ACI Board of Directors
President
Terry Oleson, PhD
Terry received his doctorate in Psychobiology from the University of California at Irvine in 1973. He later obtained a post-doctoral fellowship in Neuroscience at the UCLA Department of Psychology and the UCLA Brain Research Institute, focusing on the study of stimulation produced analgesia in the brain. While at UCLA, Dr. Oleson conducted pioneering research in the field of auricular diagnosis and auriculotherapy treatments. Dr. Oleson has served as the Chair of the Department of Psychology and Division of Behavioral Medicine at the California Graduate Institute in Los Angeles, California, and currently serves on the faculty of Emperor’s College of Traditional Chinese. He has written over 30 scientific articles and has published the well regarded textbook Auriculotherapy: Chinese and Western Approaches to Ear Acupuncture (2014) and the International Handbook of Ear Reflex Points (1995). Dr. Oleson presented his auricular nomenclature work at international meetings for the World Health Organization in Lyon, France in 1990, 1994, 2000, and 2014 and at the International Congress on Auricular Medicine, held in Beijing, China, in 1995 and 2010. In 1998, he received the Auricular Acupuncturist of the Year Award from the International Congress of Chinese Medicine.
Jacqueline D. Adler
VP
Prior to medical school, Dr. Adler completed her Master of Public Health from San Diego State University. After graduating from medical school in 1992 from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, Jacqueline completed her residency in Internal Medicine at UC San Francisco in 1995. Following completion of a Stanford Fellowship in Infectious Diseases in 1999, Jacqueline was awarded a scholarship at the Stanford Faculty Developmental Center for Medical Teachers. During the fall of 2003, Dr. Adler served as visiting faculty at the University of Health Sciences in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she presented seminars on Infectious Diseases and Antibiotic Use. From 2007 to 2009, she served as a clinical instructor for the Wyoming WWAMI Program affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Adler’s training in acupuncture began in 1985 through the UCLA medical acupuncture program. She has since become a practitioner and teacher of auricular acupuncture. She has trained with Dr. Terry Oleson and Dr. Richard Niemtzow as a part of ACI certification, and also studied under Dr. Raphael Nogier in Lyon, France. Dr. Adler is currently clinical faculty at Emperor’s College of Traditional Medicine in Santa Monica, California. She maintains a private practice in Ventura, California, devoted to auriculotherapy. Jacqueline brings an enthusiasm and passion for bridging and uniting the diverse paradigms and world views of both Eastern and Western medicine.
Secretary / Treasurer:
Mary Bonnette, PhD
Dr. Bonnette received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Nursing from the University of South Florida, Tampa, in 1986. She attained her Doctorate Degree in Health Services from Walden University in 2006. Her dissertation research focused on integrative approaches on the effects of Auricular Neuro-Electric Stimulation Therapy, Addiction Education, Behavioral Training and Coaching Support in the Nicotine Addiction Treatment Process. This research was published in the Journal of Addictions Nursing as a CE Feature (2008). Dr. Bonnette has offered multiple presentations on this topic at international conferences in the US and in Lyon, France. Mary has effectively worked with nicotine dependent smokers/vapors and other health conditions for more than 25 years. Dr. Bonnette practices in Ft. Myers, Florida, using integrative approaches that include Neuro-Electric Auriculotherapy as a primary component of the treatment. Dr. Bonnette is a Founding Board Member of the Auriculotherapy Certification Board (ACI).
Christie Berry
EdD, MA
Christie Berry served as an Emergency Medical Technician while in the US Army from 1985 to 1987. She holds a Doctorate in Education, a Master’s in Human Services Counseling from Liberty University, and holds several Natural Health Certifications. Her current healthcare certifications include Acu-Detox Specialist through NADA and Certified Auriculotherapist through ACI. Christie has additional education in Advanced Auriculotherapy through the Raphael Nogier School of Clinical Auriculotherapy and she is a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders , providing trauma relief after devastating events. She received a Level 3 Medical Missionary Certification for Natural Health and Healing through the Centurion Bible School of Health. Christie has researched the use of auriculotherapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders and trauma. She has been in private practice as a natural health practitioner and health coach since 1997. She has established a free clinic for military related stress disorders in her community and works with the local Vet Center providing auriculotherapy for traumatic stress.
Celia Hildebrand
DAOM, LAc
Celia Hildebrand, DAOM, LAc, has worked in the field of health care delivery for more than 35 years. She obtained her Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine obtained from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 2015. That followed her years of work in public health services with Native American tribes in New Mexico, where she further earned a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in 2002. Her fondness for auricular acupuncture was inspired by her involvement in Acupuncturists Without Borders, both as a trainer and early-board member. In 2019, Dr. Hildebrand was awarded a Fulbright grant to develop an East Asian Medicine curriculum to teach acupuncture for pain relief, PTSD, and battle trauma in Ukraine. Her approach there deepened with her study and practice of protocols shared directly with her by Dr. Richard Niemtzow (BFA), Dr. Joseph Helms (ATP) and Dr. Terry Oleson. Since 2022, Dr. Hildebrand has travelled frequently to Ukraine to teach and practice comprehensive acupuncture within universities and hospitals there, certifying more than 175 providers in using auricular acupuncture for trauma and recovery. In July 2024 she received the Rosalind Franklin Society award in Science and Medicine for her work in applied research published in Medical Acupuncture 2023 Auricular Acupuncture in Combat Medic Trainings. Dr. Hildebrand has been a professor, academic dean and chair of clinical education for East Asian medical schools and most recently has practiced within the Veterans’ Administration hospital system. She maintains her role as research faculty with the University of Arizona College of Medicine and since 2021 has taught with the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, where more than 500 medical providers have been trained in fundamental aspects of auricular acupuncture. At heart, she finds a deep appreciation for the Quixotic quest of tilting at windmills. Email: celia@acufromtheheart.com
John Howard
L.Ac
John served as an Emergency Medical Technician for the U.S. Navy from 1992 to 1994. He earned his Diploma of Acupuncture from the Maryland Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2004. That same year, John obtained his License in Acupuncture by the Maryland Acupuncture Licensing Board and also by the Virginia Board of Medicine. John has been a Professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Colorado School of Acupuncture, in Denver, Colorado, and an Adjunct Professor at National University of Health Sciences, in Chicago, Illinois. John is a member of the Maryland Society of Medical Acupuncturists he has also been an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine at the George Washington School of Medicine. John served as Vice President of the 8th International Symposium of Auriculotherapy held at Johns Hopkins University, in 2014. John opened the Maryland Acupuncture Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland. He offers Battlefield Acupuncture Seminars worldwide, lecturing to physicians, acupuncturists and other healthcare professionals. He currently serves as the President of the Raphael Nogier School of Clinical Auriculotherapy in Rockville, Maryland. The topics of his publications include battlefield acupuncture, beyond battlefield acupuncture, and auricular acupuncture clinical pearls
Diane Iuliano
D.Ac, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
Diane is a professor and practitioner of Japanese Style Acupuncture. She has been in practice for over 31 years. Diane received her Doctor of Acupuncture degree from Pacific College of Health and Science and in 1992 graduated from the New England School of Acupuncture in Boston, Massachusetts where she was Chair of the Japanese Acupuncture Department for 20 years. She has worked as acupuncturist at Mount Auburn Hospital, in Cambridge, Massachusetts; in the Pain Management Center, the Center for Women and Oncology. Diane served as a research associate in the Stop Hypertension Acupuncture Research Program (SHARP) at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was also a research associate in development of Protocols for Randomized Sham-Controlled Trials of Complex Treatment Interventions: Japanese Acupuncture for Endometriosis-Related Pelvic Pain. Diane has traveled extensively in the US, Spain and Japan to study and teach. Diane maintains a private practice in Belmont, MA.
Dave Maybee
RMT
Dave Maybee is the Academic Director and lead instructor at the Canadian Institute of Auricular Medicine (CIAM). He is also the sole proprietor of Clear Path Holistic Health. From 2002 to 2004, Dave studied at Universidad San Francesco de Quito in Ecuador and earned a Diploma in Public Relations, specializing in marketing and management. He received his Diploma in Massage Therapy in 2008 as part of his studies at Northumberland College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 2200 hour, intensive program focused on anatomy, physiology and neurology as utilized in auricular medicine. Dave subsequently took over Wilkies Court Massage Therapy. From 2009 to 2010, Dave attained Level 1, 2 and 3 Certificates in German Auricular Medicine under the guidance of Dr. Beate Strittmatter and Dr. Frank Bahr. In his clinical practice, Dave integrates cranial sacral therapy and myofascial release with auricular medicine to treat unresolved chronic pain and other issues found in therapy resistant patients who have “tried everything”. Dave credits the high success rate with auricular medicine to the identification and treatment of blockages to healing, a key concept in German Auricular Medicine. Dave has developed clinical methods to identify and prioritize deep psychological blockages which otherwise maintain chronic pain. By treating the most important psychological blockage point on a patient’s ear, that patient’s chronic pain disorder usually disappeared, and in most cases did not return. In a 2020 presentation to the International Academic Forum on Standards for Auricular Diagnosis and Treatment in Foshan, China, he addressed overarching concepts that unify differing ideas regarding ear maps and point locations.
Ankit Sharma
M.D., M.H.A.
Dr. Sharma is a Board Certified Family Physician who completed his medical school training in India. After finishing medical school, he came to the United States for a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of Kentucky. After graduation, he joined the University of Tennessee Family Medicine Residency Program in Memphis TN. He was the chief resident during his residency years and was awarded the “Outstanding Graduate Award” during training. He was also honored with the “Resident Teacher Award” by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM). After graduating from residency, he splits his time between seeing patients and teaching next-generation Health care Providers. He holds an active Medical License for the states of Illinois and California and is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University Family Medicine Residency program in Springfield, Illinois. He uses auriculotherapy/ear acupuncture to treat patients holistically, both for addiction and non-addiction pathologies. He is certified in auriculotherapy through Auriculotherapy Certification Institute (ACI) and now teaches ACI approved Auriculotherapy course as a 16-hour Continuing Medical Education (CME) workshop. He has several other Auriculotherapy certifications including National Acupuncture Detoxification Certification (NADA), and Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT), and American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders. His areas of focus are Integrative Medicine, Addiction Medicine, and Autoimmune Diseases. He is also a Fellow at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.