I was pre-med in undergrad and have Bachelors Degrees in Elementary Education and African/African- American Studies from Washington University in St Louis. I received my MSOM from what is now the Florida College of Integrative Medicine in Orlando, FL, in 1998, and did a summer externship at Yu Huan Ding Hospital in Yantai, Shandong Province, PRC following graduation. I did teach for 5 1/2 years and also worked at Harcourt Brace Publishing in their Schools Division. My education background and focus on community empowerment and social justice has always informed my philosophy in practice. I come from parents who were organizers in their own rights – if they saw an injustice or a way to improve the community around them – they worked to solve or improve the situation. I've built my practice to be inclusive and to serve a wide variety of patients respective of income. To that end, I believe a more united and cooperative profession is a much stronger one. I've helped to write the rules and regulations for Missouri, served as President of the Acupuncture Association of Missouri, and currently serve on the NCCAOM Board of Commissioners – most recently finishing up a 3 year term as Board Chair. It's not about the titles – it's about the work and the longevity of the profession. If I can help or serve in anyway to make our profession stronger – I am there.
I am the owner of Acupuncture Saint Louis & Wellness Center, a holistic multi-specialty clinic in Saint Louis, MO, where I practice Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine. In addition to my private practice, I worked at CHIPS (Community Health-In-Partnership Services), a multi-specialty clinic for uninsured and underinsured individuals in north St. Louis from 2000-2012 and previously ran the acupuncture detox component of St. Louis City Drug Courts program for a time.