Portland, OR. Anne Naito-Campbell (far right) was honored by the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) at a celebration on August 7th. She was surrounded by friends and family members Rod Eckerson, Grover Lines, Jr., Micki Naito, and Wesley Campbell. The lobby of the OCOM building was dedicated as the Naito Family Legacy Plaza. OCOM is a private college focused on graduate degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. The college was among nine local nonprofits to receive gifts from the Naito family in May. The gift, valued at $50,000, benefits both the students and patients who now utilize the college’s Old Town clinic and classrooms.
Sherri L. Green, PhD, OCOM’s president and CEO, addresses attendees.
Rod Erickson, Micki Naito, Sherri Green PhD, Cathy Chinn, Anne Naito-Campbell
OCOM Board of Trustees Secretary, Cathy Chinn and Sho Dozono
Anne Naito-Campbell is presented with the dedication plaque which will be displayed in the lobby by OCOM Board of Trustees Secretary, Cathy Chinn
Here’s a history of the relationship between the Naito family and OCOM:
The relationship between the Naito family and OCOM begins with the building that once housed the family’s Import Plaza and is now home to the college’s campus and teaching clinic. Originally developed in 1911, the property was known as the Globe Hotel and had 500 open air cots, barely separated from each other and covered by chicken wire, where it only cost 50 cents a night to get a “room.” At that time, Portland’s Old Town was home to Japanese, Chinese, and other immigrant communities. Evidence of these historical roots were uncovered during the 2012 redevelopment of the site, when crews dug up several artifacts, including a Japanese herbal medicine bottle from the late 1800’s.
In the 1960’s, when the Naitos bought the then-vacant Globe building, the intent to start a retail import shop in the middle of what was then known as Skid Row. The flagship store carried a mixture of eye-catching and kitschy products from across Asia including lamps, wicker and wood furniture, porcelain figurines, glass bowls and vases, folding screens, and a wide variety of Buddha sculptures. Despite predictions to the contrary, Import Plaza was an instant success, and it demonstrated the Naito family’s commitment to developing the beauty and resilience of Old Town. It also generated the cash flow and spawned a retail chain that allowed the Naito family to acquire extensive real estate holdings.
At its peak, Import Plaza consisted of eight stores across Oregon. Closing in 2000 due to changes in retail trends, the flagship location lay dormant, waiting to become a part of a new vision for the Old Town neighborhood. OCOM selected the location as the perfect home for its new campus. In collaboration with the Naito’s, the redevelopment project was funded through a combination of tax credits, PDC funds; and conventional financing, and the campus has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The $15.2 million dollar rehab of the building took one year, included gutting all four existing floors for seismic retrofit purposes, and earned the structure LEED Gold certification. The project team included Beam Development, Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects, and LCG Pence Construction, LLC. On the roof is the old Import Plaza sign, restored and now emblazoned with the letters, OCOM. Culminating with the ribbon cutting in 2012, Anne Naito-Campbell and the Naito family have supported OCOM’s role in revitalizing the Old Town neighborhood. The relocation nearly doubled the college’s square footage, allowing OCOM to educate students and offer acupuncture, herbal, and wellness services to the public.
Founded in 1983, OCOM is a single-purpose professional graduate school that offers first professional and postgraduate degree programs in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. 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 1,500 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 36 years. Additional information about the college is available on our website, ocom.edu
Portland, April 5th, 2014. Over 200 community partners and supporters joined Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) at Montgomery Park for the 2014 Cherry Blossom Dinner and Awards. This second annual fundraising event honors the contributions of community leaders who are helping transform health care by advancing Chinese medicine, and raised more than $50,000 for 2014 the college’s annual fund. OCOM President Dr. Michael Gaeta and lion dancers from Portland Lee’s Association took center stage.
Patrick Quinton, Michael Gaeta, Mayor Charlie Hales and Scott Andrews
Dr. Charles Elder of Kaiser Permanente with OCOM President Dr. Michael Gaet
OCOM trustee and Board Secretary Lisa Francolini served as master of ceremonies, introducing awardees and distinguished guests including Mayor Charlie Hales, Representative Jules Kopel Bailey, Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette, PDC Board Chairman Scott Andrews, and PDC Executive Director Patrick Quinton.
Five community partners representing a diverse community of health care champions were honored at the dinner. The OCOM Alumni Association Scholarship was also awarded at the event.
Here’s more about the awards:
2014 Community Partner in Healing Award
Kaiser Permanente
Since 2009, Kaiser Permanente’s Volunteer Gives fund has awarded OCOM a total of $60,000 to support expanding access to health care to low-income communities. Thanks to Kaiser’s support in 2009, 2011 and 2013, OCOM has been able to deliver $15 health care visits to more than 500 low-income individuals in our intern teaching clinics. Their partnership has been instrumental in delivering much-needed care to a vulnerable population, and has supported OCOM clinics and students in providing accessible and effective health services to those who would otherwise be unable to afford care.
Michael Martinez, a patient who benefited from the Kaiser grant this year, introduced the award. Presenting sponsor The CHP Group CEO Michell Hay presented the award to OCOM physician and OCOM trustee Dr. Charles Elder.
2014 Legacy Award
City of Portland and Portland Development Commission
Offered for the first time this year, the Legacy Award was presented to Portland Mayor Charlie Hales by OCOM Board President Peter Martin.
This award recognized the City of Portland and Portland Development Commission (PDC) for their instrumental role in OCOM’s 2012 move to Old Town Chinatown. Thanks to their support, OCOM was able to meet a strategic vision of relocating to the heart of Portland to ensure the strategic vision of the college.
2014 Partner in Healing Award
Dr. Brad Malsin
OCOM President Dr. Michael Gaeta presented the 2014 Individual Partner in Healing Award to Dr. Malsin in gratitude for his unwavering support for OCOM’s relocation to Old Town Chinatown, and for his continued support for the mission of the college. Thanks to Malsin’s help, OCOM was able to double its educational space in a beautifully restored LEED Gold building designed to better serve students, faculty, staff and clinic patients. The impact of the new campus has allowed OCOM to develop important community partnerships to help advance and ensure the profession of Chinese medicine for the future.
2014 Scholar Award
Dr. Hong Jin
Dr. Joseph Coletto, the 2013 awardee, presented the Scholar Award to Dr. Hong Jin, OCOM Chair of Oriental Medicine. Jin was selected to receive the 2014 Scholar Award due to her visionary leadership over the last 21 years. Her work to advance Chinese medicine through exemplary teaching, national and international leadership roles, and innovative research has made substantial contributions to the field of Chinese medicine, as well as to the college.
A leader in the regional, national and international health care community, Dr. Hong Jin is a 1985 graduate of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a 2007 graduate of OCOM’s Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) program
2014 Alumni Ambassador Award
Beth Howlett
Anna Lewis, OCOM Director of Admission, presented the 2014 Alumni Ambassador Award to Beth Howlett, who received the award due to her ongoing efforts to strengthen the statewide Chinese medicine professional organization, Oregon Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s (OAAOM).
As a former board member and now as president, Howlett helped increase membership while providing exceptional advocacy leadership at the state level, resulting in expanded Oregon Health Plan acupuncture benefits and a recent legal victory in the “dry needling” case, among others. This award also honors her work as a leader at OCOM as both a faculty and staff member, which has resulted in substantial, long-term contributions to the college’s outreach and community-building efforts.
OCOM Alumni Association President Lara Dilkes also presented a $1,500 scholarship award to current OCOM master’s student Patrick Gazzini. Gazzini is a second-year student and Vice President of the OCOM Student Association. He has a background in athletics and exercise physiology, with a BA in biology from Villanova University, and a master’s degree in health and human performance from McNeese State University.
OCOM thanks the many supporters, friends and community partners who made the 2014 Cherry Blossom Dinner and Awards a great success.
Founded in 1983, Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) is a nonprofit single-purpose professional graduate school offering master’s and doctoral degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Named the number one acupuncture college in 2012, 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.
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