Our academic department strives to provide high-level educational training. We regularly interface with local and national colleges and universities, as well as the clinical community to find the most qualified and exciting instructors. EWC faculty members come from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds. For example, the core of the Chinese Medicine department is composed of instructors from China. The traditional Chinese acupuncture curriculum is enhanced with courses in Japanese acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and Korean hand acupuncture. Biomedicine courses are taught by Doctors of Oriental Medicine (DOM/OMD), medical doctors (MD), osteopaths (DO), naturopathic physicians (ND/NMD), chiropractors (DC), and researchers (PhD). Homeopathy, clinical nutrition, and integrative medicine courses are taught by experts in their fields of study. See our catalog for detailed faculty information.
EWCNM FACULTY
Cynthia O’Donnell, MA, A.P.
is the founder and CEO of East West College of Natural Medicine. She received an M.A. in Holistic Health from Heartwood College of Natural Healing Arts and her degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Florida Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Trained as a massage therapist and an Acupuncture Physician, she has founded natural health centers integrating combinations of therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, western medicine, massage, and skin therapy, to include L'Estetica spa therapies, with several locations and The Healing Center, an Integrated East West Medicine clinic. She has trained extensively in homeopathic medicine completing certification in the Master's Homeopathic Clinician Program. She has taught courses and seminars, and published articles on holistic medicine and traditional Chinese Medicine for over 20 years. Having served as a director on the board of the American Association of Oriental Medicine for several years, she has served to better the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Christina A. Captain, M.A., M.S.O.M., A.P., S.L.P. - Chief Administrative Officer
graduated from the University of Central Florida where she completed both a clinical and research track in speech pathology. She has held upper management positions in several rehabilitation centers and has extensive experience within the rehabilitation clinical model integrating all disciplines. She is the current Chair of the EWCNM Advisory Board and is a Member of the EWCNM Governing Board.
Jonathan D. Wald, AP
Graduated from Bastyr University in 2001 and holds a Bachelors Degree in Natural Health Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture. He has completed two Doctoral Residency Training programs in Seoul, South Korea, has Healing with Whole Foods Certification and is licensed to practice Acupuncture in Florida, New York and Washington States. He specializes in rehabilitation and pain management. Jonathan worked as a director for the AAOM in 2005 and was co-founder of the Institute of New Medicine in Seattle, Washington. In addition to his knowledge of Oriental Medicine, Jonathan brings over 15 years of business management and development experience to EWCNM. Jonathan’s diverse background coupled with his passion for OM will strengthen the core model of EWCNM and assist in the development and implementation of the Doctoral and other programs at the college.
Dr Zhaolan Cao graduated from Hangzhou College of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1988 and gained the diploma of herbal pharmacy. Since then she had worked as a licensed herbal pharmacist in Hubin Hospital of Hangzhou for almost 10 years. She graduated and gained a diploma of Traditional Chinese Medicine from Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1996. she worked as a physician and herbal pharmacist in Shang-chen-qu People's Hospital of Hangzhou from 1996 to 2006. She has many clinical experiences on the application of Chinese herbs and techniques of herbal processing and is currently the herbal pharmacist at EWCNM.
Dr. Zhu DOM
received his bachelors degree in TCM from Shanghai TCM University and his Masters degree at Zhejiang TCM College in Hong Zhou, China. He worked as a physician and instructor at Hong Zhou TCM Teaching Hospital and while there participated in research involving stroke sequela and dizziness due to cervical stenosis. He has published over 20 acupuncture articles in China.
Anna Less, Ph.D, A.P.
performed an internship at Shangdong College of Traditional Chinese Medicine's hospital in Jinan, China and received her acupuncture diploma in 1996. She earned her Ph.D. in acupuncture in 2005 from Zhe Jiang College of TCM in Hongzhou, China.
Dr. Barat A.P. (MD China)
obtained an M.D. degree in China at Xinjiang Medical University which included Traditional Chinese Medicine training. She worked in the Urumchi Chinese Traditional Medical Hospital acupuncture clinic in China then practiced and ran her private clinic in Instanbul, Turkey. She received her masters of Science degree at University of Bridgeport in the U.S. She was televised in Turkey introducing acupuncture anesthesia.
Ruan Jin Zhao, Ph.D., A.P.
was an Associate Professor in Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cellular Biology and Pharmacology in Beijing. He served as a visiting scientist of the Tampa Bay Research Institute and Selby Gardens. In 1990-91, He received three awards for scientific achievement from Beijing University.
Partha Banerjee, M.D.
teaches clinical skills and physical examination courses. He earned his medical degree from Calcutta Medical College, Calcutta, India. Dr. Banerjee is board certified in internal medicine, endocrinology, and geriatrics, and was a clinical professor of medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Adjunct Faculty
Bruce Benner, AP
- Externship Supervisor at HealthSouth
- Private Practitioner
- Advanced Studies: TCM at the Open International University, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
- B.A., University of Maryland
Fran Weber, AP
- Faculty instructor of Oriental Medicine & Herbal courses
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
- BHS from University of Florida
- Clinic Supervisor & Faculty instructor of Acupuncture courses.
- Nursing Degree (Netherlands)
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
- Diplomate in Acupuncture, NCCAOM
- Diplomate in Herbology
Valerie Daverio, AP
- Clinic Supervisor & Faculty instructor of Acupuncture Courses
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
- Clinical Internship program in TCM; Zhe Jiang College of TCM
- Private Practitioner
Shaun Dumas, AP
- Clinic Supervisor & Faculty instructor of Acupuncture courses.
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
- Private Practitioner
Martha Huie, AP
- Clinic Supervisor & Faculty Instructor of Acupuncture courses
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
Filipp Gadar, AP
- Clinic Supervisor
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
- Diplomat in Acupuncture, NCCAOM
Marilyn Allen, AP
- Clinic Supervisor & Faculty instructor of Acupuncture Courses
Patrick Barron
- Faculty instructor of Western Science courses
- Medical degrees from Bastyr University and UCE
- Post-doctoral training at the University of Washington
- BA and MA in Rehabilitation & Counseling from Marshall University
- Studied TCM and classical homeopathy at Pacific College and post-doctoral with the International Foundation for Homeopathy
Brian Lau
- Faculty instructor of Western Science courses
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
Norman Olsen
- Faculty instructor of Western Science courses
- BA in Psychology from University of North Florida
- AS in Nursing from Dekalb College
Melissa Cram, AP
- Clinic Supervisor
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine
Danielle Saint-Cyr, AP
- Clinic Supervisor
- Masters of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine