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Five Branches University was one of more than 40 groups offering services at the fourth annual Project Homeless Connect event in Santa Cruz, CA. More than 700 low income and homeless individuals attended the event seeking free services including medical care, legal help, food and haircuts.
Ron Zaidman, President of Five Branches University and Joanna Zhao, Academic Dean traveled to Vietnam in March to establish two new hospital externships in Saigon and Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam has a rich history of Traditional Medicine and is a beautiful country. Our graduate and faculty member, Phu Tran, DC., L.Ac., and graduate Diem Nguyen traveled to Vietnam with Ron and Joanna after helping to facilitate relationships with these hospitals.
Joanna was impressed with the strong integration of Western and Eastern medical modalities. In Vietnam, our team witnessed large numbers of computerized simulation equipment used by students for the study and practice of both acupuncture and herbal medicine. Our team was informed of advanced research being performed regarding the effects of acupuncture on DNA.
Students will be able to join this new study abroad opportunity in Vietnam beginning in 2013.
During the trip, Ron and Joanna made a visit to our new sister college, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Fujian, China, with whom we recently established an agreement for externships and a joint DAOM & PhD(China).
Fujian University generously donated access to the most important TCM database of China for use by Five Branches students and faculty. Carol Wang, DAOM Academic Advisor and Director of Research, facilitated this relationship. While in China, Ron and Joanna were also able to visit Five Branches’ oldest sister college, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in Hangzhou, China.
We would like to thank Phu, Diem, and Carol for all of their hard work in establishing these new relationships.
On February 21, 2013, leaders of the Northern California Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine profession, including Ron Zaidman, President and CEO of Five Branches University, held a press conference in San Francisco, California to announce the benefits California residents will receive with the inclusion of Acupuncture in Obamacare (effective January, 2014). This is an important and significant development, as Acupuncture joins Western Medicine as an essential healthcare benefit to be included in private insurance plans.
For the second year in a row Heerei Park, our Director of the Korean Language Master’s program, led a group of Five Branches students on a Study Abroad externship at Dae Jeon University and Dun San Oriental Medicine Hospital. This time around, students from the English program and the Chinese language program joined the Korean MTCM students. Students had two very packed weeks with activities scheduled from 9am-6pm including visiting each hospital’s various clinical departments.
On December 16th, 2012 Five Branches University graduated 60 students from its Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine program, its largest graduating class to date. Accompanied by the lovely piano melodies by Joanna Zhao, Five Branches Academic Dean and accomplished concert pianist, the faculty and graduates from both campuses, English, Chinese and Korean programs entered the hall to take their seats. The graduation ceremony took place at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s magnificent Coconut Grove Ballroom. With Lion Dancing and heartfelt speeches by Ron Zaidman, Five Branches President & CEO, Dr. Angela Tu, Chair of FBU’s Board of Directors, and student elected class speakers; the graduates moved on to celebrate with their proud families and friends.
Please enjoy the video link of our celebration: Five Branches University’s Fall 2012 Graduation
As soon as the celebration bells silenced, graduates went back to hitting the books and continuing to study for the upcoming California Acupuncture Licensing Exam (CALE) on February 21st, 2013.
Join us in wishing our Fall 2012 graduates and our test-takers the best of luck on the upcoming February CALE. Despite high tension from the pending lawsuit against the CAB, following the very low passing rate that many schools encountered, Five Branches continued to maintain a high passing rate of 78% on the August 2012 exam. Yesterday, Natasha Worrell-Merritt, L.Ac., Five Branches Director of Review and Assessment, told graduates to “remember, you’ve studied so hard. Be confident in yourself and the knowledge you have. You will pass this exam!” Best wishes to all of you!
On Saturday, November 10, 2012, Dr. Shi Xuemin and Five Branches University celebrated the cooperation between Five Branches and the Tianjin University of TCM with an inauguration of the new Five Branches University Stroke Research Centers in San Jose and Santa Cruz, California.
On September 15th, 2012, President Ron Zaidman exchanges a gift of gratitude with Dr Li Candong, Vice-President of the Fuijan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the signing of our Cooperation Agreement.
Master’s and Doctoral students of Five Branches are invited to study with leading TCM practitioners in the hospitals of the Fujian University; and Five Branches will continue to invite their leading faculty to teach at the University. Dr Li complemented Five Branches University for our diverse and unequaled quality of Doctoral faculty.
Thank you to Five Branches faculty, Carol Wang and Susanna Shen, graduates of the Fujian University of TCM, for arranging this cooperation.
Five Branches University is proud to have earned the highest level of institutional and programmatic re-accreditation, 7-years, for its Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine Dual-Degree Program in Santa Cruz. In parallel, the Postgraduate Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Program in San Jose is now fully accredited by ACAOM, the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. We congratulate the Board, administration, faculty and students of Five Branches for this double accomplishment and recognition, and thank you for your contributions to the continued growth and development of the University. Continue reading
Five Branches University is proud to have earned full accreditation for its Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) degree program in San Jose, CA by ACAOM, the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. We are also pleased to annouce that our Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine degree program in Santa Cruz, CA earned the highest level of institutional and programmatic re-accreditation, 7-years. We congratulate the Board, administration, faculty and students of Five Branches for this double accomplishment and recognition, and thank you for your contributions to the continued growth and development of the University.
