Each year, the American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM) attempts to surpass its conference from previous years on four different fronts: educational quality, networking and collaboration, products and services, and (last but certainly not least) a fun environment, i.e., entertainment, for those choosing to combine business with pleasure.
Educational Quality: Looking first at educational quality, the speaker lineup for this year's meeting is diverse and prestigious, and includes:
| Marilyn Allen, MS Charles Anders, PE RunPu Bei, PhD, LAc Cameron Bishop, MAc, AP Gene Bruno, OMD, LAc Adam Burke, PhD, MPH, LAc Doreen Chen, MD, OMD John Chen, PharmD, PhD, OMD, LAc Chao Chen, OMD, PhD, LAc Yu Chen, OMD, PhD, LAc Samuel A. Collins III, DC Felice Dunas, PhD, LAc Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc Michael Gaeta, LAc Neiqiang Gu, LAc Brenton Harvey, LAc/CH Hongjian He, AP George Hincapie Lorraine Da' Luz Vieira-Jones | Michelle Lau, PhD, LAc Daofang Li, MD, PhD, LAc Sam Shien-Chien Liang David Liu, PhD, LAc, Alon Marcus, LAc, DOM Kiiko Matsumoto, LAc Steve Meeker, Dipl. Ac., CH, FAAPM David Molony, Dipl. Ac., CH William Morris, OMD, LAc Atara Noiade, LAc Cynthia O'Donnell, AP Harry Oxenhandler, MD, Dipl. Ac. William Pettis, LAc, DOM Zhouyi Qiu, OMD Miki Shima, OMD, LAc Shawn Steel, Esq. Michael Tierra, LAc, OMD, AHG Daniel Wen, MD (China) |
This year's conference features 33 workshops and 37 speakers, and up to 34 continuing education units. The 2004 AOM Expo opens on Friday, Oct. 22, 2004, with an eight-hour preconference master's class taught by Kiiko Matsumoto entitled "Ancient Anatomy: Treating Constitutional Problems through the Elimination of Abdominal Pain." For acupuncturists already using the Kiiko Matsumoto style, this workshop will provide some new insight (since Kiiko always adds something new) and a good brush-up. For those who have little or no experience with the Matsumoto style, you will get an opportunity to observe this distinctive master acupuncturist at work and learn practical treatment strategies to treat constitutional problems.
The subsequent three-day event opens Saturday morning with a general session, officiated by AAOM President Gene Bruno. The general session features a keynote address by Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc. Professor Fruehauf is one of the pre-eminent translators of Chinese medical texts in the Western world, and the members of the AAOM are fortunate to experience his perspective. Our general session closes with a book signing by 10 of Oriental medicine's pre-eminent authors!
Celebrity Spokesperson: As the keynote speaker and celebrity spokesperson at the Saturday night Gala Banquet, George Hincapie, one of the country's best cyclists, is a seven-time Tour de France veteran and has played a pivotal role in Lance Armstrong's six victories. The role of Oriental medicine is more than a key in the door to George's success. Following a host of illnesses with no help from conventional Western medicine, George turned to Oriental medicine in an attempt to save his career. The OM treatments were so successful that it not only returned him to optimum health, thus saving his career, but now George uses OM as his primary means of health care.
The myriad of topics has been broken down into five tracks to include: an acupuncture track, an herb track, an integrative/eclectic track, a business and research track, and a Chinese track. Workshops and classes in each track include:
Acupuncture Track: "Ancient Anatomy: Treating Constitutional Problems Through the Elimination of Abdominal Pain"; "Differential Diagnosis and Management of Pain Syndromes"; "Japanese Moxibustion Techniques"; "Teen Trauma and TCM"; "Embodying the Spiritual Aspects of the Officials: How to Treat the Subtle Needs of Our Patients Using the Dynamics of the 5-Element Approach"; "Tong-Style Acupuncture"; and "Six Stages of Detoxification: Integration of the Shan Han Lun and Homotoxicology."
Herb Track: "Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosis with Chinese Herbal Medicine"; "Camellia Sinensis 'Cha' Use in TCM"; "Formula Application for Respiratory Disease"; "Herb Panel - Protecting Access to Herbal Formulas"; and "Integrating Classical Chinese Medicine with Modern Science: The Japan Model."
Integrative/Eclectic Track: "Symbol Science - The Forgotten Heart of Chinese Medicine"; "Auriculotherapy to Auriculomedicine, Fast and Effective Pain Control"; "Neoclassical Pulse Diagnosis (Sinews Assessment)"; "AAOM Student Caucus"; and "The Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic and Recurrent Low Back Pain Caused by Pelvic Tilt Syndrome."
Business and Research Track: "The Art and Science of Running a Practice"; "The President's Roundtable - Shaping Our Professional Future Through the Power of Diversity"; and "Integrating Herbs, Nutrition and Acupuncture for the Treatment of Cancer."
Chinese Track: "The Deliberation of TCM Treatment for Infertility"; "The Application of Chinese Medicine in Treating Cancer"; "I Ching Acupuncture"; "Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosis with Chinese Herbal Medicine"; "Beijing Panel"; "Diagnosis & TCM Treatments for Cholecystitis and Gallstones"; TCM Preventive Treatment on Hepatic Fibrosis"; and "TCM Treatments for Cardiological Conditions & Interfacing Treatments With Western Medicine.
Networking and Collaboration: With "The Power of Diversity - One Tree, Many Branches" as the conference theme, unification of the profession is a central point. The president's roundtable forum, "Shaping Our Professional Future Through the Power of Diversity," is an event that can't be missed. For the first time in the history of OM, representatives from 50 states in the U.S. have been invited to participate in collectively shaping the future of Oriental medicine. Participants will be provided hand-held (C0-Nexus™) technology that anonymously records each participant's input to a myriad of identified issues. At every stage of workshop progression, attendee feedback will be immediately provided to all for purposes of discussion.
AAOM will be seeking input from preregistered participants to establish the meeting's agenda. A follow-up report will outline an OM Unification Roadmap for implementation. This is an historic event as we collectively identify concrete steps for immediate implementation. Association presidents, directors, executive directors, practitioners and students are invited. Equally for students, the Student Caucus is a forum for students to discuss and share their opinions on pressing national matters, thereby having a voice as an AAOM constituent. Facilitated by AAOM board members, the goal of this event is to serve as the inception of AAOM's National Student Association. Students will be allowed to attend the entire conference (minus the preconference Matsumoto workshop) for $50. To receive this rate, students must attend the student caucus. (On a first come-first serve basis, 15 students will be invited to participate in the president's roundtable.)
Products, Services, and Great Food, Too: Over 80 vendors will be present at this year's event. Product and service overviews are available online at www.aaom.org. This conference is unique in that the price of admission includes morning and afternoon breaks as well as a luncheon snack to be served in the exhibition hall. More importantly, management is asking each vendor to feature conference discounts for their products and services. "Special deals" will be available for astute bargain conscious shoppers. Housed in a festive atmosphere a la Rio de Janeiro, never has visiting, shopping and consuming sumptuous food been so much fun!
Other Scheduled Events: AAOM conventions serve host to a myriad of national meetings, and this year is no exception. Here's the lineup. VSTF - Friday evening, Oct. 22: The Visioning Search Task Force is slated to design a process for assessing a future vision for Oriental medicine according to the stakeholders of the profession. FAOMRA Meeting: The Federation of Acupuncture and Oriental Medical Regulatory Agencies will meet to discuss the formation, protection, and expansion of laws and scope of practice acts in various states with regard to Oriental medicine. Council of Colleges: Representatives from the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine gather to discuss and guide educational issues. ACAOM Meeting: The Accreditation Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine meets to determine accreditation standings of colleges with AOM programs. AAOM General Business Meeting: Announcements to the general membership will occur, and AAOM's House of Delegates elects new board members.
A Fun Environment & Entertainment : Beyond superb education, if entertainment and night life is what you're looking for, the Rio has it all, 24/7! It will never be said that Las Vegas lacks for luxury, but even in Las Vegas, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is a standout example of sheer grandeur. With a casino of 120,000 square feet, two exciting nightclubs, four pools, workout facilities, a world-class spa with steam rooms, whirlpools, massage, and a beach and lagoon all to itself, the Rio doesn't lack for amenities. The Rio's 2,500 suites each provide spectacular views of Las Vegas.
Dining: The Rio's award-winning dining experiences (16 restaurants) take you around the world for an unforgettable culinary experience. Enjoy international inspirations from the Mediterranean to Latin America to Asia, along with all-American favorites, regional seafood and French dishes.
Entertainment: The Rio is one of Las Vegas' hottest entertainment destinations, where you can find celebrity entertainment, afternoon amusement, late night and interactive theater. Quite frankly, if you are a "homebody" that likes a little (or a lot of) night life, you'll never have to leave the hotel! To assist attendees in pre-planning your entertainment hi-lights, AAOM has done the work for you - just visit www.aaom.org to see what suits your fancy!
For more information, visit www.aaom.org, send an e-mail to
, or call (866) 455-7999. Register by Thursday, Sept. 20 to receive an early-bird registration discount.
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