Christine Klein is a graduate of both the first graduating class of Five Branches as well as a DAOM Fellow in the first doctoral class of Five Branches University. She has had a private family practice in Santa Cruz since 1987. Her specialties include pain management, pulmonary and digestive disorders, immune problems, gynecology and internal medicine. She also specializes in Scalp acupuncture. Christine volunteers at the Rice Project in Carmel, Ca. (supporting needy families of Monterey county). She has taught Acupuncture II, theatre, internship and TCM Qi Gong at Five Branches University. Her interests include meditation, hiking and medical Qi gong. She currently studies medical Qi Gong with Dr. Bingkun Hu Ph.d. Dr. Klein currently teaches in the Departments of Complementary Studies and TCM Clinical Training.
Dr. Gary Dolowich graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1971 and practiced Western medicine for seven years before studying at the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in England. He integrates Five Element acupuncture, the bodywork system of Zero Balancing, and Jungian techniques, with Western biomedicine in his medical practice in Aptos, California. Dr. Dolowich first began teaching Chinese Medicine in 1983 as a faculty member of the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Maryland. Currently he teaches at the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in Florida and Five Branches University.
He has published articles in The Journal of Traditional Acupuncture, co-authored Ancient Roots, Many Branches: Energetics of Healing Across Cultures & Through Time, and written a book, Archetypal Acupuncture: Healing with the Five Elements. In his teaching, Dr. Dolowich brings together the Five Element approach, archetypal psychology, the I Ching, and the poetry of Rumi. The spiritual teachings of ancient China and the work of Carl Jung have long been an inspiration to him on his own life-journey. In his free time he enjoys kayaking, backpacking, gardening and poetry. His website is www.jademountain.net. Dr. Dolowich teaches in the Departments of TCM Theory and TCM Clinical Training and is a faculty member of the Five Branches DAOM program.
Mary Huse
Professor
Faculty Since 1997
Department Co-Chair, Five Element Specialty
Mary Huse was an ER and critical care nurse for 18 years before finding her way to acupuncture. She graduated from Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Maryland in 1990 and Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine in 1993. Her deep love and knowledge of the Five Elements is expressed through her theory classes, clinical rounds, and internships at Five Branches University. She blends her background of Western medicine, TCM and Five Elements to best support her patients and maintains a full-time practice in Santa Cruz. Professor Huse teaches in the Departments of TCM Theory and TCM Clinical Training.
L. Francesca Ferrari
Associate Professor
Faculty Since 2004
Department Co-Chair, Medical Qigong Science
Francesca Ferrari received her undergraduate degree in History from the University of California at Berkeley, a Masters degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, from Five Branches University and her Doctorate from the Beijing Western District Medical Qigong and TCM Research Institute in China. After years of Medical Qigong study with Professor Jerry Alan Johnson at the International Institute of Medical Qigong, she completed post-graduate training with Dr. Xu Hongtao at the Xiyuan Hospital in Beijing, China. She combines her hard-style qigong background with Medical Qigong. In teaching, Francesca blends her innate ability with the wisdom of her mentors to enhance her students’ diagnostic skills.
Francesca travels regularly to China for advanced study with her Master; she was chosen and inducted as an 80th generation lineage holder and inner disciple of the renowned Maoshan Daoist Temple, where the adept alchemist Sun Si Miao trained.
Francesca lectures internationally, emphasizing the importance of standing meditation, self-reflection and attention to subtle detail to cultivate enhanced qi flow and awareness. Her students, by fourth semester, will stand in meditation for one hour as part of the final exam. Francesca has been featured numerous times on both television and radio. She maintains a private practice where she combines her expertise in rare temple-style qigong with the best of western functional medicine. She enjoys teaching Medical Qigong Intensives and can be contacted at www.francescaferrari.com. With her rich fusion of style she brings energy and enthusiasm to her classes. Francesca Ferrari teaches in the Departments of Complementary Studies and TCM Clinical Training and is a faculty member of the Five Branches DAOM program.
Jean Vlamynck
Associate Professor
Faculty Since 2000
Department Co-Chair, Medical Qigong Science
Jean Vlamynck has been cultivating her energy with Qigong and Taiji for over 25 years. She began her private practice as a Certified Massage Practitioner in 1987, with treatments including polarity energy work. She graduated with a Masters of TCM from Five Branches and became a California licensed, nationally certified acupuncturist in 1992. As part of the first Five Branches post-graduate program in China, Jean completed four months of studies at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in Hangzhou, China, which included studying with Qigong and Taiji masters. In 1999, she attained her Master’s degree in Medical Qigong from the International Institute of Medical Qigong, and since then has been teaching and treating with Medical Qigong. Jean initiated and co-founded the Medical Qigong program at Five Branches. Jean has been in private practice since 1992. In her free time she enjoys hiking and swimming. Jean Vlamynck teaches in the Departments of Complementary Studies and TCM Clinical Training.
