SO Portland Post Conference Communications

Hello fellow AAAOM Student Members!

The 2007 AAAOM meeting in Portland, Oregon, October 18-22, was a great success! Not only did we celebrate the 25th anniversary of this esteemed organization, we also celebrated the recent reunification of the AOM Alliance and the AAOM. One hundred thirty-eight students attended the conference --a record number that included the ten founding members of the AAAOM Student Organization Council (SOC) The first-ever student board was elected at the 2006 Phoenix meeting and worked with great dedication to create a structure for the continuation of the first ever National Student Board for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

The AAAOM-SOC had many accomplishments throughout the 2006-07 year:

• Form AAAOM-SOC local chapter bylaws and the formation of 8 local chapters
• Created 2007 AAAOM-SOC membership campaign which increased student membership from 324 to over 800
• Created AAAOM-SOC scholarships
• Drafted AAAOM-SOC Policy and Procedures manual
• Led silent auction fundraisers in both Phoenix (2006) and Portland (2007)
• Participated in several national conferences
• Attended the National Chiropractic Legislative Conference and lobbied in Washington DC
• Cooperated with the AAAOM on Joint Committee work

After the 2006 AAAOM-SOC gave their annual reports at Saturday’s student caucus, Gene Bruno, OMD, presented the first- ever Trudy McAlister Scholarships. Andrew Fritsch of Northwestern Health Sciences University and Jason Moskovitz of Yo San University were each awarded a $1000 scholarship. Additionally, Neil Gumenick raffled two books from the Worsley Institute and David J. Kuoch gave away seven of his brand new Acupuncture Desk References. Also raffled off were six $250 scholarships donated by the AAAOM-SOC, one for each AAAOM-SO region. Annette Sacksteder (Pacific NW Region), Pamela Garcia (Pacific SW Region), Tina Perry (Midwest Region), Lisa Kitteson (Atlantic SW Region), Tammy Nelson (Atlantic NW Region) and Nancy Roberson (Mountain Region) were the six lucky winners.

Between the raffles, several leaders in our field gave motivational and educational talks; among them were John Pirog from the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, David Payton of FAOMRA, and Marilyn Allen of the AAC (who also generously bought the students a delicious lunch). During lunch there was terrific student discussions focusing on integrative medicine, AOM legislation, and the nomenclature debates.

Following these discussions AAAOM-SOC elections were held. Most of the 2006-07 officers were re-elected, and a handful of new student members were elected to the SOC. The 2007-08 AAAOM-Student Organization Council members are: Co-President Amanda Troelsen, Co-President Patty Fullin, Co-President Emeritus Rhonda Wilbur, Co-President Emeritus Koala Moore, President -Elect Jolene Habeck, Vice President Niall Sheehan, Treasurer Maureen Woyci, Treasurer Daljit Sachdev, Regional Director Coordinator Margo Schaefer, NW Pacific Regional Director Kimberely Benjamin, SW Pacific Regional Director Melissa Monroe, Mountain Regional Director Nancy Robertson, NE Atlantic Regional Director Jim Pastore, and SE Regional Director Jackie O’Meara. The newly elected SOC had their first meeting Saturday evening, after which some members attended the AAAOM annual gala dinner. The rest of the SOC joined the Oregon students at the Tugboat, a local microbrewery for more discussion and libations. All had a great time!

We thank you all for your continued support, and a special to thanks to all of you who attended the conference and provided your much-appreciated input. We look forward to serving you in the coming year and wish you all every success.

With Gratitude,

The AAAOM-Student Organization Council