AAAOM Student Caucus Brings Together Diverse Students and AOM Traditions

By Sydney Dugan and Elisa Behnk

At the AAAOM Conference and Expo in Sacramento, California, AAAOM-SO President Jolene Habeck welcomed nearly 75 students from around the country to the Student Caucus on April 25, 2009, observing “how widespread and yet connected we are.”

Ms. Habeck introduced AAAOM President Deborah Lincoln, who praised student involvement at the national level for their work in moving forward issues of general concern, while also helping to develop students into the leaders of the future.

Committee Reports

VP of Events Kimberly Benjamin, presented the Events Committee report, noting that this Conference is the first in which the Student Organization ran the registration desk and staffed volunteers for all the academic sessions. Many students attending the Caucus had served as volunteers and, with a show of hands, demonstrated enthusiasm for the experience. Ms. Benjamin will again manage the volunteer staffing operations for the spring, 2010 AAAOM Conference in Albuquerque, NM.

VP of Membership Austin Homrighaus reported that while not all student memberships had yet been tabulated, student membership to date had grown from 850 last year to nearly 1,300 student members this year. With five new school chapters, AAAOM-SOC now directly serves 18 of the 60 AOM schools nationwide.

“When people ask me why I am a member, I think it shouldn't be a question,” Homrighaus noted, “because doctors and lawyers automatically join their professional organizations. I understand budget constraints, which is why the half-price membership incentive was designed to make membership affordable to everyone.”

VP of Communications Elisa Behnk drew the audience’s attention to the AAAOM member communications vehicles—the online monthly Qi-Unity Report, the quarterly professional journal, The American Acupuncturist, and the AAAOM website. She walked student members through a brief communications survey to help AAAOM hone the content and presentation of information that is most useful to student members. Results from the survey will be shared with the AAAOM and incorporated into future communications planning.

Executive VP Jim Pastore reported on the AAAOM Action Corps. “We are designing a way for professionals and students to work together in teams, on topics such as membership, research, and legislative issues,” he said by way of a call to action for interested students. The Action Corps is an AAAOM specialized work force designed to confront the central issues shaping the AOM profession and carry out action plans that engage these issues head-on. For more information on joining the Action Corp, please contact Douglas Newton, dnewton@aaaomonline.org.

Student and Professional Panel Discussions

The greater part of the Student Caucus was dedicated to two panel discussions. The first—devoted to sharing the experience of sixteen member schools around the country—is explored in depth in this month’s Qi-Unity Report. The second panel, which surveyed diverse ways of practicing AOM through the experience of six licensed practitioners, will be explored in-depth in next month’s Qi-Unity Report.

Calls to Action

Students were then introduced to Harvey Kaltsas, who serves on the National Government Affairs Committee. Mr. Kaltsas spoke about the history of acupuncture in the United States, noting that “in 1970 there were no acupuncturists in the U.S. and now there are 25,000,” that it took until 1995 for the FDA to approve acupuncture needles, but that it wasn’t until 1997 that the National Institutes of Health deemed acupuncture “safe.” This progression, he noted, is speeding up under the Obama administration, which is mandating healthcare reform this year.

“We are fortunate to have hired a lobbyist, Sam Brunelli, who has extensive experience at the federal, state and local levels,” noted Mr. Kaltsas, “and I am asking for the financial assistance of each member in this room to achieve our lobbying goals.”

Mr. Kaltsas introduced Michael Taromina, Esq., AAAOM public board member and legal counsel, who issued a call to action in support of the AAAOM’s grassroots letter-writing campaign which supports passage of the Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009—HR646—seeking coverage of qualified acupuncturist services for Medicare recipients and federal employees as part of their health benefits program.

Wrap Up

AAAOM-SO President Jolene Habeck recognized the contributions of Marilyn Allen, with the American Acupuncture Council, who provided refreshments for the Student Caucus as well as the previous evening’s student meet and greet at the home of AAAOM Executive Director Bekah Christensen. Ms. Allen distributed a new CD of acupuncture articles to aid students in talking about AOM and as a resource for future business development.

The Student Caucus then concluded with a raffle, by region, of six Acupuncture Desk Reference books, donated by its author, David Kuoch, LAc.