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Oregon College of Oriental MedicineAnnual ReportFY2017

OCOM Annual Report FY2017Faculty Profile – Robert Kaneko, DAOM, LAcAlumni Profile – Brynn Graham, DAOM, LAcDonor Profile – Kathy Duerr / Bragg Health FoundationLeadership Teams / Donor ListRevenue and ExpensesWays to Give / Contact OCOMThe mission of Oregon College of Oriental Medicine is to transform health care by educating highly skilled and compassionate practitioners,providing exemplary patient care, and engaging in innovative research within a community of service and healing. 2018 Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. All rights reserved.OCOM Annual Report - FY2017

Faculty ProfileRobert Kaneko, DAOM, LAcRobert Kaneko came to OCOM from California in 1992, when CarolTaub, then Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, reached out to lethim know the college was looking for a new instructor. Soon thereafter,he moved to Portland to join OCOM’s faculty. After a year, he becomethe Clinic Director and, in 2003, became the Dean of Clinics. “Myfavorite work at OCOM has been teaching students in the clinics. I enjoyhelping the underserved, lower income people who otherwise wouldnot be able to engage in our services. And through this experience, Ilearn so much from our students. They are always bringing somethingnew for me to bring to my patients.”In 2007, Kaneko received his doctoraldegree in acupuncture and Chinesemedicine. His capstone project,“Health and Longevity,” has becomeincreasingly relevant with the agingbaby boomer population. “People areliving longer and looking to maintaintheir health well into their 80’s and 90’s.My mom is going to be 98. The advice Igive her is to keep a low-carb diet withlots of vegetables and lean meats.”Robert Kaneko, DAOM, LAc earned a BAin education from Antioch College (Ohio)in 1978, received his acupuncture/herbaltraining from SAMRA University in LosAngeles (1985), his DAOM from OCOM(2007), and supplemented these programswith study in China. He completed OCOM’sResearch Scholar program and hasparticipated in clinical and educationalresearch projects, including collaborationwith Oregon Health & Science Universityand Kaiser’s Center for Health Research.He maintains a private practice and hastaught meditation in the Portland areasince 1995.There is an emotional aspect tohealth and longevity as well. “Peoplecome see me for many ailments,so I do my best to identify the rootcause. What presents itself as chronicpain, insomnia, or digestion issues,is often stress or diet related. Insteadof just ‘fixing things,’ I find I am mosteffective by helping my patients learnto breath, calm their mind, and findsome balance in their lives.”I find most people who are looking for better health are able to find it. Icannot credit myself with anything miraculous. People heal themselves.I just help them along and inspire my patients to take action by takinganother step down the road to good health.”What is next for Robert Kaneko? “I think about retirement, but I can’tquit now. I am the best I have been my whole career. I want to continueto spread enthusiasm through students for the medicine, and helpmore people live happier lives.“In many cases — if the bodyis given a chance, and a littleassistance — it will heal itself.Acupuncture, Chinese herbs,exercise, and a bit of helpfulhealth advice, can help the bodyto move in a more healthfuldirection. Patients canoften can avoid medicationand even surgery.”“When I first meet a patient, I lookat what is happening from their core.I look at how they walk and breathe.I ask them about their habits andwhat they would like to change.OCOM Annual Report - FY2017

Alumni ProfileBrynn Graham, DAOM, LAcAfter getting less than adequate results withstandard treatments for her chronic health“Healing people is second nature to me. I love digging in,conditions, Brynn Graham turned to traditionalChinese medicine. “I was facing the prospecthelping to figure out the root cause of a patient’s illnessof taking several fairly powerful prescriptionso they can truly feel better and heal.”medications indefinitely, so I was willing to tryanother approach. This was in the early 1990’sand acupuncture was not very prominent in theAcupuncture Advisory Committee (AAC)Portland area, but a friend of mine talked me into trying it. After sixof the Oregon Medical Board (OMB)months of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, I felt significantfrom 2011 to 2017, before serving asimprovement and was able to discontinue taking all medications — thisAAC Chair from 2015 to 2017.was huge for me.”“The role of the OMB, as with anySo impressed with the healing power of Chinese medicine, she enrolledlicensing board, is to protect the public.in OCOM’s master’s program, graduating in 2001. After 13 years ofThe AAC has a strong advisory presenceprivate practice, she returned to OCOM for the postgraduate DAOMat the OMB, helping in regulating theprogram, from which she graduated in 2016.practice of acupuncture in Oregon,“ Brynn uses the perfect blend of WesternGraham has now worked in health care for more than 30 years. Priorand Eastern methodologies to createmaking treatments safe for patients, asopportunities for healing. You walk in oneto her career in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, she worked as awell as protecting the reputation of ourway and walk out completely transformed.”technologist at one of the larger Portland-area hospitals, where shemedicine. We are very fortunate here– Renee F., Patientspecialized in surgical X-ray and diagnostic imaging.in Oregon to have a strong, supportive,and reputable licensing Board thatGraham has since become a successful healer in Portland’s acupuncturerespects our profession.” In the past, Graham had served on the Board ofcommunity by establishing her own practice at Yoga Pearl WellnessDirectors for the now defunct Oregon Acupuncture Association.Center in the thriving Pearl District, where she has practiced for thepast 16 years. She focuses on treating pain, women’s health issues, andGraham is also a published author. Her case study, “Use of Acupuncturechronic health conditions in aging adults, specializing in treating pelvicfor Symptomatic Relief of Pruritic Urticarial Papules & Plaques ofpain in men and women.Pregnancy,” was published in the 2017 Winter issue of Meridians: TheJournal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.“Chronic pelvic pain patients are an underserved patient population,even in the Western medical community, mainly because theseMarried, with two adult children, Graham met her husband of 26conditions can be frustrating to treat. This is due to the fact that theyears at a Portland hospital where they both worked. He is currentlysource and mechanisms of the pain are poorly understood and, therefore,an associate professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Centercan be difficult to determine or treat effectively. The doctoral program(UMMC) in Jackson, teaching anesthesia residents in the operatingprovided me the opportunity to do internships with a variety of specialistsrooms. Graham splits her time between her Portland clinic andaround the country from whom I learned a great deal in treating thesecontracting at an acupuncture clinic in Mississippi, an underservedtypes of conditions. I utilize an integrative acupuncture approach whicharea, where she is one of only eight licensed acupuncturists in thecombines traditional Chinese medicine with medical acupunctureentire state. She has also conducted workshops on topics surroundingtreatment strategies. This seems to work well in treating these patients.”acupuncture and evidence-based medicine for residents, fellows, andGraham has shared her leadership skills at the state level, serving on thefaculty at UMMC.OCOM Annual Report - FY2017

Donor ProfileKathy Duerr, Ambassador, Bragg HealthFoundationSince 2015, Bragg Health Foundation has been supporting OCOM byproviding more than 25,000 in scholarships to master’s students,sponsoring health-promoting alumni CE events, and supporting thecollege’s Cherry Blossom Gala fundraising efforts.“OCOM has built a solid reputation, and so I recommended BraggHealth Foundation support your great college,” says Kathy Duerr,Bragg Health Foundation Ambassador. The foundation’s mission isto inspire and educate people of all ages throughout the world toadopt a healthy lifestyle through optimal nutrition, exercise, positiveattitudes, and spiritual wellness. In addition to providing scholarships,Bragg Health Foundation sponsors health outreach, providesprograms, books, and materials on healthy living, and supports healthscience research.Kathy Duerr first came to Bragg Health Foundation in 2005 as anindependent health consultant, promising Patricia Bragg (founderPaul C. Bragg’s daughter): “I can build a legacy for you.” Now, 13years later, Duerr has created a bridge between Bragg HealthFoundation and Bragg products to invest globally in youth, adults,and organizations like OCOM.Students are bringing in an emotional component, too. “They aretalking more about healthy lifestyles, how to cook better, and theimportance of having a garden. It’s no longer about what not to eat,but instead, what to eat.”“Eating ham and pineapple together at holidays isn’t just tradition,”she shares, as but one an example. “Pineapple has a natural enzyme,Bromelain, which supports the healthy digestion of protein. Nutritionalharmony exists in some of our most popular foods.”“This work is very personal for me. I have a thriving garden insoutheast Portland, so I am passionate about inspiring others tonurture good health, eat right, and be well.”You can provide support to Bragg’s outreach efforts and live a healthierlife by purchasing their nutritious products at www.bragg.com.The entire OCOM community is incredibly grateful for Bragg HealthFoundation’s partnership. For more information on the foundationand Bragg products, contact Kathy Duerr at kduerr123@msn.com orcall 503-788-2720.“Nutritional harmony exists insome of our most popular foods.”In the Patricia and Paul C. Bragg Health Science Scholarshipapplication, the question is asked, “OCOM’s mission statementreferences ‘a community of service and healing.’ What role cannutrition play in a community of service and healing? How will youintegrate the study of nutrition and its impact on human wellness intoyour practice as a health provider?”The student’s responses were inspiring. “It’s so much fun to watch theway students view nutrition,” says Duerr, “and how their approach tothe topic has changed. It’s gone from preventing disease to treatingthe whole body, to being viewed as a family and a culture.”Recipients of the 2017 2,000 Bragg Foundation Scholarshipwith Kathy Duerr (center): Paul New, Elizabeth Marr, DevanTorbert, and Michelle Reynolds. Not pictured: SamanthaStevens. Right: Patricia Bragg.OCOM Annual Report - FY2017