By +Emperor’sCollege
2013 was full of reflecting on the past and celebrating the future at Emperor’s College. We couldn’t be more grateful for our staff, students, patients, blog readers and social media community who have made it so special. As the year comes to an end, we’re counting down the 13 best things about 2013 (plus 1 for good measure).
1. Happy 30th Birthday to Us!
Emperor’s College turned the big 3-0 this year and firmly cemented its heritage as one of the oldest acupuncture schools in the US. On the weekend of November 1st-3rd, we celebrated the occasion in style with over 300 alumni, students, faculty and staff members. Together we reflected on the accomplishments of the past 30 years and set our sights high for continuing to spread integrative health and wellness across the country.
We’ve been inspiring the future of medicine since 1983. This is our history.
2. DAOM Program Receives Accreditation
In August 2013, our Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) Program was granted full accreditation. But not only did we pass the grade, but we did so Emperor’s College style – with flying colors. In one of the few times in the history of the Accreditation Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the doctoral program at Emperor’s College was granted full accreditation with no areas of ‘non-compliance‘.
Our doctoral program catapults the careers of acupuncturists. Learn how here.
3. Partnering with Being Alive
We’ve expanded our reach and added Being Alive to our growing list of clinical externship sites for master’s degree students. Our interns now have the opportunity to complete clinical rotations in Los Angeles’ largest HIV support clinic while doing some of the most important work they have yet to experience.
New clinical externship for master’s students at Being Alive HIV/AIDS clinic.
4. Acing the Big One… Again
Once again, our master’s program graduates hit it out of the park with a 94% pass rate on the February 2013 California Acupuncture Licensing Exam (CALE). This isn’t the first time we’ve set the bar for excellence and it certainly won’t be the last. Our students work hard and deserve every success that comes their way. Congrats everyone!
Sweet success! 94% pass rate on the California Acupuncture Boards!
5. #IHeartAcupuncture Goes Viral
National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is celebrated every October 24th, and this year we brought our passion to the streets of social media. With the help of acupuncturists and health advocates from near and far we spread #IHeartAcupuncture love all over the world.
Spreading #IHeartAcupuncture was only part of our AOM Day celebration. The rest is here.
6. Bridging the Gap with Experts
Two western medicine experts shared their knowledge with our students this past year:
Gastroenterology expert and NIH-funded research scientist Dr. Francisco Durazo, MD spent an afternoon at Emperor’s College to speak about his work in the field of herb-induced liver injury (HILI).
Dr. Durazo shared his herbal medicine research with us. See what we learned.
Harvard MD, Dr. Leana Wen, author of When Doctor’s Don’t Listen, made a special trip to Emperor’s College while on her book tour to discuss how patient outcomes can be improved if doctors spent more time reading between the lines and getting deep into patients’ stories.
Get the inside report from Dr. Wen’s inspiring message here.
7. Congressional Commencement Speaker
Congresswoman Judy Chu, PhD honored us with her presence as the keynote speaker at the 2013 graduation ceremony. Congresswoman Chu is one of the strongest advocates for the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, having co-authored the Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act, amongst other progressive pieces of legislature.
Congresswoman Chu presents a congressional citation to founder Dr. Bong Dal Kim, OMD, LAc for his contributions to the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine over the past 30 years.
8. Healing our Community
The tragic shooting incident at Santa Monica College was a mere mile from our cozy and idyllic campus. But instead of sending our silent sympathies, we mobilized. For the months of July and August Emperor’s College Acupuncture Clinic offered free acupuncture services to the entire Santa Monica College community to help them heal from the tragedy.
Emperor’s College loves Santa Monica College
9. Another Alumni Success
We are so proud of the many achievements of our alumni, but this year was especially sweet with the election of Nathan Anderson, LAc (class of 2003) as President of the California State Oriental Medical Association (CSOMA), the largest professional organization representing California acupuncturists.
Alumnus Nathan Anderson, LAc (class of 2003) elected President of CSOMA.
10. Subject Matter Expert for History Channel
Esteemed faculty member Dr. Yi Qiao, MD (China), MPH, LAc was featured on the History Channel speaking about the possible origins of acupuncture. Fact or fiction? That’s for you to decide.
Dr. Qiao on the origins of acupuncture starts at 32:25
11. Healthcare Revolutionaries
If you haven’t heard of the 2013 document Escape Fire, we recommend looking it up immediately. The film tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? We partnered with these film-making healthcare revolutionaries in June and hosted a free screening of the documentary for our Santa Monica community, complete with a Q&A with director Matt Heineman.
Read more about Escape Fire on Qi Blog.
12. Expanding Our Alumni Services
We can’t say it enough. We love our alumni and are dedicated to their success. That’s why we launched a Find an Acupuncturist Directory exclusively for Emperor’s College alumni. Looking for an acupuncturist in your neck of the woods? Find one here.
Find a great acupuncturist in your neck of the woods here.
13. Master Class
Even our most senior instructors became students when internationally acclaimed scholar, Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée,came to town. As happens most years, Elisabeth spent 2 days on campus sharing her deep knowledge of Chinese medical classics. On Day 1 she spoke to an intimate and captivated class of doctoral students, and Day 2 she packed the house with a sold out audience of continuing education seekers.
Elizabeth Rochat de la Vallee with one of her biggest fans, Dean MoraMarco.
14. A Headlining Act
The crown jewel of our DAOM program is the incredible research our doctoral students conduct. This culminating capstone project enhances the expertise of licensed acupuncturists pursuing an advanced degree and adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the efficacy of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Recent doctoral alumnus, Neil Maki, DAOM, LAc (class of 2013) made the front page of Acupuncture Today with his research article, Acupuncture: The Key and Future of High Sports Performance.
Doctoral alumnus, Neil Maki, makes front page of Acupuncture Today.
