The executive committee of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) hosted a meeting with the leaders of eight national acupuncture and Oriental medicine organizations on Saturday, March 12 in Columbia, Md.

to discuss issues regarding acupuncture and Oriental medicine education. The purpose of the meeting was to provide an opportunity for the leadership of the invited organizations to come together in an informal setting to share the mission and vision of their respective organizations and, within that context, to present their views concerning the role and impact of AOM education. The resulting dialogue was considered quite constructive, and will be of benefit to the Council in the development of its strategic plan for 2005-2006. The meeting of AOM leaders further served to identify ways in which participating organizations can work collaboratively in the future, as well as actions the Council can take to support the goals of these organizations.

Representing the CCAOM at the meeting were the Council's president, Lixin Huang, MSEd, along with Barbara Ellrich, AA (treasurer), Megan Haungs, LAc, MS (secretary), David M. Sale, JD, LLM (executive director), and Paula Diamond, BA (clean needle technique program manager and finance administrator). Representatives from other organizations in attendance (organizations listed alphabetically) included:

• Will Morris, LAc, OMD, MSEd, president, American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM)
• Dort S. Bigg, JD, executive director, Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)
• Debra Howard, AOBTA CI, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM), LMT, president, American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA)
• Barbra Esher, AOBTA CI, Dipl. ABT & Ac. (NCCAOM), LAc, director of education, AOBTA
• David Blaiwas, LAc, Dipl. Ac., vice president, National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance (AOM Alliance)
• Michael McCoy, PhD, executive director, AOM Alliance
• David Paton, LAc, president, Federation of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Regulatory Agencies (FAOMRA)
• Alice McCormick, MDiv, MOM, Dipl. Ac. & CH (NCCAOM), chair, National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)
• Kory Ward-Cook, PhD, chief executive officer, NCCAOM
• Johanna Chu Yen, MD (China), AP, board member, National Federation of Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Organizations (NFCTCMO)
• Lixing Lao, PhD, MD (China), LAc, co-president, Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR)

The Council's initiative in hosting this meeting is consistent with its leadership role in AOM education and its organizational mission of advancing acupuncture and Oriental medicine by promoting educational excellence. Additionally, the Council recognizes the importance of meetings that provide constructive opportunities for AOM leaders to find common ground on subjects of mutual interest.

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