Symposium Faculty

Joseph Audette, MD, MA

Dr. Joseph Audette is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School and Chief of Pain Management at Atrius Health and Harvard Vanguard. His research on acupuncture for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome has been sponsored by the NIH and was mentioned as a seminal study by the New York Times. He is an internationally recognized investigator in acupuncture winning the ICMART Science Award (The International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques) for the most influential study on acupuncture in 2017. He is also an expert in pain and has been interviewed on this subject by Fox News and NPR. While completing his residency at Columbia University, he attended the Tristate Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in New York. Dr. Audette is a recognized authority in dry needling techniques for the treatment of pain and point verification methods of acupuncture, and is the Vice President of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA). He has been teaching the Kiiko style of acupuncture for over 20 years.

Dan Bensky, DO

Dan Bensky has a long-term interest in Chinese and Chinese medicine, having obtained a diploma in Chinese medicine from the Macau Institute of Chinese Medicine in 1975, a Masters in Classical Chinese from the University of Washington in 1996, and a doctorate in the Discussion of Cold Damage from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in 2006. He graduated with a Doctor of Osteopathy from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982, where he was a research assistant for John Upledger. He has studied with many notable osteopathic practitioners, including Robert Fulford and Jean-Pierre Barral and has served as a table trainer many times for Ken Lossing.

Dan has contributed to the translation and editing numerous well-known texts in East Asian medicine, most recently the Discussion of Cold Damage with Commentaries for the Clinic with Shouchun Ma. Dan is a co-founder of Eastland Press (1981), where he serves as medical editor, and of the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine (1994). In 2008, he was awarded the Wang Dingyi Cup International Prize for contributions to Chinese medicine.

In addition to teaching for both professions, he has been working on utilizing the connections between osteopathy and East Asian medicine for over forty years.

Michelle Bombacie, MS, Dipl. Ac.

Michelle Bombacie is the Program Manager for the Integrative Therapies Program within the Center for Comprehensive Wellness. She is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist, and is the lead acupuncture and integrative medicine supervisor in the pediatric clinic. Michelle co-authored a chapter in Evidence-based Non-pharmacological Therapies for Palliative Cancer Care and Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Secrets. Most recently, she was a co-recipient of the first-place award for a research paper entitled Acupuncture for Pediatric Sickle Cell Pain Management: A Promising Non-Opioid Therapy from the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. She continues to conduct research on the use of integrative therapies in pediatric oncology and hematology, under the direction of Dr. Elena Ladas.

Michelle received her Masters of Science in Acupuncture from Tri-State College of Acupuncture and her Massage Therapy education from the New York College of Health Professions. Previously, she led a family acupuncture practice in Manhattan for over ten years, specializing in Acupuncture Physical Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, for patients undergoing cancer treatment and patients with myofascial pain and stress-related conditions. Michelle was a member of the core faculty at the Tri-State College of Acupuncture for over decade. She completed the first official certification program in pediatric acupuncture in the United States from Jing Shen Pediatrics, served as co-chair of the Program Manager Special Interest Group for SIO, and leads a robust wellness initiative for the staff at CUIMC.

William Clearfield, DO, FAAMA

Awarded “Best Men’s Health,” “Best Weight Loss Clinic,” second “Best Women’s Clinic,” and one of the top three medical practices in all Northern Nevada in the “Best of Sierra Nevada’s annual patient survey, Dr. William Clearfield has done it all. (Or most of it all.)

Dr. William Clearfield is pleased to return to his roots and first love in the world of integrative medicine, Medical Acupuncture. A 1991 graduate of Dr. Joseph Helm’s flagship course Medical Acupuncture for Physicians, Dr. Clearfield was a student of and a colleague of the Best of the Best that medical acupuncture had to offer.

Dr. Clearfield earned his medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery and went on to residencies in OB-Gyn and Family Medicine. Board-certified by the (MD) American Board of Family Physicians in 1982, Dr. Clearfield continued his studies with advanced training in medical acupuncture, cardiac rehabilitation, and age management.

In 1988, Dr C. spearheaded the first combined intermittent fasting and cardiac rehabilitation in Northeast Pennsylvania, earning accolades for advancing medicine in post-myocardial infarction care.

In 1994 Dr. Clearfield opened the first medical acupuncture rehab clinic at the John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in Wilkes Barre, Pa. Dr. C developed acupuncture protocols to treat a wide variety of post-operative orthopedic and post-coronary artery bypass and carotid artery bypass patients.

Today, Dr. Clearfield is a highly sought-after, engaging speaker and educator. Dr. C regularly presents his unique perspective on all topics in the chronic disease management field at the semi-annual Nevada Osteopathic Medicine Association meetings, the Age Management Medical Group, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, OMED, the American Osteopathic Association’s Scientific Convention, the American Osteopathic Society of Rheumatologic Disease, SVYASA University in Bengaluru, India, the American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians, and the Second through Tenth Annual International Webinars on Traditional and Alternative Medicine. He is a faculty member in the Department of Homeopathy at the Bio Quantum Academy in Toronto, Canada, an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine and Guadalajara University.

David Coggin-Carr, MD, FAAMA

David Coggin-Carr is a UK + US dual-trained obstetrician, Maternal-Fetal Medicine subspecialist and early career physician-scientist at the University of Vermont. He has been a practitioner of acupuncture since 2007 and holds the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS) Diploma in Medical Acupuncture and a Masters of Science (MSc) degree in Western Medical Acupuncture from the University of Hertfordshire. He is board-certified in OB/GYN and medical acupuncture and has also completed a faculty fellowship in Integrative Medicine via the Osher Collaborative of Integrative Health. Since 2015 he has served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Acupuncture in Medicine (owned by BMAS and published by SAGE), which is the currently the highest impact acupuncture-only journal worldwide. He is a strong supporter of acupuncture research and is particularly interested in the evidence-based integration of acupuncture and related techniques into conventional care for pregnant individuals. He also runs a translational research laboratory where he is exploring new applications of acupuncture in animal models of high-risk pregnancy.

Toby Daly, PhD, LAc

Toby began studying Chinese medicine in 1997 with a Korean monk trained in the Saam tradition. He earned his master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2002 upon completion of training at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco and Chengdu University in China.

In 2013, he developed the Chinese Nutritional Strategies app to provide digital access to the wealth of Chinese dietary wisdom. In 2016, he completed a PhD in Classical Chinese Medicine under the guidance of 88th-generation Daoist priest Jeffery Yuen. In 2021, he developed the Chinese Medical Characters app to enable direct access to foundational Chinese medical terms and concepts.

In 2023, he published his first book An Introduction to Chinese Medicine. In 2024, he released his second book, The Saam Acupuncture Tradition: Classical Roots and Clinical Applications.

His current focus is on sharing his almost 30 years of clinical experience with the Saam tradition.

Barbara de la Torre, MD, FAAMA

Barbara de la Torre is board-certified in Family Medicine with additional training in psychiatry, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture, and holds a seven-year Master’s certification in Medical Qigong from the Ling Gui lineage. She has over 30 years of experience with Eastern and Western medicine, serves on AAMA’s Board and CME Committee, and is a faculty member at the Helms Medical Institute.

Dr. de la Torre integrated Traditional East Asian medicine into various clinical settings, from primary care to obstetrics to urgent care. Her training in hand microsystems began in college when her mother sent her a unique care package with silver-colored press pellets and hand microsystem maps. Dr. de la Torre trained under acupuncturist Dan Lobash, and medical acupuncturist Lowell Kobrin. She is dedicated to continuing “Dr. Dan’s” mission to teach Korean hand Therapy (KHT) to lay people and practitioners.

In 2022, Dr. de la Torre left corporate medicine to found and direct her company, Third Opinion MD, to spark a wave of change in the practice of medicine and how people can best navigate the existing healthcare system. She has a private practice in Portland, Oregon, and teaches East Asian self-care and preventive courses on qigong, hand microsystems, systems theory, and the history of medicine.

Peter Dorsher, MD

Dr. Peter Dorsher has been an AAMA member since completing the UCLA/HMI (Dr Joseph Helms’) training program in 1998. After completing a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Northwestern University, he pursued a medical degree and trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic Rochester, and subsequently joined the staff there before transferring to its Florida branch, where he practiced for 25 years including serving as chairperson of his department before retiring in 2020. His primary clinical interests have been in chronic pain syndromes and neurologic disorders. He has 35 years’ experience in treating myofascial pain syndrome, nearly 25 years’ experience using medical acupuncture, and over 15 years’ experience in use of low-level laser therapy for pain conditions. He has presented at over 200 national and international meetings on these topics; has over 85 publications including 43 peer reviewed articles in acupuncture and allopathic journals (including Journal of Pain and Nature Precedings); and has won multiple research awards from the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. He is now focusing on research and education, compiling 30 years of data and publications to explore acupuncture’s mechanisms and its fundamental overlaps with the myofascial pain syndrome and myofascial meridian traditions. A trigger point – Classical acupuncture point APP and a hybrid evidence-based acupuncture and myofascial pain educational venture are now in production.

Teresa Esterle, MD, DABMA

Dr. Esterle joined Alliance Integrative Medicine in 2017, after 17 years in practice as a board-certified pediatrician on Cincinnati’s West Side. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, she received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University and completed her pediatric residency training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she served as chief resident. She has completed an Integrative Medicine Fellowship through the Arizona Center of Integrative Medicine, received acupuncture training through the UCLA’s Helms Medical Institute, and passed her board-certification exam. Dr. Esterle has completed functional medicine training as a fellow in AIM’s Integrative Medicine Physician of Excellence program and received her certification from the Institute for Functional Medicine.

Dr. Teresa is a lifelong learner and is the Associate Medical Director of the IMPOE Fellowship offered through the Integrative Medicine Foundation in collaboration with AIM.

Melanie Gold, DO, DABMA

Dr. Melanie A. Gold is an osteopathic physician, a pediatrician, and a board-certified adolescent medicine sub-specialist. She completed a 3-year doctorate in Medical Qi Gong in 2017 and has studied Ayurvedic Medicine and Transcendental Meditation. Dr. Gold is currently a Special Lecturer and former Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Section of Adolescent Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center as well as a current Special Lecturer and former Professor in the Department of Population & Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. She was the Medical Director of NewYork Presbyterian or NYP’s seven School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) from 2014 to 2022. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture since 2014 and served as a board member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture and on their membership committee from 2015-2017. Dr. Gold served as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Section on Integrative Medicine for the American Academy of Pediatrics from 2015 to 2018. She is the recipient of the 2024 Pioneer in Integrative Medicine Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Integrative Medicine.

Over the past three decades, Dr. Gold has incorporated numerous integrative medicine modalities into her own clinical practice including osteopathic manipulation, medical hypnosis, Motivational Interviewing, Reiki, medical acupuncture, acupressure, Qigong, mindfulness, yoga, aromatherapy, aroma-acupoint therapy, and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Tapping. Dr. Gold expanded pediatric integrative medicine at NYC School Based Health Centers (SBHC) by training their staff to offer many of these modalities. Dr. Gold was a co-investigator on a NIH-funded study whose aim was to develop and test, in a randomized controlled trial, the efficacy of a mind-body integrative health sleep intervention to improve sleep quality among adolescent SBHC patients. Most recently, Dr. Gold has turned her focus to teaching and evaluating the training of health care professionals in the use of integrative therapies for their own self care and to enhance their credibility and effectiveness in teaching patients and patients’ families these same techniques for symptom management.

Shellie Goldstein, DACM, LAc

Shellie Goldstein, DACM, AP, LAc, is a globally recognized expert in cosmetic facial acupuncture. With a profound understanding of this specialized field, she has authored the acclaimed book “Your Best Face Now: Look Younger in 20 Days With The Do-It-Yourself Acupressure Facelift,” and developed the innovative Touch+Glow: The Do-It-Yourself Acupressure Facelift Kit. As an authority in her field, Shellie founded the Academy of Advanced Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture, which collaborates with the Pacific College of Health Sciences to offer the pioneering Facial Applications of Cosmetic Enhancement (FACE) program. In addition to her role as an educator, she serves as a professor at the Pacific College of Health and Science, where she imparts her extensive knowledge of cosmetic facial acupuncture to students. Her expertise has also been widely recognized by the media, with features on major television networks and in various local, national, and international outlets.

Rachel Groth, MPH

Rachel Groth is a Public Health Social Worker who is currently working as a Project Coordinator at the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. In her current role, Rachel serves as the research director for the NIH-funded PrEP for WINGS study, a randomized controlled trial of a mobile health syndemic intervention that aims to increase HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) initiation and reduce hazardous alcohol drinking and intimate partner violence among women in community supervision programs including probation, parole and alternative-to-incarceration programs in New York City. Rachel graduated in 2024 with a Masters in Public Health in Population & Family Health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, as well as a Masters of Science in Social Work specializing in Integrated Practice & Programming from Columbia School of Social Work. Upon graduating, Rachel was inducted as a member of the Delta Pi chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. Rachel also has a Bachelor of Arts with Highest Honors in Psychology from Brandeis University, where she wrote a thesis about the impact of the interaction between stress controllability and coping strategies on the risk for depression in undergraduate students, which received highest honors.

During her time in graduate school, Rachel worked as a Research Assistant for the Integrative Therapies Program within the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplant at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In this role Rachel collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to implement and evaluate the 12-week Resident Education in Sleep Techniques (REST) Program, which teaches pediatric residents to improve their own sleep through a specialized set of mind-body integrative health practices as well as information and tips for enhancing sleep. Rachel also published research about the role of school-based health centers in providing long-acting reversible contraceptive care to adolescents in New York City in 2024. Rachel also worked as a Teaching Assistant at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, both for the Public Health Interventions core course in 2023 and for the Qualitative Data Analysis course within the Department of Population & Family Health in 2024.

Rachel’s additional experience includes working as a U.S. State Policy and Advocacy Social Work Intern from 2023 to 2024, where she worked to cultivate partnerships with local organizations across the U.S. to coordinate legislative advocacy strategy and worked internally to create reproductive justice materials and social service guides to serve the Center’s clients. In addition, Rachel worked as a Research Assistant for the Social Intervention Group and the Action Lab for Social Justice at the Columbia School of Social Work from 2022 to 2023. Before graduate school, Rachel had experience working as a psychiatric rehabilitation specialist serving adults with mental illness in Massachusetts and as an early childhood education teacher.

Richard E. Harris, PhD

Richard Harris is a Susan Samueli Endowed Chair in the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care in the School of Medicine at the University of California at Irvine. His background is in basic science and clinical research in alternative medicine. He received his B.S. degree in Genetics from Purdue University in 1992 and his Ph. D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley in 1997. Following his graduate work, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at NIH. He is a graduate of the Maryland Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has received an MS degree in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis at the University of Michigan. Dr. Harris is currently investigating mechanisms of chronic pain and its treatment with acupuncture and shamanism. His recent investigations have focused on the role of brain neurotransmitters and brain network behavior in chronic pain. He was a member of the National Advisory Council for NIH/NCCIH and is a current co-President for the Society for Acupuncture Research.

Louis A. Kazal, Jr., MD, FAAFP

Louis A. Kazal, Jr., MD, is Professor of Community and Family Medicine and Director of Integrative Medicine, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, staff physician, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, and Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Lebanon Primacy Care Clinic. He also is an Adjunct Professor appointment at Southern California University of Health Sciences. Dr. Kazal is a founding member of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s integrative health initiative and founder and Director of the Primary Spine Care Program and the Chiropractic Research Fellowship at Dartmouth.

Dr. Kazal holds a B.S. degree from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania and a M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed residency in Family Practice at McKay-Dee Hospital Center, Ogden, Utah, University of Utah School of Medicine and an Academic Fellowship in Research and Teaching, Department of Family Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He was a 2001-2 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow at the Institute of Medicine and Legislative Fellow in the U.S Senate, Washington, D.C. Dr. Kazal is a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice and Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is a Medical Acupuncturist and Board-Certified in Integrative Holistic Medicine and certified in Functional Medicine.

Michelle Loy, MD, DipABoIM, DipABLM, DABMA, FAAP

Dr. Michelle Loy, MD, FAAP is a nationally recognized quadruple board-certified physician who received her BA (magna cum laude) from Harvard College, her MD from Weill Cornell Medical College, pediatrics residency at New York Presbyterian-Cornell, and adult/pediatric integrative medicine fellowship from Columbia University/Stamford Hospital. She utilizes evidence-based interventions from modern medicine and traditional modalities including nutrition, movement, acupuncture, botanicals, and mind-body medicine to prevent and manage chronic medical conditions across all age groups at Integrative Health and Well-Being/Weill Cornell Medicine. As an assistant professor, she frequently presents to physicians, patients, and the community on her clinical and research interests which include nutrition, culinary medicine, botanical medicine, oncology, women’s and children’s health, clinician well-being, narrative medicine, and group visits, all from the lens of advancing health equity. Dr. Loy has achieved recognition in integrative medicine at national and international academic conferences. She is an executive board member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine and the AAP Section of Integrative Medicine. She holds board certifications in Integrative Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Medical Acupuncture, and Pediatrics. Dr. Loy is a Lecturer for the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Program (Cornell University) and serves on the medical advisory board of Plant Powered Metro New York. In her recreational time, she enjoys reading, swimming, running, exploring farmer’s markets, and creating healthful, whole-food, plant-forward meals for her husband and five children.

Josh Margolis, LAc, DOMTP

Joshua Margolis, Lac, DOMTP has been practicing acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine since 2001. From 2005 to 2009, he was on faculty at The Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland and The Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley teaching anatomy, orthopedic acupuncture, advanced channel theory, and pain management. Currently, Joshua is on staff at The Osteopathic College of Ontario and teaches orthopedic acupuncture and manual therapy courses in several Bay Area acupuncture doctoral programs and acclaimed manual therapy courses for acupuncturists privately.

In Joshua’s years of practice in the Bay Area, he has gained a diverse and loyal following, comprised of professional musicians, dancers, yogis, restauranteurs, and athletes, as well as children, the elderly, and those with severe chronic illness. He has been practicing at Farmacopia, in Santa Rosa, CA since 2011.

Yehudah Jay Sandweiss, DO, FAAMA

Dr. Jay Sandweiss brings over 40 years of clinical experience as a multi-faceted physician/healer and master course instructor. Since 1979, Dr. Sandweiss has presented his knowledge and skills both nationally and internationally to audiences that include: medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, chiropractors, nurses, physical therapists, athletic trainers, certified massage therapists, and other health professionals. His courses integrate manual muscle testing and skilled palpation with comprehensive osteopathic and functional medicine algorithms that effectively diagnose and treat complex patient presentations. Attendees are offered a rich variety of manual medicine techniques for resolving somatic dysfunctions throughout the body. Numerous nutritional pearls are offered for the treatment of pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Dr. Sandweiss has practiced medicine as an osteopathic physician board certified in neuromusculoskeletal medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, and medical acupuncture. His avid interests and study of functional/nutritional medicine allows him to also look at problems through a nutritional/metabolic lens that explores cellular and hormonal physiology, while simultaneously assessing the more macro-ergonomic effects of somatic dysfunctions on a disrupted anatomy.

Since 1974, Dr. Sandweiss has been practicing and teaching several martial arts including Karate, Kung Fu, and Aikido. From 1977 to 1978, he studied abroad under renown Karate and Kung Fu grandmasters based both in Taiwan and Okinawa solidifying his commitment to the disciplines. Dr. Sandweiss presented a series of martial arts seminars in Atlanta in 2022. His martial arts training has provided him with a refined kinesthetic awareness and insight about kinesiology and body language. Thus, Dr. Sandweiss brings to his courses a unique blend of approaches for managing diverse health conditions including pain, stress, and musculoskeletal dysfunctions. At the office, he is a “one-stop shop” offering his patients osteopathic manipulation, medical acupuncture, functional medicine, nutrition, exercise prescription, and basic family medicine.

Sivarama Prasad Vinjamury, MD, DACM, MPH

Dr. Sivarama “Prasad” Vinjamury graduated from the University of Kerala, India earning a Doctor of Medicine in Ayurveda degree.  He then received his Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree from Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) and subsequently received the Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine degree from Pacific College of Health and Science. He also received Master of Public Health degree from Cal State Fullerton.

Dr. Prasad is currently working as a Professor at Southern California University of Health and Sciences (SCU) teaching traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. He is the Assistant Director of Eastern Medicine Department and the Director of Integrative and Family Health Services, SCU Health.  He provides acupuncture and Ayurveda medicine services at the University Health Center, Whittier. Dr. Vinjamury has over thirty years in clinical experience in integrating Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and western diagnostic methods to evaluate, assess, and manage patients.  In addition to his teaching and clinical services, he is also deeply involved in clinical research in complementary and integrative medicine (CIM). He has been a Principal Investigator of studies on Fibromyalgia, Hypertension, Insomnia, Cancer and Osteoporosis. He has presented papers on various subjects in several national and international conferences and published several articles on CIM topics in peer-reviewed journals. He served as an expert for WHO for developing benchmarks for Ayurveda practice and education and in developing ICD-11 codes for traditional medicine. He is also actively involved in American Public Health Association as the past chair of Integrative Complementary and Traditional and Health Practices (ICTHP) section and advocates for TCM, Ayurveda and other integrative therapies for health promotion. He is a member of the board of NAMACB and AAC and is currently the chair of the NAMACB. He is a Co-Chair of Clinical/Educational Working Group of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine.

Joseph Walker, III, MD, DABMA

Joseph Walker, III, MD, DABMA has completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as a fellowship in Pain Medicine. This fellowship was multi-disciplinary with integration of physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, psychiatry, and physiatry. He is dual board certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the sub-specialty of Pain Medicine as well as Medical Acupuncture. He has medical licensure in two states: Connecticut and Massachusetts. He treats patients with a wide range of painful conditions and currently works at the University of Connecticut Medical Center in the University Spine Center within the department of Orthopedics working clinically over 40 hours/week. He performs spinal interventional procedures as well as medical acupuncture. He has memberships in several pain/rehabilitation medicine societies. Objective evidence of his contributions to academic medicine are evidenced by invited talks, book chapters, invitations to sit on editorial review boards, and service on professional committees.

Jim Whedon, DC, MS

Jim Whedon DC, MS is a Senior Health Services Researcher at Southern California University of Health Sciences and Adjunct Professor at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. He has authored more than 60 peer reviewed publications. He is a recipient of the Jerome F. McAndrews DC Memorial Research Fund Award from NCMIC Foundation and the Scott Haldeman Award for Outstanding Research from the World Federation of Chiropractic.

Norman Zavela, MD, FAAMA

Dr. Norman Zavela has been practicing medical acupuncture since 1995 and is a board-certified anesthesiologist who completed the HMI course in 1996 and was board certified in 1999.  He received his training through the Helms Medical Institute and had been a member of the AAMA since then.  He is currently serving on the AAMA Education Committee. Dr. Zavela has his own clinic and is willing to treat most anything that comes through the door.

Dr. Zavela has training in several techniques including French Energetics, Neuroanatomic, Japanese Meridian, Joe Wong One-Needle, Korean Hand, Auricular Acupuncture, Yamamoto Scalp, Chuna Manual Therapy, Manual Muscle Testing, Applied Kinesiology, among others.

Over the last few years he has developed a system of combining several techniques into a concise treatment plan and refers to this approach as ULTRA Acupuncture.  This approach has resulted in an accelerated and more complete relief of pain symptoms.