acupuncture when he received treatment for soccer injuries in 1994. He earned his MSOM from AIMC Berkeley and now specializes in internal medicine, including digestive and respiratory disorders, stress, and insomnia, and utilizing Master Tung’s style of acupuncture to treat pain and injuries.

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Tisha Mallon, LAc, DiplAc

After graduating from the San Francisco School of Acupuncture in 1987, Associate Professor Tisha Mallon went on to study TCM in a series of private tutorials in the Peopleʼs Republic of China, where she worked in hospitals that specialized in treating patients with neurological disorders, and OB/GYN issues. Tisha completed a research program in herbal medicine at the Ayurvedic and Tibetan medical facilities in the Far East, and studied Tai Chi with Grandmaster William C.C. Chen. For the last 20 years Tisha has been specializing in Japanese-style acupuncture. She is certified by the Shakujuyukai Association in Japan as one of five teachers in the US to teach the non-insertion method known as Shakuju Therapy. She currently teaches Shakuju Therapy AIMC Berkeley, where she also serves as a clinic supervisor in the Japanese clinic. Tisha maintains a private practice in the Bay Area.

Barbara Martello, MSOM, LAc
Instructor Martello graduated from PCOM in San Diego. Prior to beginning her studies at PCOM, she acquired a Holistic Health Practitioner degree in Massage Therapy and more specifically Zen Shiatsu. In school, Barbara’s education emphasized the Japanese expression of the art of Acupuncture. Quickly she began studying under master teachers such as Ikeda Masakazu Sensei of Japan. Her therapeutic interests include women’s health, musculoskeletal complaints, allergy management, respiratory health, smoking cessation, stress management, chemo support, and digestive health. She practices in North Berkeley.

Bronwyn Michaelis, MSOM, LAc

Bronwyn has trained in traditional healing practices from around the world and is an expert in numerous forms of yoga. She earned her Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from AIMC Berkeley and is the founder and director of Holistic Medical Arts Berkeley and of the Wu Wei School of Reiki Berkeley. Bronywn teaches diverse bodywork such as chi nei tsang, Rosen Method, shiatsu, tui-na, and Reiki. She is an instructor of numerous styles of yoga including Iyengar, Ashtanga, Bikram, and her own unique blend incorporating axis syllabus and dance. Bronwyn, originally from South Africa, has lived, worked, and studied all over the world and reads and writes Hindi, Hebrew, and Spanish. She has traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle east, and a fair amount in Central and South America. These travels have inspired in her a deep caring for the earth, sustainable living, and humanitarian needs.

Kyle Miura, MSOM, MPH, MSCP, MDiv, LAc

An alumnus of AIMC Berkeley, Professor Miura is a licensed acupuncturist in California and Hawaii and a Diplomate of Oriental medicine and Asian Bodywork (NCCAOM). He is a doctoral fellow (DAOM) in neuromuscular medicine at Five Branches University; he holds master’s degrees in public health, counseling psychology, and religious studies; and bachelor degrees in molecular biology and sociology. He teaches anatomy and physiology at the Acupressure Institute, Berkeley; Asian bodywork and Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory at the University of Hawaii, and yoga and meditation at the Downtown Berkeley YMCA and the Niroga Institute, Berkeley. National awards he has received include the Pacific Research Health Institute Scholar, Elmer J. Anderson Public Health Scholar, and Outstanding Young Men of America. His private practice specializes in rheumatology.

Heather Moore, MSTOM, LAc

With a Masters of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine from PCOM, Professor Moore specializes in women’s health, treating hormonal imbalances such as PMS, infertility, fibroids, endometriosis, menopause, digestion imbalances, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. To further her expertise in reproductive medicine, she passed the specialty board exam in reproductive medicine to become a Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Medical Reproductive Medicine. Professor Moore currently serves on the board of the California State Oriental Medical Association.

Christine T. Newell, MSTCM, LAc, DiplAc

Professor Newell received her Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture & Health Sciences (ACCHS), and has numerous certifications and experience in holistic bodywork, health care, and nutrition from both Eastern and Western approaches. She teaches Dai Yen Qigong as a certified instructor of the Wen Wu School of Martial Arts and practices privately in Albany, California.

Glenn Oberman, OMD, LAc, QME

Professor Oberman is board-certified in Acupuncture Orthopedics (NBAO) and appointed as a Qualified Medical Evaluator by the State of California’s Industrial Medical Council. He earned his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and his MA in International Relations from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), before studying Oriental Medicine at the California Acupuncture College and later earning his Oriental Medicine Doctorate from Samra University of Oriental Medicine. Professor Oberman has served as a Director of the California State Oriental Medical Association (CSOMA), and currently practices privately in Berkeley. IIn addition to his many roles at AIMC Berkeley, Dr. Oberman serves as the Clinic Director and oversees a specialty externship that provides acupuncture to the athletes of the University of California, Berkeley.

Haro Ogawa MSOM, LAc, CMT, ATC

Currently an athletic trainer and acupuncturist for the San Francisco Giants, Professor Ogawa specializes in the kinesiological field for manual therapy in sports medicine, and has worked for the New York Mets, the Golden State Warriors, NASCAR drivers, and the Japanese National Baseball Team. Trained in Japan as a licensed acupuncturist and moxibustion practitioner, he is also a certified Shiatsu therapist and massage therapist, and has practiced Meridian Therapy Acupuncture for over 15 years. His additional specialties include stress related and gynecological problems, orthopedics, and pain management. Professor Ogawa graduated AIMC Berkeley in 2003.

Annie Osborn, MSOM, LAc

Professor Osborn received her Masters degree from Meiji College of Oriental Medicine (now AIMC Berkeley) and has been practicing acupuncture for over 15 years in Santa Rosa, where she specializes in women’s health issues. She supervises AIMC Berkeley student interns at the Jewish Community Free Clinic in Rohnert Park, which offers free medical care to anyone in need.

Hideko Pelzer, MSOM, LAc

A Second Degree Black Belt in the Japanese martial art of Aikido, Professor Pelzer graduated from Tsukuba University in Japan and later earned her Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from Meiji College of Oriental Medicine (now AIMC Berkeley). An expert in Japanese needling technique, she practices privately in Suisun City and at the AIMC Berkeley Professional Clinic.

Valerie Razutis, MSOM, LAc

A graduate of the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley, Prof. Razutis combines her education and practice as a licensed acupuncturist with more than twenty years of experience as a paramedic to provide an integrative approach to teaching medicine. She teaches classes in the Integrative Medicine Series as well as the AOM and Biomedicine Review classes for AIMC Berkeley, and practices in Oakland where she specializes in integrative cancer treatment.

Tracy Richardson, MSOM, MQP, LAc

Tracy Richardson is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist managing the Herbal Dispensary at Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley, where she graduated with a Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) in December of 2010. A graduate of East West Herbal Studies with Michael Tierra in 2005, Tracy is a certified professional herbalist. In the spring of 2008, she became a certified medical Qigong practitioner after completing her study with Suzanne Friedman. She works with Masters Intuition Medicine (MIM), and serves as a professional chef working with special diets; macrobiotic, raw, vegan, vegetarian, and healthy omnivore creations. In addition, Tracy provides macrobiotic counseling and Tui Na massage. Tracy practices acupuncture at the Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI) and has private practice offices in Fairfax and Oakland.

Scott Rowe, MSOM, LAc

A graduate of AIMC Berkeley, Instructor Rowe completed his post-graduate work at the Tianjin International University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Tianjin, China. Scott combines his professional expertise as a culinary chef with his love of herbs to teach the Herbal Preparations elective at AIMC Berkeley. He practices privately in San Francisco and Sacramento.

Rudy Rull, PhD, MPH

Professor Rull is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on assessing and validating exposures to environmental hazards and evaluating whether these exposures affect the risk of cancer. With a MPH and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Professor Rull is also an Assistant Consulting Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and a research scientist at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California.

Timothy Schwaiger, NMD, MA

Professor Schwaiger graduated with his naturopathic medical degree from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) in Tempe, Arizona. He holds an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Sciences and a Masters’ degree in Health Services Management and has over 30 years health related experience. Dr. Schwaiger completed a two-year residency at SCNM in Family Medicine. He served as Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chair of the Department of General Medicine at SCNM. He is Chair of the Laboratory Diagnosis Section for the Naturopathic Physician Licensing Examination (NPLEX), and also serves on NPLEX Executive Board. Dr. Schwaiger holds a certification in HeartMath® interventions, which is used to help improve emotional wellbeing by changing self-attitudes and behaviors. Professor Schwaiger currently serves as the Integrative Medicine Department Chair at Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley, where he also teaches. He lives in Walnut Creek, California with his wife Debra and two dogs Earann and Shanti.

Susan Schwendner, PhD

Dr. Schwendner possesses an extensive background of teaching a wide variety of students from junior high school to medical school. Dr. Schwendner received her PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in Pharmacology. She has also participated in a variety of pharmaceutical research and writing projects, which includes the receipt of 14 issued patents and the completion of 40 research articles.

Jason A. Servatius, ND

Professor Servatius is a licensed doctor of naturopathic medicine with a private practice in Berkeley. He received his doctorate of naturopathic medicine from the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon.  Subsequently, he completed a residency in family practice at a Bastyr University School of Naturopathic Medicine affiliated site in Billings, Montana. Dr. Servatius completed his BA in Sociology at the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California. His interests include wellness, nutrition, and botanical medicine. He currently teaches Western Physical Examination.

Yeaji Suh, PhD, LAc

Dr. Suh received both her MA and PhD from UCLA prior to obtaining her MSOM degree from Samra University of Oriental Medicine. Dr. Suh has taught at numerous universities, including UCLA, USC, and the University of Chicago. She has also published extensively on research and translation. Currently she serves as the Dean of Academic and Clinical Education at AIMC Berkeley, where she also teaches courses in Oriental Medicine.

Carina Wagner, LAc

Professor Wagner has been practicing acupuncture since 1985. She brings her strength and depth of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine knowledge and experience to the student interns she supervises at the AIMC Berkeley externship, the Jewish Community Free Clinic in Rohnert Park, California. Carina practices privately in Sebastopol and volunteers at the Integrative Medical Clinic in Santa Rosa, where she gives free acupuncture treatments to women fighting cancer.

Gary J. Wedemayer, MS, PhD

Professor Wedemayer has a diverse range of scientific interests, having published papers in astronomy, botany, biochemistry, structural biology, statistics, genomics, DNA sequencing technology, and human physiology. His teaching experience includes General Botany, General Biology with Anatomy and Physiology, Genomics and DNA Sequencing, and Cell Biology, in addition to several other highly specialized topics. Dr. Wedemayer received a BS and an MS in Botany from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and earned his PhD in Botany at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). He received the Distinguished Teaching Award from UC Berkeley in 1987 for his instruction of Biology, and was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Xin Zhu “Hua-Ling” Xu, MS (China), LAc
Professor Xu earned her master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Guang Zhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China, where she also conducted research concerning the effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of gynecological diseases such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), dysmenorrhea, infertility, and menopause syndromes. Professor Xu taught in numerous TCM hospitals in China, specializing in gynecology, and has published several books and research papers on gynecology. She currently practices in San Francisco.

Zhi-Bin “Benny” Zhang, MS (China), LAc

Professor Zhang has been practicing acupuncture for over 30 years and has published numerous books and articles on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in his native China. He earned his master’s degree from Guang Zhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and went on to teach, practice, and conduct research in TCM at the Traditional Chinese Medicine University and Chinese Medical Hospital of GuangDong Province for 18 years before coming to the US. Professor Zhang currently maintains a private practice in San Francisco.

Emmie Zhu, DMed (China), DTCM (China), LAc

Professor Zhu earned her Doctor of Medicine from Shanghai First Medical University in 1953 and went on to graduate in 1961 from Inner Mongolia Medical College in TCM and Acupuncture. She served as an associate professor and Director of the Internal Medicine Department in the Inner Mongolia Chinese Medical Institute before coming to the US in 1985, when she became a visiting professor at the University of California, San Francisco. With over 40 years experience practicing internal medicine with both Chinese and Western medical backgrounds, Dr. Zhu has contributed to scholarly publications for nearly 30 years. She has been honored by the Ministry of Health in China her for her achievement in Chinese Medicine, and she holds membership in the Chinese Medical Association of Internal Medicine, the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Association of the Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine.