The acupuncture and East Asian profession is facing a number of critical challenges as long-established schools close, new federal guidelines on graduate education loans will dramatically change how much students can borrow, and fewer students consider a career as an acupuncturist.
How to wayfind through these troubled times? That is the question explored in this series with practitioners, researchers, and educators in the field of East Asian medicine.
In this conversation with Danielle Reghi we follow the arc of her career from acquiring and dealing with upwards of 200K in debt, to building a multi-location practice and learning how business acumen is as necessary as clinical skills.
She is the president of the Oregon Association of Acupuncturists. She played a key role in drafting the Oregon Acupuncture Workforce Sustainability Proposal, which considers the effect of the new RISE and AHEAD metrics from the federal government and how those affect the amount graduate students may borrow. Additionally this proposal looks at other educational options and alternative pathways that can lead to licensure in the State of Oregon.
Any discussion of the future requires a clear eyed view of the present. You’ll get that in this conversation with Danielle, along with some innovative thinking about what’s up around the bend in the road.
I’m not worried about the medicine—it has survived for thousands of years. What I’m worried about is our workforce and creating a path for those who dream of being acupuncturists that isn’t harmful or hostile to them.
Danielle Reghi, DAc, LAc
Danielle Reghi, is a licensed acupuncturist in Oregon, small business owner, and current President of the Oregon Association of Acupuncturists. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2007, her Master’s in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 2016, and her Doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from Pacific College of Health and Science in 2020.
After completing her master’s degree, Danielle volunteered in Nepal with the Acupuncture Relief Project, providing care in underserved communities. She has since built a thriving private practice in Portland, Oregon, where she specializes in pain management and fertility.
Danielle is passionate about improving access to acupuncture, advancing the profession through thoughtful policy and education reform, and helping patients achieve meaningful, lasting results through individualized care.
Reach out to Danielle by email.
Read her substack at Holistically Driven.
Read the Oregon Acupuncture Workforce Sustainability Proposal.
Flourish Website this is the website where you can type in your program and see if it passes AHEAD.
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