Author: Caitlin Tsai

Interviews

Members of Five Branches Interviewed by Michael Zwerling from KSCO

On January 28th, Five Branches University was invited to a KSCO Saturday Special podcast hosted by Michael Zwerling.

Representing Five Branches, President and CEO Ron Zaidman and vice president Joanna Zhao were joined by instructor Nicholas W Hancock as they discussed how Traditional Chinese Medicine promotes health. From the different branches of TCM, to illness treatment and illness prevention, listeners got to hear various TCM-related topics and also had their questions answered in a Q & A session.

To hear the full podcast, visit the KSCO webpage

News & Events, University News

Degree Title Change Announcement

As of September 1st of 2022, the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) has announced a change in TCM-related degree titles. All Graduates graduating after January 1st, 2024 will receive the new degree titles.

The changes are as follows:

  • DTCM (Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine) is now DAcHM (Doctor of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine)
  • MTCM (Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine) is now MAcHM (Master of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine)
  • The above two degrees are to become separate degrees for new enrollments
  • The DAc/MAc (Doctor of Acupuncture and Master of Acupuncture) Dual-Degree Program will also be separated into DAc (Doctor of Acupuncture) and MAc (Master of Acupuncture) degrees respectively 
  • DTCM/DAc Bridge Program will be known as Bridge (Completion) Program 

* Five Branches University is currently undergoing the transitional phase of updating all website content and documents to reflect the changes above.

More Details:

ACAHM Program Naming Page
BPPE Santa Cruz Five Branches School Details

BPPE San Jose Five Branches School Details
News & Events

Community Service at Align Tech 2022

A Healthful Day at the Company

We were very thrilled to be invited once again by Align Tech to provide community service treatments on Wednesday, November 9th. Our senior interns and senior professors spent a day providing treatments and health tips to our guests from Align Tech. Winter is upon us and Five Branches would like to remind everyone to take care and stay warm!
University News

FBU Students Experience Hands-on Learning in Needle Camp

Needling's in Session!

For over a year now, Five Branches University has been operating weekend Needle Camps at both the San Jose and Santa Cruz campuses. The Needle Camps started with the initiative of one of FBU’s acupuncture class faculty, Tom Dicklin. He was concerned that the online delivery of acupuncture classes, forced by the pandemic, hindered the competency of his students. His idea was met with great enthusiasm by the Academic Dean, Joanna Zhao. Several Needle Camps were offered to Five Branches students free of charge. Prof. Zhao along with other Five Branches faculty supervised the students as they practiced acupuncture point location and needling techniques. Recently, another FBU faculty member, Shawn Smolinski, volunteered to provide a few lunchtime training sessions to review adjacent acupuncture techniques such as electro-acupuncture, Gua Sha, and cupping. He also addressed manual Tuina massage techniques and protocols. Kimberly Duhlmann, from the Santa Cruz Student Council, reported that “students were so grateful to have additional hands-on practice time as we come out of strictly online learning”.
 
University News, University News

An Enriching TCM Immersion Event Successfully Held

A Profound Experience Shared with many

On October 16th, both the Santa Cruz and San Jose Five Branches campuses successfully held our TCM Immersion Event. Thanks to the hard work of our staff, faculty, students, and alumni, we have had the honor and pleasure to present lectures, a program open house, as well as complimentary TCM diagnosis and treatment.

We enjoyed sharing the profound realm of TCM with everyone, by having them experience TCM education and TCM healing firsthand. We would like to thank all of the guests who came and shared this enriching experience with us!
University News

Congratulations to our Graduates of 2022!

Five Branches Graduates Celebrate Their Milestone

Last Sunday on August 21st, our DAOM, DTCM, MTCM, and Bridge program graduates celebrated the milestone of completing their education through years of hard work. Within the endless lines of graduates lie limitless aspirations and potential. Congratulations to this new generation of healers!
Senior Professors Lucy Hu and Julie Zhu
Left to right: Chihkang M Chou, Jing Yang, Xin Wang
Left to right: YuanYuan Sky Wang, Linxi Wu, Xiangping Xie, Jing Yang, Xiaohong Yao, Ping Yu, Ruili Zhang, Chunxiu Zhou, Yi Zhou
Senior Professor Doc Mitchell in the middle with graduates
News & Events, University News

Five Branches Admissions Fund Scholarship

Every term, Five Branches University offers its incoming students three scholarships per campus in the amounts of $500, $750, and $1,000.

To qualify for scholarship submission students must:

  • Have applied for financial aid (even if you don’t believe you qualify)
  • Have no family or other organization financial contribution
  • Minimum GPA of 3.00

 A one-page only statement of purpose essay along with a cover letter, which includes your name and current address, and phone number must be submitted to the admissions office (Santa Cruz or San Jose) by or before Orientation Day.  Please note that late applications will not be reviewed.

The Scholarship Review Committee will review all applications based on the above criteria and the strength of the statement of purpose essay and announce the winners within four (4) weeks.  Scholarship awards will be applied towards the winners’ next term tuition.

University News

A Successful Spring 2022 Outdoor Wellness Event

This past Saturday, under the supervision of Dr. Juan Li, our interns have had the pleasure of giving back to the community through TCM diagnosis and TCM acupuncture/acupressure services at our San Jose campus. Not only have we had the opportunity to provide complementary treatments we also had the pleasure to promote TCM health and wellness to our guests. Five Branches University would like to thank all of our participating patients, faculty, interns, and staff who have come together to make this outdoor wellness event possible!