Meet the Community

Welcome to the Society of Hospital & Healthcare System-based Acupuncturists.

We are the healthcare system-based acupuncturist community network.

And the home of the Hospital Handbook Project™ (HHP). HHP is the nonprofit collaborative learning network for healthcare system-based LAcs and program managers.

Megan Kingsley Gale, MSAOM, LAc, LMT

Board president, The Society of Hospital & Healthcare System-based Acupuncturists, a new nonprofit organization, since April 2023.

Director (and founder), The Hospital Practice Handbook Project (HHP) for Acupuncturists and Their Hospital Sponsors

Serves in all the workgroups (Employment Practices, Safety Practices, Inpatient Acupuncture, Health Policy, etc.)

I created the HHP as a resource for connecting the healthcare system acupuncturist community to each other so we can learn and grow together as a community. The HHP’s virtual asynchronous and synchronous discussion space is a great place to connect to colleagues and potential mentors, researchers, and more.

The HHP is a collaborative learning health system/network. I work to cultivate a space where we learn from each other, celebrate colleagues’ work, and continue to grow together as a community. I support the model of continuous learning and continuous improvement for this community space.

Risi Idiokitas, DAOM

Pediatric acupuncturist, Children’s National

Washington D.C.

HHP Inpatient Acupuncture discussion group 2020-2023; SOHHA Inpatient Acupuncture Workgroup advisor since 2023

Speaker, HHP Issues in Hospital-based Practice, webinar series

Speaker, the 2023 Inaugural Inpatient Acupuncture Conference

She has worked both inpatient and outpatient pediatric acupuncture since 2018 at Children’s National (a dedicated children’s hospital) in Washington, D.C.

When I started working in a hospital I was only in touch with two other acupuncturists I knew that were doing similar work. I am grateful to have found HHP as a resource and forum to connect with so many others. I’ve been able to access resources that have allowed me to avoid recreating the wheel. It’s important that we be able to connect with each other, share with each other and learn from each other.

Ryan Davenport, DACM, LAc, M.A.

Senior Acupuncturist at Edward Elmhurst Health in the suburbs of Chicago

Associate Professor at Pacific College of Health and Science, Chicago, Illinois.

Ryan also holds a master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology, where his research focused on Indigenous healing systems in Indonesia.

HHP Employment Practices Workgroup 2022-2023; SOHHA Employment Practices Workgroup since 2024

SOHHA Health Policy Workgroup since 2024

I am strongly interested in collaborating with other healthcare system-based LAcs in hospitals and healthcare systems.  Since becoming part of the HHP community, I have benefited from the experience of other members of the community as well as the materials available on the site. As a result, we have expanded the role of acupuncture and herbal medicine in my workplace. It is my hope that through further collaboration at HHP, we can effect positive change for the profession at the national and international levels. .

Molly Mallory, Ma.O.M., LAc

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Integrative Medicine team, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Before joining the Integrative Medicine team at Mayo Clinic in 2011, Molly owned and operated a private practice in Minneapolis for seven years. She has a passion for Integrative Oncology and expanding the body of evidence-based research.

The HHP is an amazing resource for LAcs, whether just starting out in a healthcare system or a seasoned member of a hospital based practice. The collaborative effort among clinicians has developed into valuable bank of resources for both providers and managers. I encourage acupuncturists and their program managers to join the HHP to take advantage of the vast resources and share their personal experiences and expertise.

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**This page is a work in progress.

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**This page is a work in progress.

Paul Magee, Ma.O.M., L.Ac.

Secretary, Board of Directors, The Society of Hospital & Healthcare System-based Acupuncturists, a new nonprofit organization, since April 2023.

Lead Outpatient Acupuncturist, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing at Allina Health, Minnesota

HHP Employment Practices Workgroup 2022-2023; SOHHA Employment Practices Workgroup since 2023

HHP Safety Practices Workgroup summer 2022- 2023; SOHHA Safety Practices Workgroup since 2023

SOHHA Health Policy Workgroup founder and workgroup lead since 2023.

Our profession's place within traditional Western healthcare is still being established, and even long-standing programs like the one I work with encounter new challenges constantly as we become more deeply integrated into our healthcare system.  I use the Hospital Handbook Project to be able to connect with acupuncturists in other hospital systems across the country.  This professional community connection allows me to make decisions informed by the experience and insight of multiple other organizations, not just our own.  

Scott Phelps, DAOM, MAcOM, LAc

Treasurer, Board of Directors, The Society of Hospital & Healthcare System-based Acupuncturists, a new nonprofit organization, since April 2023.

Lead Inpatient Acupuncturist at the University of California Irvine (UCI)Medical Center in Orange, California. The acupuncture program at UCI is a part of the Samueli Integrative Health Institute.

HHP Inpatient Acupuncture Discussion Group, 2022-2023; SOHHA Inpatient Acupuncture Workgroup 2023

HHP’s 2023 Inpatient Acupuncture Conference planning committee

HHP is a meeting place for those of us working in hospitals or hospital-based clinics. Here we can talk about our particular programs, brainstorm about current challenges, explore compliance, and help grow our collective knowledge of inpatient and ambulatory programs. If you are interested in hospital-based integrative medicine acupuncture work, or manage an acupuncture program, the HHP is a one-of-a-kind resource.

Christine Kaiser, DACM, LAc, FABORM

Connor Endowed Director of Reproductive Well-being
Clinical Manager, Acupuncture
University Hospitals (UH) Connor Whole Health, Cleveland, Ohio

HHP Safety-in-Practice Workgroup Nov 2021 - summer 2022

HHP Inpatient Acupuncture Discussion Group 2022

Acupuncture is an important and effective non-pharm tool for pain management and its use in hospital and healthcare systems is growing. My dream is for every hospital to employ acupuncturists to give patients more options for care and to provide more well-being support to hospital staff. This [the “How to Hire & Credential an LAc in Your Healthcare System”] is an exceptional class to learn how to effectively add acupuncture to your healthcare system. Check it out.

Sandro Graca, MSc, Lic. TCM, FABORM

Lecturer and Researcher, Northern College of Acupuncture, York, United Kingdom. Social Media Editor of the European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 

Director at Evidence Based Acupuncture, a nonprofit community resource.

Sandro is a published researcher in the field of acupuncture for menstrual and reproductive health and a member of the Cochrane Review Groups for Acupuncture for Dysmenorrhea and Acupuncture for Assisted Reproductive Technology. 

The HHP features constantly in my lectures as a living example of a) how the integration of acupuncturists in the healthcare system is possible and b) how such integration should be supported.

The materials available on the website are extremely valuable for acupuncturists and program managers. Since joining, the collaborations and support from the HHP community have hugely enhanced my research work and also influenced how to position some of the strategy at Evidence Based Acupuncture in order to further support hospital based practitioners.

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**This page is a work in progress.