Graduate Mentorship Program

Martine Cornelissen (1971) is an acupuncturist and herbalist specializing in women’s health, and specifically in fertility. After completing her studies at the University of Ghent (Belgium) in Oriental Languages & Cultures (Sinology), she went to China on a scholarship and studied for two years at Fudan University in Shanghai. On her return she completed acupuncture training at the Qing Bai Academy of Chinese Medicine (Cum Laude) and later qualified as a herbalist, winning the prize for best thesis (“Enhance IVF by Traditional Chinese Medicine”). She trained in TCM gynaecology with Dr. Trevor Wing in London and with Prof. Yuning Wu in Germany, and still returns regularly to China to continue her education.

Alongside her clinical work, Martine teaches at the Qing Bai Academy in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, is a regular guest speaker at conferences in the Netherlands and abroad, and teaches in the Women’s Great Turnings Acupuncture Program at the White Pine Institute in Massachusetts. A central focus of her work is guiding women toward awareness of their thought patterns and giving them tools to bring their lives and health back into balance.

My interest in Chinese medicine was first sparked by my practice of martial arts and Qi Gong. After studying acupuncture and Tuina, I began training in Chinese herbal medicine, first in Paris and later through the Graduate Mentorship Program. I established my private practice in 2017 in France, where I now offer acupuncture and herbal medicine. My journey in Chinese medicine began in 2012 and continues to this day through ongoing practice and study.

I completed my first studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine in 2004. I also completed two shorter internships in China, focusing on acupuncture. Since then, I have owned and operated my clinic in Örebro for more than 20 years. Every year I attend courses and seminars to continuously expand and deepen my knowledge. The most significant transformation in my professional development, however, came through the Graduate Mentorship Program. I am proud to have completed the program and earned certification, along with the extensive knowledge and experience it provided. My genuine love for Chinese medicine has only grown stronger over the years, especially after completing the program, which profoundly influenced both my clinical understanding and my continued pursuit of knowledge.

Nicole Sharkey is a 2011 graduate of the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine (SIEAM) and completed the Graduate Mentorship Program in 2026. She operates a private practice in Seattle, WA, where she also supervises student acupuncturists at SIEAM and teaches continuing education courses in Engaging Vitality acupuncture and assessment techniques.

Natalia lives and works in Sooke, BC on Vancouver Island, Canada. She runs a home-based private practice, Verdure Health, in her family’s old bed-and-breakfast, which overlooks the Juan de Fuca Strait and the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Here she welcomes her patients and offers acupuncture and herbal medicine to the local community. With a special interest in women’s health, Natalia continues her studies, focusing on Jing Fang herbalism, and is excited to see where her practice grows.

Nan has been practicing bodywork for 40 years and has been a licensed acupuncturist for 30. She studied music and dance, earned a BS in Chemistry from Oberlin College, and an MS in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences. Her love of herbs led her to continue her studies in classical herbal medicine at the White Pine Institute. Her other studies include CranioSacral Therapy, Visceral/Neural Manipulation, Functional Medicine, Nutrition, and Ideokinesis, all of which she integrates into her practice. Nan is one of the few acupuncturists who combine manual therapies with acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Her practice is thoughtful and individually focused.

Tanya has enjoyed practicing acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine since 1994. Her longstanding interest in health and healing first led her to enrol in a Western medical degree in Adelaide in the 1980s. During that time she tried acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for a few of her own health issues, and the results inspired her to switch direction toward the holistic philosophy of Chinese medicine. It became a lifelong passion and career.

Tanya graduated from the Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1994, which included three months of training at a hospital in Hangzhou, China. She went on to study with a TCM liver specialist in Shanghai in 1996 and completed a Masters of TCM with a focus on women’s health at the University of Western Sydney in 2008. She was a student in the Graduate Mentorship Program from 2021 to 2026, deepening her understanding of classical Chinese herbal medicine. Tanya particularly enjoys supporting women’s health in all phases of life. She is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association.

Marintha Tewksbury has been practicing acupuncture in the Bay Area for over 30 years. She received her Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1993 from the Academy of Chinese Culture & Health Sciences. Marintha has an insatiable curiosity when it comes to healing arts and continues to study a variety of modalities. She spent five years in apprenticeship with teachers of the Lauren Berry method of bodywork and four years studying Craniosacral Therapy through the Upledger Institute. She has spent 10 years studying with Sharon Wizenbaum and is certified in her White Pine Institute’s Graduate Mentorship Program.  She recently completed Mazin Al-Khafaji’s Diplomat Course in dermatology in Chinese medicine and has a specialty certification from the International TCM Dermatology Association.  She is a devoted follower of Toby Daly and is honored to be one of a few designated teaching assistants in Saam acupuncture for Toby Daly. She deeply enjoys her role as clinic supervisor at her alma mater, ACCHS, where she has a chance to dive into the diagnostics of Chinese medicine and nurture new acupuncturists.  She is excited to take on this same role in the newly emerging Chinese Medicine Benevolent Academy.

Marintha’s understanding of the body and its complex systems is also informed by the 20+ years she spent as a modern dancer and performer. She also draws inspiration from her experience of child rearing as well as her relationship to her small garden in Oakland, California.

Linda Kim practices acupuncture, herbal medicine, and medical qigong at her office in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, California. She sees each patient as an ecosystem, working to restore balance by discovering the root of imbalance and tapping into the body’s innate healing abilities. Her treatments are guided by palpation and observation, and she draws on Saam acupuncture, classical Chinese herbal medicine, and medical qigong. She makes custom herbal formulas in her raw herb pharmacy and is a dedicated student and teacher of Yang-style Tai Chi.

Krista Obenlock is a board-certified acupuncturist and doctor of East Asian medicine practicing in Portland, Oregon. She completed both her master’s and doctorate in East Asian medicine at the National University of Natural Medicine, with doctoral work focused on the application of Chinese medicine to mental and emotional health. A trauma-informed practitioner, she takes a whole-person approach to care, offering acupuncture alongside custom herbal medicine, personalized nutrition and lifestyle guidance, cupping, moxibustion, and gua sha. She has a clinical focus on pain, women’s health, fertility, mental wellness, and chronic illness.

Dr. Khanita Suvarnasuddhi is a licensed acupuncturist and Doctor of Chiropractic, and the founder of Araya Holistic Pain Management in Clarksburg, Maryland. She holds a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and a Doctor of Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College. She is a certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine through NCCAOM. Committed to ongoing education, she is currently pursuing advanced herbal studies through the Graduate Mentorship Program with Sharon Weizenbaum at White Pine Institute. She integrates her backgrounds in chiropractic, Chinese medicine, martial arts, and Qigong into a comprehensive, individualized approach to care.

Julie Johnson is the founder of Seven Seeds Acupuncture in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. She holds a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College with over 3,000 hours of training, and has been in practice since 2015. Her clinic has a particular focus on fertility, pain, and injury recovery, and she holds ABORM fertility specialty certification and advanced training in sports medicine acupuncture. Her continuing education includes the Graduate Mentorship Program in advanced herbal medicine with Sharon Weizenbaum at White Pine Institute.

Deborah Mizeur is a clinical herbalist and nutritionist who helps women navigate complex, often mysterious symptoms — including hormonal shifts, fertility concerns, digestive issues, grief held in the body, and conditions that have resisted conventional diagnosis. She holds a Master of Science in Western Herbalism from Tai Sophia Institute (now Notre Dame of Maryland) and a certification in Classical Chinese Medicine through the White Pine Institute. Her approach draws on both Western and Chinese herbal traditions to identify root causes rather than suppress symptoms, building individualized formulas based on what she finds in each patient. She began her health career in 1995 in rural Alaska and has since worked in federal health policy and indigenous healing traditions. She sees patients in person and via telehealth.

Daniel Johnson is Co-Owner and Clinical Director of WAY Wellness Center in Pittsburgh. A western Pennsylvania native, he graduated from AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine in Austin, Texas, completing a four-year program in acupuncture, herbology, western medicine, and Asian bodywork therapy. He also studied at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China and completed a doctorate in Medical Qi Gong in 2018. In 2026, he completed graduate-level herbal mentorship with Sharon Weizenbaum at White Pine Institute, and maintains an onsite compounding herbal pharmacy to create customized formulas for his patients.

Andrew Clark’s passion for Chinese Medicine grew from a lifelong interest in the human body and 14 years as a professional dancer in New York City. He began working with massage therapy in 2005 before completing a doctoral program in East Asian Medicine, studying acupuncture, herbal medicine, and bodywork. He deepened his practice with an intensive post-graduate mentorship in Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine under Sharon Weizenbaum at White Pine Institute. In his clinical work, Andrew draws on Tung lineage acupuncture, motor/trigger point techniques, scalp and auricular acupuncture, and classical Chinese herbal medicine to treat a broad range of conditions.

Andrea specializes in chronic pain treatment, addressing both acute and persistent pain, anxiety, and women’s health. She is trained in Traditional Five Element acupuncture, a holistic approach that focuses on healing the mind and spirit. Utilizing various techniques from Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture, gua sha, cupping, moxibustion therapy, and herbal formula prescription, she provides comprehensive care. Since founding Orange Poppy 5 Element Acupuncture in 2012, Andrea has continued to enhance her expertise through ongoing learning in classical Chinese Medicine. Outside of her practice, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters, tending to her garden, and tango dancing with her husband.

Matt Bierschbach developed an early interest in healing as a teenager, volunteering in hospitals and exploring different branches of medicine. He graduated at the top of his class from Marquette University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and interned at Medtronic’s Tachyarrhythmia Research group. Seeking a path that worked with the body’s innate healing ability, he volunteered to teach high school science on the Navajo Reservation, where a traditional Navajo medicine man introduced him to the many dimensions of natural healing. He completed his Chinese medical training at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego and at American College of Traditional Medicine in San Francisco. After practicing across the country and in Hawaii, he returned to Minnesota in 2005. He has since provided over 2,500 treatments per year, with a primary focus on Classical Chinese Medicine and a background in functional medicine.

Joy Blais earned a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from the Traditional Chinese Medical College of Hawaii in 2011. She is licensed in Oregon and Hawaii and is nationally board certified by NCCAOM in acupuncture, biomedicine, Oriental medicine, and Chinese herbal medicine. Since childhood, Joy has had a deep interest in healing, nutrition, and the medicinal properties of herbs. Before attending acupuncture school in 2007, she spent five years as a veterinary technician for animal acupuncturist Dr. Ihor Basko and co-hosted health-related talk radio programs on Kauai. Since 2018, she has studied under Sharon Weizenbaum at White Pine Institute, and has completed additional training in Korean Sa’am acupuncture with Toby Daly and classical precision prescribing with Jason Blalack.

When Adam Broder was 21, his father died of a heart attack at 52 — despite exercising, eating well, and following his doctor’s advice. That loss left Adam with a deep skepticism of conventional medicine and a drive to understand health differently. After a decade in corporate insurance, he pursued that path in earnest: completing a 715-hour Shiatsu certification at Zen Shiatsu Chicago, studying western herbalism with Jim McDonald, and traveling to Nicaragua with Natural Doctors International. He then enrolled in the Masters program at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, transferred to Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, and graduated in 2017 with a Master of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine. His continuing studies include the White Pine Institute Graduate Mentorship Program, Sa’am acupuncture with Toby Daly, and Sports Medicine Acupuncture with Matt Callison. His practice draws on the ancient teachings of Chinese medicine to help patients restore their connection to the natural world and to themselves.

Tal Carmel spent 23 years in the aircraft industry before leaving to pursue her longtime dream of becoming a Chinese Medicine practitioner. She graduated in 2016 from Broshim Campus in Tel Aviv, Israel, and has since practiced acupuncture, herbal medicine, and Shiatsu massage in her private clinic, called “In Good Hands.” Tal has been in the White Pine Institute Graduate Mentorship Program since 2018 and passed the final exam in 2023. She has also completed the full Integral Breath Therapy training program with Carol A. Lampman. Outside of practice, she studies Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong.

Hannah Dwertman received her acupuncture and herbal medicine degree from Maryland University of Integrative Health in 2017, after which she spent six months studying in Taiwan and China. She has worked in community acupuncture clinics since 2014 in both Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City, treating a broad range of conditions with a particular comfort in psycho-emotional conditions like anxiety and depression, as well as acute and chronic pain. She recently completed Sharon Weizenbaum’s Graduate Mentorship Program in Chinese herbal studies at White Pine Institute. Hannah is passionate about accessible healthcare and serves as a local trainer with Utah Acudetox, certifying healthcare workers in a five-point ear acupuncture protocol.

Cameryn Elliott completed her Master’s degree at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego and her Doctoral degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. She is a graduate of the White Pine Graduate Mentorship Program and has studied internationally in China and Japan.

Thom Heil first encountered Chinese medicine when seeking relief from his own stress-related health issues. After Western medicine diagnosed but could not resolve the problem, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine brought dramatic improvement within months. That transformation led him to leave a career in IT and train as an acupuncturist. Since opening his practice in 2012, Thom has treated acute and chronic pain, sinus congestion, menstrual irregularities, digestive disorders, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and post-cancer treatment illness. He has a particular interest in insulin resistance and the effects of type 2 diabetes, and works with military veterans through the VA Community Care Network for PTSD and service-connected chronic pain. He graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago and is nationally certified by NCCAOM in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

Kelly Kaeding has been practicing acupuncture since 1994. She studied biology and chemistry as an undergraduate, earned a Master of Science in Acupuncture from Bastyr University in Seattle in 1994, and finished her degree in Chengdu, China. She then spent five years living and practicing in Vietnam, traveling throughout Asia to study acupuncture and Qi Gong in China and Thai bodywork in Thailand. Back in Vermont, she deepened her practice with Japanese-style acupuncture and Shonishin with Koei Kuwahara Sensei and Korean-style Sa’am acupuncture with Toby Daly. She is certified in Zero Balancing and has been studying classical Chinese herbal medicine with Sharon Weizenbaum for ten years. Her family practice has a special focus on women’s health, pregnancy support, fertility, pediatrics, and digestive issues.

Brian Langston, B.S., Eastern Medical Herbalist – Registered Herbalist (AHG)
Chinese Herbal Consultation; Ayurvedic Dietary Recommendations

Brian Langston is a Medical Herbalist practicing in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds a Bachelor of Science and is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild (AHG), specializing in Eastern herbal medicine and Ayurvedic dietary recommendations. He has completed the White Pine Institute Graduate Mentorship Program and is currently in his second round of the program to further refine his diagnostic skills. Working with clients of all ages and genders, he has had particular success addressing post-COVID health issues with customized herbal formulas, often achieving results within one to three visits using tinctures. His daily practice of Tai Chi and Qi Gong informs his ongoing relationship with Chinese Medicine and his work as a practitioner.

Sylvie Perera has been in practice since 2006, first in London and then in Sydney, Australia. She trained in acupuncture and herbal medicine in the UK and China, completing a clinical internship at Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Acupuncture, a Postgraduate Diploma in Oriental Herbal Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Her practice, AcuEssence, focuses on fertility, women’s health, chronic illness, grief, and complex cases where the body needs support to regain its natural healing capacity. She has done additional training in bereavement, fertility, and Inner Space Techniques (IST), and volunteered at the Nightingale Community Hospice in London treating people affected by cancer. She sees patients in person in Sydney.

Erin Potter is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and registered TCM practitioner, and the owner of Jade Wellness in Revelstoke, British Columbia. She graduated from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Vancouver in 2005 and completed a post-graduate program in Chengdu, China, studying acupuncture, internal medicine, and the classical foundations of Chinese medicine. She began her practice in Revelstoke in 2007. In 2016, Erin began studying with Sharon Weizenbaum at White Pine Institute, deepening her approach to herbal medicine and holistic care. She has since incorporated Saam acupuncture — a system developed by a Korean Buddhist monk in the 17th century — into her treatments, bringing new avenues for healing and transformation to her patients.

Chelsea Prescott holds two Bachelor of Health Science degrees in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine from Victoria University, completing her acupuncture degree with honors in 1997 and her herbal degree in 1999. As part of her studies, she completed a clinical internship at Liaoning Hospital in Shenyang, China. Chelsea has always run a general practice and has a particular love for complex cases, women’s health, and pediatrics. In recent years she has been drawn toward classical Chinese medicine, studying with Ann Cecil-Sterman and completing the Graduate Mentorship Program with Sharon Weizenbaum at White Pine Institute. She is a lecturer and supervisor at Endeavour College of Natural Medicine in Australia and practices in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia.

Molly Shapiro graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego in 2009, where she also studied classical herbal medicine as a patient and assistant in the private practice of Z’ev Rosenberg. During her final year, she completed clinical rotations at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. An herbalist at heart, she has been studying with Sharon Weizenbaum in the White Pine Institute Graduate Mentorship Program since 2018. Her practice in Bethesda, Maryland focuses on digestive complaints, chronic pain, and women’s health. She uses Classical Chinese Medicine diagnosis and herbal treatment alongside TCM-style acupuncture, with examinations including tongue, pulse, and Fukushin abdominal diagnosis. She has been in private practice since 2010 and is licensed in Maryland and California.