Oregon College of Oriental Medicine Hosts 6th Annual Cherry Blossom Gala

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine Hosts 6th Annual Cherry Blossom Gala

by | Apr 26, 2018 | Events, Features, News

Portland, OR. Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) celebrated its 6th Annual Cherry Blossom Gala on Saturday, April 7th at Castaway Portland. The benefit brought together 250 people including Michell Hay, President and CEO of The CHP Group and Hong Jin, DAOM, LAc, in support of OCOM’s mission to transform health care. This year’s theme, “The House of Good Fortune,” inspired the crowd with a variety of experiences including a lively cocktail reception, Chinese-inspired dinner, live Chinese music, a “Sparkle Lounge” with free Swarovski ear crystals, Chinese calligraphy, “Laughing Buddha” photo booth, and silent and live auctions full of unforgettable experiences. During the dinner program, the college honored extraordinary faculty member Joe Coletto, ND, LAc, for his 33 years of teaching and inspiring students. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus)

Janet LaRosa, Joe Coletto, ND, LAc

Mona Searles, NP, LAc

Juliet Moran of Open Eye Art getting her hair “sparkled” by Serafaery

Sam Chase, Metro Councilor

Calligraphy by Jiyu Yang of the Wisdom Arts Academy

Skip Lee and Ann Marie Lee

Steve and Wendy Shain with Brad Malsin

Mona Searles, NP, LAc and Sarah Small, LPC with past OCOM Board Chair Peter Martin, LAc

Liz March, DAOM, LAc and Shannon Chawla, LAc

Helen Ying, Metro Councilor and Jeffrey Weih, PA, LAc

Liz Burns and Dan Saltzman, Commissioner, City of Portland

Holden Leung, Executive Director, Asian Health & Services Center and Dr. Anita Chan (Mrs. Erik Szeto) and Dr. Erik Szeto, Founder and Board Chair, Asian Health & Services Center and Cathy Chinn, Secretary, Board Trustee, OCOM and Evelyn Rosling, Principal Broker, Park Place Real Estate

Bill McCrae OCOM Interim President and Cindy McEnroe and Joe Coletto, ND, LAC and Jan McCrae

Charles Elder, MD, MPH and Brad Malsin both whom serve on the OCOM Board of Trustess

Audrey DeMott and Karen Williams, Chair of OCOM’s Board of Trustees and Brad Malsin of Beam Development

Merri Compton and Barbara Klinger

Masa Yamaguchi with three members of the OCOM Board of Trustees: Leah Yamaguchi, LAc and Brad Malsin and Dustin Klinger

From Oregon College of Oriental Medicine:

The gala event was made possible by the incredible support from our sponsors, who include: American Acupuncture Council, Beam Development, Columbia Bank, Heritage Bank, Kaiser Permanente, Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, NW Natural, Oregon Reproductive Medicine, The CHP Group, Thede Culpepper Moore Munro & Silliman LLP, and US Bank.

The 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. 

In support of this mission, the college values:

Excellence – OCOM staff, faculty and students strive to set standards for and perform at the highest professional levels academically, clinically, and in the research program. 

Leadership – OCOM leads Chinese medicine education in the United States by developing outstanding programs of education, clinic, research, outreach and collaboration. OCOM leads by working to enhance social justice through its commitment to inclusive and diverse access to education and health care.

Healing – OCOM staff, faculty and students, consistent with the principles of Chinese medicine, understand health to be harmony and balance in Body, Mind and Spirit, and attempt to live these principles by embodying compassion, humility, passion and synergy in their daily lives and work. 

Innovation – OCOM staff, faculty and students use inquiry and discovery to support their individual creativity and inventiveness in the continuous improvement of the college and its clinical, academic and research programs.

Community – OCOM staff, faculty and students work together in a learning community that maintains traditions built upon supportive relationships, trust, heart, humor, and a commitment to lifelong learning. 

Service – OCOM provides the highest levels of effective, efficient and practical service to its students and the public.

OCOM’s 5th Annual Cherry Blossom Gala Raises More Than $112,000 for the College’s Annual Fund

OCOM’s 5th Annual Cherry Blossom Gala Raises More Than $112,000 for the College’s Annual Fund

by | Apr 26, 2017 | Features, News

Portland, OR. More than 160 supporters filled Oregon College of Oriental Medicine for the college’s annual Cherry Blossom Gala on April 8th. The event raised a record $112,280 to promote OCOM’s academic programs and expand access to integrative health care. Sarah Hammer and Board Member/Gala Chair, Leah Yamaguchi, celebrate with Courtney Prince. (Photo credit, Naim Hasan) 

Kathy Calgano, Kenny Roders. Penny Stephenson, and Liz Malsin

Karen Williams- Board Chair, and Audrey DeMott

Michell Hay – Board Treasurer, Steve Sebers, and Dawn Starr Crowther

President and Chief Executive Officer, Deborah Howe, PhD, FAICP, expressed her admiration for OCOM’s students, noting they “come to OCOM because they know that Chinese medicine is effective and they want to become healers… they are willing to work extraordinarily hard for their education and — more importantly — their future patients and the medicine.”

Master’s program student and clinic intern, Travis Kern, shared an inspiring story about his life-changing work with a patient who receives regular acupuncture treatments to help overcome the physical and emotional impact of limited mobility after suffering from a severe stroke. “She relies on our clinics, our knowledgeable interns, and our accessible services to stay in control and to remain connected to her health and healing journey. Chinese medicine is an essential component in helping people live more satisfying lives, an essential component to adding good health into all of our mantras.”

Attendees included OCOM co-founder, Eric Stevens, DAOM, LAc, and three of the 34-year-old college’s first supervisors: Robert Kaneko, DAOM, LAc; Joseph Colleto, ND, LAc; and Janet LaRosa, DOM, LAc. Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette was also an honored guest.

Also attending were several of OCOM’s renowned faculty leaders, staff, alumni, students, and community supporters. The evening’s program was led by emcee and Chief Development Officer, Dave Eshbaugh, and auctioneer, Heidi Hill, who encouraged donors to give at personally significant levels.

OCOM’s trustees, Dea-Anne D’Amico, MA; Lea Anne Doolittle, MBA; Charles R. Elder, MD, MPH, FACP; Michell M. Hay; Gene G. Hong, MD; Dustin R. Klinger, JD; Brad J. Malsin, MD; Juliet T. Moran; Karen M. Williams, JD; and Leah R. Yamaguchi, LAc celebrate the success of the gala and thank all who contributed.

Photos from the event are available for viewing here and on OCOM’s official Facebook page @OCOMpdx.

About OCOM

Founded in 1983, OCOM is a single-purpose professional graduate school that offers two specialized degree programs: Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM) and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM). OCOM’s mission 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. Our 1,400 graduates practice, teach and research Chinese medicine in 50 states and across the globe, and have provided an estimated 10 million treatments over the past 34 years. Additional information about OCOM is available on our website: ocom.edu