ABOUT AIMC BERKELEY
Welcome to AIMC Berkeley! We are happy you are curious about our unique college. We promote an integrative approach to medicine by offering strong Western medicine courses and cutting edge clinical experiences in Western medicine settings. We offer a diversified curriculum that incorporates mind body and spirit. We are extremely proud of our successful Masters program and our Professional Doctorate program that started in 2019.
We provide a supportive culture for you to realize your unique mission as a healer—to create for yourself what I call “tailor-made-medicine.” We offer an environment that encourages each student to put their singular imprint on medicine.
One of my core values is my commitment to our students’ needs. Sometimes that is quite literal: I provide our students with snacks every day and lunches during finals. This is just one of the ways I welcome students into our warm and inviting community.
Sincerely,
Yasuo Tanaka
President & CEO
PAST & PRESENT
The Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College-Berkeley formerly known as Meiji College of Oriental Medicine (MCOM) was established in San Francisco, California in 1990 by the Meiji School of Oriental Medicine in Japan and its alumni. The first class was enrolled in September of 1991. In January 1999, the school relocated to Berkeley, California in order to provide its students with a higher quality facility and a better educational environment. In 2002, Dr. Shuji Goto assumed an appointment as a chairman of the board for the MCOM. In April 2003 the name of the school was changed to Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley (AIMC, Berkeley) and new management has started under the new chairman’s leadership. Through the introduction of curriculum of Japanese Acupuncture and Kampo Medicine, the goals were set to take a leadership role for further development of Asian Medicine in the US. It was accredited by ACAOM under its new name in May 2004.
Today AIMC continues to develop its programs and professional affiliations. In 2017 we launched a new MSOM that improved the curriculum and streamlined the program so that it could be completed in 10 terms, or a little over 3 years. We have recently developed a First Professional Doctorate degree that launched in 2019.
“AIMC Berkeley prides itself on our accomplished faculty, our inclusive student community, and our integrated approach to medicine.”
INSTITUTIONAL MISSION & VISION
The mission of Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley is to develop caring, proficient, and successful practitioners who serve our communities and the East Asian medicine profession by treating illness and promoting health and wellness. AIMC Berkeley promotes patient-centered integrative medicine focused on treating the whole person (mind/body/spirit), with consideration for both traditional and contemporary medical models and other factors that influence health, wellness, and disease.
AIMC Berkeley supports the following vision:
To serve as a center for international collaboration in the development of acupuncture and East Asian medicine within the concept of integrative medicine
To serve as a center for the promotion of health and wellness and care of the community through education, outreach, and patient care
AIMC Berkeley’s Strategic Plan outlines the institution’s goals and strategies
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
At AIMC Berkeley we believe that a diverse community of students, faculty, staff and board members strengthens our capacity for empathy, compassion, and cultural humility and prepares us to be of best service to the rich plurality of the Bay Area and beyond.
We celebrate and strive to create an inclusive culture for all people of all identities. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual orientation, gender identity and presentation, racial identity, nationality, ability, belief system or religion, citizenship, socioeconomic status, and any identity that faces institutionalized oppression.
We honor the ancient East Asian roots of this medicine and aspire to practice in alignment with its original intent, while respectfully integrating it with allopathic medicine. We strive to learn from and live in harmony with the natural world and to recognize one another as varied and equal expressions of nature. We honor the Ohlone peoples whose land we occupy, as well as the long legacy of skilled practitioners who came before us.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS & OBJECTIVES
AIMC offers the Master of Science in Oriental Medicine degree program and the Doctor of Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine degree program. These programs comprise the primary academic focus of AIMC Berkeley. Our faculty, curriculum, and clinical instruction promote the education and training of compassionate, successful, well-rounded practitioners; and our learner-centered, competency-based educational philosophy fosters lifelong learning and personal
improvement.
The mission of AIMC Berkeley’s Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) and Doctor of Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine (DAIM) programs are to educate students to become knowledgeable, skilled, and professional practitioners of acupuncture and Integrative medicine. Upon completion of the MSOM program, graduates of AIMC Berkeley will be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and practices of acupuncture and Chinese medicine
Apply the principles and practices of acupuncture and Chinese medicine to patient care
Describe the broad traditions in both Chinese and Japanese medicine
Demonstrate clinical effectiveness in patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatment
Make informed and appropriate referrals to other healthcare providers
Practice within established ethical, legal, and professional guidelines
Apply the principles of successful practice management
In addition, graduates of the DAIM program will be able to:
Utilize research methodology for research projects
Creatively synthesize the theories of traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine with a scientific viewpoint
Collaborate with a broad range of health care providers on incorporating the modalities of Chinese and Japanese medicine in patient care
ONGOING LEARNING
AIMC Berkeley advocates for continuing education after graduation and licensure. We provide a variety of certificate programs and CEU courses, as well as classes, seminars, and workshops for professionals, students, and community members interested in enhancing their understanding of East Asian Medicine and the art of healing.
SUCCESSFUL PRACTITIONERS
AIMC Berkeley-trained practitioners are successful because they attain MSOM and DAIM degrees, pass state and national certification exams with high first-time pass rates, and gain licensure. Furthermore, AIMC Berkeley-trained practitioners enjoy success because they graduate as skilled, confident, and compassionate healers who truly love what they’re doing with their lives, are happy serving in their communities, and are dedicated to making a difference in the world – one patient at a time.
COMMUNITY & PARTNERSHIPS
AFFORDABLE PATIENT-BASED HEALTHCARE
AIMC Berkeley endeavors to maintain the therapeutic treatment of patients in our community at the highest level of our activities. Our educational programs, research, and student and professional clinics target the beneficial, effective, holistic, and compassionate treatment of individuals rather than merely the fighting of disease. AIMC Berkeley is dedicated to providing effective healthcare to under-served populations, including women, children, youth, students, the elderly, minorities, and those who are economically disadvantaged and without access to medical insurance. Our Community Acupuncture Clinic and Herbal Dispensary offer office visits, treatments, services, and prescriptions at below local market rates.
OUR COMMUNITY
AIMC Berkeley recognizes the diversity of the community it serves. The people of Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda County comprise our societal center; however, our patients, and especially our students, are drawn from throughout the entire Bay Area, Northern and Southern California, the United States, and many other countries. The participation with and interchange between our sister schools in Japan and China broaden and deepen our alliance with and commitment to Integrative Medicine. As an academic community, AIMC Berkeley finds within itself a vibrant and dynamic society composed of patients, students, faculty, administrators, and directors.
SISTER SCHOOLS
AIMC Berkeley has developed international partnerships and study-abroad programs in China and Japan as a part of ongoing collaborations with Goto College of Medical Arts and Sciences in Japan, Shikoku Medical College in Japan, and Tianjin University in China.
Goto College Japan
Shikoku Medical College
Tianjin University China
These programs give AIMC Berkeley students the opportunity to spend several weeks studying in China or Japan and to learn from leading international practitioners of Chinese and Japanese medicine.
INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Japanese Society of Acupuncture & Moxibustion (JSAM)
Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)
