Our Leadership

Our Board of Directors and advisors are dedicated to advancing Five Branches mission, and realizing the University’s vision to make substantial contributions towards the profession of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Board of Directors

Angela Tu, LAc

TCM Practitioner, Walnut Creek, California

President, National Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Organizations, USA

Vice Chair, World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies

Ex-commissioner of: Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine; California Acupuncture Board; National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Lar Short

Director, Grace Essence Mandala, Taos, New Mexico

Ron Zaidman, MBA, MTCM

President, CEO, Co-founder, Five Branches University

Joanna Zhao, LAc

Vice-President Academic and Clinic Affairs, Co-founder, Five Branches University

Robert Cheasty, JD

Attorney
TCM School expertise

Erin Ritchie, MD

Western Medical Doctor
Acupuncture Certificate

Ellen Galford

Nurse
Alternative Medicine expertise

Advisors to the Board and University

Shi, Xuemin – Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chief physician and honorary president of First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Amy Matecki, MD, LAc. – Co-founder and President of the International Center for Integrative Medicine (ICIM), Chief of Integrative Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Highland Hospital, Oakland California, AHS

Huang Huang – Professor at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Director of Jing Fang Institute in China and internationally