ACTCM Appoints New Dean of Master's Program

American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Megan Haungs, MS, L.Ac. as the new Dean of the college’s Master's of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine (MSTCM) program. Andrew Fitzcharles, L.Ac., MS (TCM), who acted as the program’s dean from 2004 to 2007, will continue on as a professor, clinical supervisor and chair of Acupuncture Department at the college while maintaining his private clinical practice in Palo Alto, CA.

Ms. Haungs’ experience in the field of holistic medicine has spanned over 16 years. She received her training in both massage and acupuncture at the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences in New York, where she graduated in 1991 and 1999 respectively.

From 1999 to 2007, Ms. Haungs served as dean of the Acupuncture Program at the Swedish Institute. Here Ms. Huangs was responsible for strategic planning of the college’s acupuncture program; development, implementation and review of curriculum and educational policy; faculty recruitment, training and development; student progress and outcomes; and overseeing reports and self-studies for various state and national organizations and agencies. During her time with the college, the enrollment in the college’s acupuncture program increased over 700 percent.

In addition to her role as dean, Ms. Haungs also acted as an instructor in the college’s acupuncture program where she taught classes in Foundations, Ethics, and Eight Extraordinary Vessels.

Ms. Haungs has also been very active in the AOM community at the state and national level. Her positions include being a former secretary of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM), current chair of the Entry-level Standards Committee of CCAOM, site visitor of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), member of ACAOM Entry-level Doctoral Program Task Force, member of the Advisory Board of the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY), and member of the steering committee of the New York State Coalition for Acupuncture Legislation Initiative. She has also presented lectures throughout the United States on AOM related topics and participated in research studies on the efficacy of Touch Therapy for patients suffering from chronic pain and severe dementia.

Ms. Haungs, both a New York licensed acupuncturist and licensed massage therapist, brings first-hand experience with a successful acupuncture program to her position at ACTCM. This combination of education and experience gives Ms. Haungs the advantage of being familiar with a AOM medical college from both an administrative and student perspective.

As MSTCM Dean at ACTCM, Ms. Haungs will be responsible for supervising the College’s academics and overseeing the effective teaching and learning of students. Some of Ms. Haungs' goals for ACTCM include:

• Enhance, support and engage the ACTCM student body • Support and facilitate campus wide communication • Provide a structured, on-campus academic presence to support students and faculty • Enhance the strengths of the faculty and curriculum • Further integrate the philosophy and spirit of Traditional Chinese Medicine into the structure and daily practices of the college • Develop and expand new certificate programs in Tui Na and Shiatsu Bodywork

"While we are sad to see Andrew, one of our most highly regarded and talented faculty, leave his post as dean, it is particularly exciting when a colleague from another successful Chinese medical institution joins our administrative team. We look forward to working with Megan as we enter an exciting new phase of the growth of Chinese medicine in the United States. We are confident that she will help ACTCM reach its full potential and positively impact the academic experience of our students", said ACTCM’s President Lixin Huang.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Wilkowski, Director of Communications, at (415) 355-1601 x12.