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An Interview with Dr. Dennis Moseman, Dean of the New England School of Acupuncture
Emma Rengel
On January 29, 2024, I conducted a Zoom interview with Dr. Dennis Moseman, the dean of the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). The focus of this interview was to gain further knowledge about NESA at MCPHS and what this university has to offer. The goal was to not only learn more about the programs, faculty, and staff but also to learn about what lies at the heart of this acupuncture school.
The first question I asked Dean Moseman was, “What programs does NESA at MCPHS offer?” The dean shared a list of all the various programs:
- Master of Acupuncture (MAC)
- Master of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine (MAC CHM)
- Doctor of Acupuncture (DAC)
- Doctor of Acupuncture Degree Completion Program
- Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies Chinese Herbal Medicine (CAGS)
- Certificate in Japanese Acupuncture Studies
He stated that NESA at MCPHS is always looking to expand and diversify its program offerings.
Next, we discussed the values of merging with MCPHS and what makes NESA at MCPHS different from other acupuncture universities. Dean Moseman talked about the importance of the fact that the merger of MCPHS and NESA brought together two historically rich schools. In the United States, MCPHS is the second oldest pharmacy school and NESA is the longest continually operating school of acupuncture. In 2023, MCPHS celebrated its 200th anniversary, and in 2025, NESA will celebrate its 50th anniversary. MCPHS is also the most comprehensive health science university in the United States.
Dean Moseman emphasized the value of NESA gaining access to the vast resources that MCPHS has to offer its programs. MCPHS utilizes its financial resources to provide high-quality education and services to its students, as well as quality support to its faculty and staff. The university has state-of-the-art facilities and technology. Student resources include, but are not limited to: the Center for Academic Success and Enrichment (CASE), Office of Student Access and Accommodations (OSAA), Financial Services, the Career Development Center, and access to comprehensive library resources.
Interprofessional education and collaboration is another resource that was gained with the merger. Students are given the opportunity to learn with and about other professions. Interprofessional events are held on campus, where students from different schools can collaborate and work together.
This integrative approach gives students a broader view of the healthcare world. Dean Moseman stated: “We have our roots and our history in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but we are also well aware that we need to be integrated within the biomedical healthcare model to really effect change.”
Dean Moseman was proud to share the wide variety of clinical placements that NESA at MCPHS has to offer. In addition to the Treatment Center on campus, students will have clinical rotations at one or more hospital settings. Students may be placed at Boston Medical Center (BMC) Family Medicine, BMC Pediatrics, BMC Internal Medicine, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, UMass Memorial Hahnemann Family Health Center, or the Cambridge Health Alliance.
The university also has an affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic, the world’s first integrated international health system. Students can apply for a 1-week immersive experience assisting an acupuncturist at the Cleveland Clinic.
NESA at MCPHS has an innovative curriculum that goes beyond the basic acupuncture training. Built into the program is the Acupuncture Integrative Pain Management curriculum.
This pain management program starts on day 1 and continues through the masters program and even into the doctoral program. Students will complete courses in Integrated Anatomy and Acupuncture Integrative Pain Management.
They will then be able to practice these skills in a clinical setting. Dean Moseman said:“Acupuncture does a lot, but we know that it is effective in treating pain and so we feel like we would be remiss if we weren’t teaching our students how to really treat pain from an integrative perspective because that is what is happening out in the world.”
In addition, NESA at MCPHS has comprehensive Japanese Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine concentrations. Students can choose to enter either or both of these tracks.
The Japanese Acupuncture track is a series of 5 courses supported by clinical rotations. This ensures that the students obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to treat using the Japanese style of acupuncture. The Chinese Herbal Medicine track is a series of 11 courses with hands-on clinical experiences working in the herbal dispensary and treatment center. After the completion of this track, students will be eligible to sit for the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) Chinese Herbology board examination.
Since I have attended NESA at MCPHS myself, I was intrigued to hear what Dean Moseman’s thoughts were about the faculty and staff. He shared that NESA at MCPHS has a set of engaged and supportive faculty and staff. The faculty is a group of seasoned practitioners with extensive knowledge of theory and years of clinical experience practicing in the field. Dean Moseman said he believes each of the faculty members is “dedicated to the profession and educating the next generation of acupuncturists because they know how powerful this medicine is.” They are “compassionate, kind, supportive, and nurturing”. Dean Moseman stated: “I think we have a faculty who care about our students and go the extra mile to make sure they get what they need, and that is true of the staff as well.” The faculty listen to student feedback and implement changes so that they can provide the best education possible to help the students become the best they can be. Each member of the staff works hard to make sure that the faculty, students, visitors, and patients at the Treatment Center feel welcome and supported. They are dedicated to maintaining the building’s cleanliness, safety, and organization. If a student ever has a question, a staff member is there to help.
Next, I decided to ask Dean Moseman what the school was looking for when accepting students.
He stated, “I like to look at the big picture with students. I don’t know that there is one model that makes a good acupuncture student. Someone who wants to make a difference is really important.” Dean Moseman expressed that a prospective student should be compassionate, caring, and empathetic. He stated that he continues to enjoy conducting interviews because he likes to hear the students’ stories and what brought them to apply to NESA. Dean Moseman explained how important it is that a prospective student must be dedicated to the course of study and understand the rigor of the acupuncture curriculum. The student needs to be aware of what it means to excel in an acupuncture program both academically and otherwise.
Because this medicine originated outside of the United States, I wanted to find out more information for international students. With input from the International Students Office at MCPHS, Dean Moseman shared that the student body of NESA at MCPHS is composed of 15% international students. They have a long history of international student enrollment specifically for healthcare and health sciences education, and are in the top 10 specialty institutions in the US for hosting international students (IIE Open Doors Report 2023). This experience shapes the expertise with which they have designed their support structures and welcoming policies that safeguard international student integration, support, and success in the university and in their career networking after graduation, making them one of the foremost institutions of international healthcare education in the world.
Some of the key offerings in support of international students include:
- Equal tuition for US citizens and international students
- Scholarships for international students
- Immigration support services
- In-house foreign transcript expertise
- Study/Service Abroad opportunities for international students
Dean Moseman stated： “I would love to have a more diverse student body. I encourage students from all around the world to explore this amazing field of acupuncture. The United States is a diverse country and it needs practitioners from diverse backgrounds to serve those communities.”
Next, I asked the dean what the university’s hopes are for students as they go through the program. Dean Moseman shared that the university’s goal is to make sure that the students feel supported throughout the program and that they feel ready to enter into professional practice. The statement of purpose for NESA at MCPHS is: “Train and inspire future generations of acupuncturists to create a healthier world as independent health care providers in various clinical settings.”
Finally, I asked if there was anything exciting to look forward to in the future.
Dean Moseman shared that NESA will be having its 50th anniversary in 2025. NESA looks forward to celebrating this great milestone with its faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the greater MCPHS community. Dean Moseman then shared some final thoughts as we ended the interview. He stated that he hopes “through quality acupuncture education and training, we are graduating acupuncture professionals that can meaningfully contribute to the advancement of the acupuncture practice in the United States”.
Author information:
Emma Rengel DAc, MEd, Lic. Ac.
A full-time acupuncturist at Mass General Brigham Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, NH.
為美國針灸實踐的進步做出貢獻
——採訪美國新英格蘭中醫學院院長丹尼斯·牟斯曼博士
艾瑪·倫格爾
2024年1月29日，我透過Zoom視頻平臺採訪了美國麻省藥學與健康科學大學（MCPHS）新英格蘭中醫學院（NESA）院長丹尼斯·牟斯曼博士。
本次專訪的焦點是進一步瞭解NESA以及其與衆不同之處，目的不僅是為了瞭解其教學項目及教職員工的情況，更是為了探討這座針灸學校的核心價值。
我先向牟斯曼院長提問：“請問NESA有哪些教學項目？”
院長列出的教學項目如下：
- 針灸碩士學位項目（MAC）
- 針灸和中藥碩士學位項目（MAC CHM）
- 針灸博士學位項目（DAC）
- 針灸博士學位完成計劃項目
- 中藥高級研究生證書項目（CAGS）
- 日式針灸證書項目
院長強調NESA一直在努力促進其教學項目的擴展和多樣化。
接下來，我請院長介紹NESA與MCPHS合併所帶來的價值以及NESA與美國其他針灸學院之間的區別。
牟斯曼院長提到，MCPHS與NESA合併的重要性在於將兩所歷史悠久的高校連接在一起。MCPHS是美國第二古老的藥學大學，而NESA則是美國最古老的連續辦學的針灸學院。2023年，MCPHS慶祝了其200週年校慶，而NESA將於2025年迎來其50週年校慶。此外，MCPHS是美國最全面的健康科學大學。
牟斯曼院長強調合併後NESA能享受MCPHS給其教學項目提供的豐富資源。MCPHS利用其財務資源來給學生提供高質量的教育和服務並給教職員工提供充分的支持。該校擁有最先進的教學設施和技術設備。其學生享受的資源包括：學術成功與豐富化中心（CASE）、學生無障礙協助辦公室（OSAA）、助學金辦公室、職業發展中心、圖書館等等。
另外，NESA與MCPHS合併後還獲得了跨專業教育與合作的資源。NESA的學生有機會與其他專業的學生一起學習並瞭解彼此的專業。校園內經常舉辦跨專業活動，在這些活動中來自不同專業的學生可以共同合作。這種綜合性的活動使學生對醫療保健領域有更廣闊的視角。牟斯曼院長說道:“我們的根源與歷史在傳統中醫，但是我們都很清楚，我們必須與主流的醫療保健模式接軌才能產生實質性的影響。”
牟斯曼院長還列出了NESA提供的各種臨牀實習機會。除了校園內的中醫治療中心以外，學生還會在至少一家醫院實習。提供實習機會的醫院包括：波士頓醫療中心（BMC）家庭醫療、BMC小兒科、BMC內科、伊迪斯·諾斯·羅傑斯紀念退伍軍人醫院、馬薩諸塞大學哈內曼家庭健康中心、劍橋健康聯盟等等。此外，NESA與克利夫蘭醫學中心有合作關係。克利夫蘭醫學中心是世界上第一個國際綜合衛生系統，學生可以報名參與為期一週的沉浸式體驗，實習內容是為克利夫蘭醫學中心的針灸師做助理。
NESA的課程設置具有創新性，其內容遠遠超出基礎針灸培訓的範圍。針灸綜合性疼痛治療課程系列是其中一個關鍵的組成部分，該課程系列從學生入學第一天開始，並貫穿整個碩士學位項目以及博士學位項目。學生完成綜合性解剖學課程和針灸綜合性疼痛治療課程以後，就可以在臨牀環境中進行實踐。牟斯曼院長說道:“雖然針灸能治療很多病症，但其止痛療效最為顯著。因此我們認為，如果不教學生如何從綜合性的角度去真正地治療疼痛，那就是我們失職了，因為這才是在當今世界上真實發生的情況。”
另外，NESA提供全面的日式針灸和中藥項目，學生可以自行選修其中一個或兩個項目。日式針灸項目包括5門課程和臨牀實習機會，旨在確保學生能獲得日式針灸治療的相關知識和技術。中藥項目包括11門課程以及在藥房和治療中心的臨牀實習機會，學生完成該項目之後，便有資格參加美國國家針灸及東方醫學認證委員會（NCCAOM）中藥考試。
作為NESA的學生，我對牟斯曼院長關於教職員工的想法十分感興趣。院長表示，NESA擁有一支態度積極、樂於助人的教職員工團隊，其教師團隊由具有廣博理論知識和多年臨牀經驗的針灸師組成。牟斯曼院長認為，每一位教師都對中醫事業專心致志、致力於培養下一代針灸師，因為他們知道中醫的力量有多強大。他們都是富有同情心、善良、樂於助人、有愛心的人。牟斯曼院長說：“我認為我們的教師非常關心我們的學生，他們會付出額外的努力來滿足學生的需求，其他的員工也是這樣。”教師會傾聽學生的反饋並採取行動，以便為學生提供最好的教育。每一位員工努力確保所有教師、學生、來校訪客以及治療中心的病人都能感受到賓至如歸的感覺，他們致力於維護教學樓的衛生、安全與秩序。如果學生有任何問題，員工就會來幫忙。
接下來，我請牟斯曼院長介紹NESA的招生標準。院長説：“我喜歡從整體上考慮學生的素質，我不知道是否存在一個合格針灸學生的模範標準。重要的是學生應該想要對世界產生影響。”牟斯曼院長強調，有意就讀NESA的學生應該富有同情心、愛心和同理心。院長說道，他喜歡做招生面試的原因是因為他喜歡聽學生講的故事以及他們選擇申請就讀NESA的理由。
牟斯曼院長強調，有意就讀NESA的學生必須致力於完成學校的課程並接受嚴謹的針灸培訓。學生需要瞭解在針灸培訓項目中如何取得學業和其他方面上的成功。
考慮到中醫是從國外引進到美國的，我還向院長打聽NESA國際學生的情況。
牟斯曼院長表示，根據MCPHS國際學生辦公室提供的信息，國際學生佔NESA學生總數的15%。MCPHS招收醫療保健和健康科學專業的國際學生有悠久的歷史，該校被列為美國前10名招收國際學生的專業高校之一（IIE 門戶開放報告 2023年）。基於多年的相關經驗形成的專業知識，該校為國際學生設計了支持結構與歡迎政策，以便確保國際學生不僅能夠融入校園並獲得支持和成功，而且在畢業後能夠建立職業關係網絡。因此，該校是世界上最重要的國際醫療保健教育機構之一。
MCPHS給國際學生提供的便利條件包括：
- 國際學生與美國學生的學費相同
- 為國際學生提供獎學金
- 移民支援服務
- 校方具備處理外國成績單的專業知識
- 為國際學生提供留學機會
牟斯曼院長表示：“我希望我們的學生會變得更多樣化，我鼓勵全世界的學生來探索針灸這一神奇的領域。美國作為一個多樣化的國家，需要來自多樣化背景的針灸師為各個羣體服務。”
接下來，我請牟斯曼院長介紹校方對在讀學生的期望。
牟斯曼院長提到，校方的目的是確保學生能感覺受到支持並且準備好進入專業實踐。NESA的宗旨聲明是：“培養與激勵新一代針灸師在各種臨牀場景下以獨立醫療服務人員的角色來創造更健康的世界。”
最後，我請院長分享NESA未來有哪些值得期待的活動。牟斯曼院長表示，NESA將於2025年迎來其50週年校慶。NESA期待與全體教職員工、學生、校友以及MCPHS大學社區一起慶祝這一重要的里程碑。採訪結束前，牟斯曼院長還分享了他最終的想法，他希望“通過優質的針灸教育與培訓來培養一批能為美國針灸實踐的進步做出實質性貢獻的針灸專業人才”。
作者簡介:
艾瑪·倫格爾 (Emma Rengel)，執照針灸博士，美國新罕布罕州，多佛市，麻省總醫院的全職針灸師。
