 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
FEATURE ARTICLES | |
Memo Calendar | Memo Pad | Business Memos | Loaves & Fishes | Letters | Home |
KIMBERLY SCHAUER
FOR THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
 |
| Oregon College of Oriental Medicine President Michael Gaeta (left) with keynote speaker Lixin Huang, president of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, at the 2005 Inaugural Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine commencement ceremony held last month at the Governor Hotel. |
| Submitted Photo |
The event marked an historic occasion with the awarding of the first clinical doctoral degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the country.
While there are nearly 60 acupuncture and Oriental medicine colleges in the United States, OCOM is one of only seven such colleges that have been approved to offer a clinical doctoral degree.
Lixin Huang, president of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and president of the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, delivered the keynote address.
“OCOM is one of the strongest institutions in acupuncture and Oriental medical graduate education, patient care and research,” said Huang. “On behalf of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, I’d like to congratulate the faculty and doctoral students of Oregon College of Oriental Medicine for successfully completing the first doctoral program in acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the United States.”
Board chair Peter Martin described the event as a truly historic moment. “I praise the pioneering sprit of these graduates,” he said.
Unlike other doctoral programs, OCOM’s program is the only one to offer a unique modular format. Teaching modules take place approximately once a month over extended weekends (Friday to Monday). This format does not require relocation to Portland and allows doctoral students to maintain their acupuncture practices while earning their degrees. The flexible, non-residential program draws students to Oregon from as far away as New York City and Austin, Texas.
The clinical doctoral program at OCOM is designed for experienced, licensed acupuncturists. In addition to developing advanced clinical skills for the treatment of complex, chronic conditions, students receive training that will enable them to become educators, researchers and leaders in the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.
OCOM was one of the first colleges to gain approval from the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in May 2002 for this post-graduate program in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. The firststudents matriculated in 2003 and graduated from the 1,228-hour, 26-month program last month. A variety of didactic and clinical material is taught in each module. Students also focus in predetermined areas of specialization, Women’s Health or Geriatrics.
During module weekends, the doctoral students treated patients with complex, chronic conditions in the OCOM Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic. In addition to undertaking classes and clinical work on the Portland campus, every student traveled to China to work with master practitioners in hospitals and clinics during a six-week clinical internship.
 |
 |
 |
MEMO Advertising | MEMO Archives | MEMO Web Neighbors | MEMO Staff | Home