We're honored to present our faculty.

Karl Ardo, M.F.A., Certified Five Element Medical Qi Gong Instructor, a Zero Balancer and ZB Advisory Board member. He teaches Qi Gong, Meditation and has a private practice. He began his studies in 1974 and is currently developing Qi Gong programs for developmentally disabled children at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.  

Sherrie Black, M.Ac. RN worked in critical care and oncology nursing for seven years before obtaining her Juris Doctorate from Washington College of Law. As a lawyer for 30 years, she acted as a mediator, litigator and counsel. Sherrie is a founding partner in East-West Healing Arts, a holistic healing center in Crownsville, MD. She has played a pivotal role in planning and opening the Wellness Center at Howard Community College and is currently serving as a liaison between Tai Sophia Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing to build a partnership to enhance greater healing in both communities. Sherrie is a student of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, a Certified Zero Balancing Practitioner, a Certified Nutraceutical Consultant, and a Certified Transitions Lifestyle Coach.

Rosalyn L. Bruyere, world-renowned energy healer, is involved with ongoing research at many major medical and healing institutions throughout the country. Locally she is a consultant on a research project involving children with traumatic brain injury and children with lead poisoning at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute. Bruyere is the author of Wheels of Light: A Study of the Chakras.

Barbara Catlin, B.A., M.Ac., L.Ac., is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the Traditional Acupuncture Institute.  She has been a healthcare practitioner since 1992.  She did field work in missions in India and has served as a hospice volunteer in Maryland for many years.  She is a member of the acupuncture faculty at Tai Sophia Institute.  Ms. Catlin is founder and director of Bigger Conversation, an educational organization dedicated to advancing healing and hopeful dialogue and service in society.

Dianne M. Connelly, Ph.D., M.Ac.(UK), a practitioner of acupuncture for over 32 years and co-founder and chancellor of Tai Sophia Institute, a teacher of various programs including Redefining Health, SOPHIA, and acupuncture course work. She also conducts workshops nationally and is the author of Traditional Acupuncture: the Law of the Five Elements, All Sickness is Homesickness, and Alive and Awake: Wisdom for Kids.

Robert Duggan, M.Ac., (UK) M.A., is co-founder and president of Tai Sophia Institute and has practiced traditional acupuncture since 1973. He has served as chair of the Maryland State Board of Acupuncture, a commissioner of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and is an active member of the National Alliance for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.  He is the author of the recently released book, Common Sense for the Healing Arts.

Jim Duke, Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading authorities on healing herbs and a legend in the work of herb gardening. On the faculty of Tai Sophia Institute’s Master of Science in Herbal Medicine program, he brings more than 30 years’experience working with herbs in the jungles of Central and Latin America as well as in research labs in Washington, D.C. Duke has authored several widely acclaimed books, including The Green Pharmacy and Dr. Duke’s Essential Herbs.

Debbie Jensen-Grubb, RN, RYT is a Registered Yoga Teacher 500 hours with Yoga Alliance (RYT500), member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and graduate of the Yoga Center of Columbia’s Teacher Training program.  As a former oncology nurse for Howard County General Hospital,  Debbie began teaching a gentle yoga class in 1999 for Breast Cancer Survivors that is still in session.  Debbie focuses her years of training on how yoga can heal the body through a therapeutic approach to injuries and chronic illnesses. She supports the development of her student's own awakening of body/mind awareness through poses, breath, meditation, and relaxation.

Arlyn Kline, R.N., is certified by UCLA as a health consultant in Integral Nursing and has practiced as a Registered Nursesince 1975, specializing in Psychiatric and Holistic modalities. Kline has been a teacher of Energy Balancing since 1983. She has taught the theory and practice of Chakra energy work inseminars sponsored by the State of Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration, and the Schools of Nursing at University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and UCLA.

Ashley Litecky, BA., RYT., has been practicing yoga for over 8 years and has studied with world renowned teachers Ravi Singh and Roger Cole.  Combining her passion of world travel, plants and yoga, Litecky has studied and taught yoga in Australia and Costa Rica while studying native plants of those regions. 

Heidi Most, M.Ac., is a graduate of Tai Sophia Institute and serves on the faculty teaching Basic Acupuncture Theory and Point Location. An acupuncture practitioner, Most developed the NCCAOM course in 2002.

Michael Phillips, B.A., M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM),is a graduate of Pomona College and the Traditional Acupuncture Institute (now Tai Sophia Institute). Affiliated with the Institute since 1985, he is a distinguished lecturer on the faculty, where he has served as dean of students and faculty chairman. Phillips also teaches workshops using concepts in theater arts and traditional acupuncture to enhance sensory skills and insights into five element philosophy.

Sharon Sirkis, B.S.N., became an accredited Tai Chi Chih (TCC) teacher in 1997. Since 1998, she has been teaching TCC at Aspenwood Senior Living Community, UMBC, and most recently, to the MS Day Group at Kernan Hospital. Sirkis is also a Reiki Master, a Chakra Energy Healing practitioner, a Black Belt in Karate, and a Firekeeper for Native American sweat lodge ceremony.

Fritz Smith, M.D., D.O., M.Ac.(UK), is the co-founder and international teacher of Zero Balancing. He is the author of Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy Movement and Structure. Smith is a fellow of the American College of Chinese Acupuncture and has taught at Tai Sophia Institute for many years.

Rebecca Snow, M.S., RH (AGH), CNS is a clinical herbalist and licensed nutritionist at the Tai Sophia Institute Clinical Services Centre. After acquiring her Master of Science Degree in Herbal Medicine, Rebecca practiced for 4 ½ years in an integrative medical office where she gained a wealth of clinical experience with complex health concerns.  Since 2004, Rebecca has delivered a host of community course offerings that combine her wealth of clinical experience and her passion for sharing the gifts of herbs and healing foods.  Rebecca’s herbal program offerings are always fun, blending great coursework with practical applications in wellness.   

Edward J. Sweeney, M.A., M.H.R.D., M.Ac., L.Ac., NADA Certified, is a graduate and associate faculty member of Tai Sophia Institute. Prior to studying acupuncture, he spent over 20 years as a counselor and manager of international organization development and management education initiatives in large corporations. He holds certificates in Feldenkrais Movement Education and Chinese Herbal Medicine, and has extensive training in Shiatsu and Therapeutic Massage. He completed postgraduate training in counseling at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.

Chan Zhang trained in her native China. After her doctor advised her to learn Qi Gong to treat a heart condition, Zhang mastered this ancient art. She has conducted Qi Gong classes in Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Zhang is also a lecturer in the Master of Acupuncture program at Tai Sophia Institute.