A Message from the Desk of Dr. Kory Ward-Cook, CEO
June 2016
Earlier this year, the NCCAOM welcomed the Year of the Fire Monkey in which we embraced a year of ambition, innovation and productivity. Knowing that according to ancient Chinese beliefs, people born during the Year of the Monkey are wise, intelligent, confident, charismatic, loyal, and inventive and also possess great leadership skills; the NCCAOM leadership, therefore, decided that it was the perfect year for the NCCAOM to embrace a culture of entrepreneurship. This application of the NCCAOM enterprising spirit was what lead to the formation of the new NCCAOM® Academy of Diplomates, a chartered membership division of the NCCAOM created exclusively for active NCCAOM Diplomates, announced in March of this year.
The Academy of Diplomates was conceived based upon the NCCAOM®’s 2014 strategic plan that revolved around organizational goals to further assist Diplomates with promoting their credentials and to provide resources to Diplomates to enhance their careers. Feedback from our Diplomates through the 2015 Diplomate Satisfaction Survey further confirmed the need expand NCCAOM’s organizational structure to provide greater services and products to its Diplomates. Thus, the Academy, led by a separate governing board, will facilitate expansion of the activities the NCCAOM has accomplished to promote its Diplomates and their NCCAOM certifications. Since the Academy was created to serve our Diplomates, there will be no membership dues – all active Diplomates are automatically qualified to be members. The first Academy of Diplomates Board of Trustees Officers are: Chair David Canzone, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)®, Dipl. NBAO, DOM, Vice Chair Iman Majd, MD, MS, EAMP, Dip. ABFM, ABoIM, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)®, DABMA, ABIHM, Certified GUNN-IMS and Treasurer Steve Kazmierczak, Ph.D., DABCC. While the Academy is still in its foundational stage, the NCCAOM will be continuing its work towards providing more benefits to its Diplomates in order to distinguish themselves from other healthcare practitioners. The Academy board is also committed to working synergistically with other AOM professional associations, foundations, and institutions in support of the AOM profession.
To coincide with the launch of the Academy, the NCCAOM has embarked on a major public education campaign, designed with the help of our Public and Professional Recognition Awareness Taskforce. NCCAOM has contracted with a seasoned public relations firm to promote our Diplomates to the media, other healthcare practitioners, employers and consumers. In fact, we are working with other AOM national and state associations as well as the Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC) via the Opioid Taskforce to promote the use of acupuncture to decrease opioid dependency. Bill Reddy, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM), IHPC Board member has written an in-depth article in this edition of our newsletter. Change and transformation is a continuous and necessary evolution process in successful organizations, as stagnation leads to decline. This is why the NCCAOM is always committed to assessing the current needs of our Diplomates and to make changes to meet those needs. You will be hearing more about the NCCAOM Academy of Diplomates in the coming months, through our newsletters and through postings on our website. On behalf of the NCCAOM Board of Commissioners and staff, I look forward to reporting on the Academy’s progress to provide you more services and products. Stay tuned!