Past and Present

Five Branches University was founded on an auspicious day – Feb. 4, 1984, on Chinese New Year in the Year of the Mouse, at the beginning of a 60-year cycle. We had one classroom, a clinic with three treatment rooms, five teachers, 18 dedicated students, one patient a day, and one typewriter. Today we have two campuses, nine programs, 14 classrooms, 38 treatment rooms, 200 teachers, 450 dedicated students, 1500 alumni, and we see 160 patients a day. We have grown.

From the beginning, it was our intention to invite Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners to the West, to teach and transmit their precious knowledge of Chinese medicine and to share their subtle yet powerful ways of practicing medicine. The history of Five Branches began when several of these extraordinary yet humble practitioners of Traditional Chinese medicine accepted our invitation.

The essence of our success has been the quality and dedication of our faculty/practitioners. Jeffrey Pang, LAc., Joanna Zhao, LAc., and Lucy Hu, LAc., have been with us for over 28 years. Today, our faculty number over 200 distinguished members.

The most meaningful events of our history, however, are the memories of the hug and warm smile a patient gives one of our faculty members when they meet outside the clinic, the practitioner who shares how Chinese medicine saved their patient’s life, and the heartfelt gratitude expressed by a graduate at graduation for the gifts received from faculty during their time of study and training at Five Branches.

It is our comprehensive academic programs, the quality of teaching in both the classroom and clinic and the deep and sincere dedication of faculty, staff and students that have contributed significantly to the transmission of this incredible medicine into our communities and throughout the West.

Academic Dean Joanna Zhao, LAc, Senior Faculty Jeffrey Pang, LAc, and Sharon Feng, LAc with the first graduating class of Five Branches University. Several of the students pictured have become professors at the University.		Presidents Ron Zaidman of Five Branches and Naida Zhang of the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University exchange gifts to honor the signing of an agreement to develop joint U.S. doctoral and Chinese PhD programs.