AAAOM is governed by an elected Board of Directors composed of four officers and the immediate past-president. The Executive Committee includes the president who serves as chair, the vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and immediate past-president. The executive director serves as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.

 

Responsibilities of the Board:

• To position AAAOM to best serve all of its members and to maintain the focus and vision to improve the practice and management of acupuncture
• To establish policy
• To direct the activities of the elected officials, committees, and executive director
• To oversee AAAOM finances

Board of Directors

Carlos Chapa, PhD, Dipl. OM, LAc

PRESIDENT

Carlos Chapa is a US Navy Veteran, proudly serving for over 5 years as a Marine Medic. He won numerous awards for his leadership roles and was nominated for Sailor of the Year. He worked as a Nurse Assistant in various Emergency Rooms and volunteered as a Paramedic for over 7 years. Carlos continued his Philosophy / Pre-med undergraduate studies, which included Korean & Chinese Languages. This eventually brought him to Asia where he was exposed to Acupuncture & Eastern Medicine first hand. Carlos graduated from Dongguk University in 2006 and was part of the first student group that was chosen to go to S. Korea to complete an externship at several Korean Hospitals. This scholarship / award was offered to Carlos due to his Leadership roles as the President of the student body. Since then, Carlos has completed several externships in S. Korea and China. He received his PhD in 2012 and continues to travel from Dallas to NYC and LA for advanced training.

Carlos created a Dallas / North Texas group where he has an active role in building relationships with fellow LAc's and is a proud member of the TAAOM and AAAOM. His vision and mission statement is simple. United we stand, divided we fall.

 

 

Drea Miller, Dipl. OM, LAc

VICE PRESIDENT 

Drea Miller is a South Korean born acupuncturist and lead acupuncturist at Big Sun Acupuncture in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Her journey to become an acupuncturist began after receiving acupuncture for an autoimmune disorder in her late teens.  The healing she experienced was so profound that she has dedicated her life since then to sharing the art and science of acupuncture with others in need.

She completed her Oriental Medicine training at the AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine in Austin, Texas in early 2011.  Drea is board certified through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), a certified Asian bodywork therapist through the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA), and a Master level Usui Reiki (energy work) practitioner.

Secretary

 

Fotios Sardelis Dipl. OM, LAc

TREASURER

Foti Sardelis is the founder of Anthos Acupuncture & Herbal clinic in Birmingham Alabama where he lives and practices since 2015. He has experience with a wide range of health concerns including pain, sub-fertility, allergies and emotional imbalances. He is driven by a passion for understanding the nature of health and the complex relationships that lead to it.  He holds a degree in Philosophy from the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), a Bachelors of Science from the Texas Health and Science University, and a Masters in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He is a NCCAOM diplomate and a member of the association for the advancement of Oriental Medicine in Alabama (AOMA).

Mary Riggin, LAc, DAc, AP, DOM

Dr. Mary Riggin, AP, DAc is a popular speaker and educator, and has maintained a busy cash-based practice since 1996.  She has been a political activist for the acupuncture profession in Florida since 1997.  She served as President of FSOMA, helped pass laws in Florida 3 years in a row, and served on Florida’s State Board of Acupuncture.  As current President of The Florida Society for Doctors of Oriental Medicine, she continues to advocate for the profession and educates Florida’s legislators and policy makers both locally and in Florida's State Capitol.  

In her private practice, she promotes a wellness lifestyle that includes full scope Oriental Medicine diagnosis and a logical plan to achieve optimal health.  She educates about how to turn food into medicine, and how to integrate fitness that’s individualized to her patients' needs.  In her book, "Freedom From Junk Food in 7 Days” she outlines a solution to the problem junk food cravings create when trying to eat a healthy diet.  

She is excited to bring her years of experience to the AAAOM board of directors, and is committed to helping integrate this ancient practice into our modern medical paradigm so it will eventually become part of standard of care in our society.

Haihe Tian, AP, Ph.D., M.D. (China)

Dr. Tian started his medical training in 1982 at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in China.  He studied Western and Chinese Medicine for 6 years.  He earned his Master and Ph.D. by working with Professor Dong Jian-hua for another 5 years. He worked in the Beijing University Hospital until 1997. Dr. Tian then moved to the United States where he has been teaching, practicing, and publishing on Chinese Medicine for over 18 years.

Dr. Tian also serves as a Committee member of CCAOM and SME member, site visitor, inspection specialist for ACAOM, and as a test writer for NCCAOM. He is the Chairman of TCM American Alumni Alliance (TCMAAA), President of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine American Alumni Association (BUCMAAA), President of American Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Director of Chinese Acupuncture and Herbs Center in Florida, and is the founder of the International TCM Alumni Association Alliance (ITCMAAA).

Past Board Members

Anne Biris, LAc

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Anne has been in private practice since 1994 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She graduated from Midwest College in Chicago with an MSOM. She is the founder of Humanitarian Acupuncture Project, a non-profit whose mission is to help form TCM clinics in underserved countries. Her passion is to help integrate and collaborate the different aspects of the field. She has a strong background in five element teachings and classical Chinese medical studies. Her clinical specialties are infertility and oncology.

Aldo D’Aversa D.C., Dipl. O.M., C.C.E.P.

Dr. Aldo D’Aversa is a chiropractor and a Chinese medicine doctor. He graduated from Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, TX, and has taken various postgraduate courses, including Applied Kinesiology, Clinical Kinesiology, Acupuncture/Meridian Certificate, Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner (C.C.E.P.), Total Body Modification (TBM), Cranial Therapy, Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) and Neural Emotional Technique (NET); amassing over 10,000 hours of post-graduate study. He then traveled to China and studied at Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine in Harbin, China.

Dr. D'Aversa started teaching while he was a student; he became the “Technique Tutor” for the college, teaching all nine of the schools techniques. He has taught now for over 20 years, initially for recent graduates and also as a guest speaker at Logan College of Chiropractic and Parker College of Chiropractic. He now lectures on various topics for Acupuncturists and Chiropractors. His studies have allowed him to combine the western medical view with the Chinese methodology in the recognition of disease to form a vitalistic view of wellness.