| Dianne M. Connelly, Ph.D., M.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM) |
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Co-founder and Chancellor Emeritus of Tai Sophia Institute, and a practitioner of traditional acupuncture since 1973, Dr. Connelly received her master's qualification from the College of Traditional Acupuncture (UK) in 1979. She earned a doctorate in crosscultural medicine from Union Graduate School in 1975, a master's degree from New York University School of Education in 1970, and her bachelor's degree from Le Moyne College in 1967. An international lecturer (she lectures regularly in Italy and Germany), Connelly is the author of Traditional Acupuncture: The Law of the Five Elements (1975), All Sickness is Homesickness (1986), Medicine Words: Language of Love for the Treatment Room of Life (2009), and with Katherine Hancock Porter, Alive and Awake: Wisdom for Kids (2003). She is the mother of Blaize, Jade, and Caeli, as well as grandmother to Tamar, Lennox, Rianna, Roman, and Maxim. |
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| Robert M. Duggan, M.A., M.Ac. (UK), Dipl.Ac. (NCCA) |
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Robert Duggan, Co-Founder and President Emeritus of Tai Sophia Institute, has practiced traditional acupuncture since 1973. He holds a master’s degree in human relations and community studies from New York University as well as a master’s in moral theology from St. Joseph’s Seminary, and received his master’s certification in acupuncture from the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (UK). A national leader in the development of the acupuncture profession and the emerging healing arts community, he has served as a commissioner of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, on the board of trustees of the Horizon Foundation (a community wellness foundation in Howard County, Maryland, which in 2008 honored him with its annual Leadership Award), and a panelist at meetings sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In February 2009, Duggan testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and in November 2009, he was among 20 leading thinkers, innovators, artists, philosophers, and entertainers selected to present at the first TEDx MidAtlantic Conference. Mr. Duggan lectures throughout the United States and abroad, and is author of Common Sense for the Healing Arts (2003). |
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| Tyme Gigliotti, M.Ac., L.Ac. |
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Tyme Gigliotti, Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist, certified by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, and a licensed animal acupuncturist, received his B.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park and his Master of Acupuncture degree, class of May 1994, from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute (now Tai Sophia Institute). Since 1998 he has been a clinic supervisor in the Master of Acupuncture program as well as an academic core faculty member. Tyme is the current division chair for "Getting to Know the Patient." He is a professional member of the Maryland State Board of Acupuncture and former secretary of the Maryland Acupuncture Society. Currently, he is an assistant teacher at the Jaffe Institute of Spiritual and Medical Healing, from which he also graduated, and is a Sufi master teacher of the Shadhuliyya Path. Tyme says that his great passion "is teaching and helping students awaken to their own gifts and mastery that lie within." |
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| Hope Finn Gilbert, M.Ac., Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM) |
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Finn Gilbert is a licensed, nationally certified acupuncturist; certified herbalist; and for 15 years managing partner of Acupuncture Associates of Columbia. She received her M.Ac. degree from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute. A teacher in the Institute’s acupuncture program since 1989, currently core faculty and formerly chair of the program’s touching energy and structure division, she was instrumental in developing the point location department and authored or coauthored many of its teaching and administrative materials, including the students’ manual and Supporting Mountain: Guide for the Point Location Student. She brings 20 years’ experience in Eastern Indian meditative practices and a commitment to create a supportive environment that accepts and challenges the learner. |
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| Celeste Homan, M.Ac., M.S. |
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Celeste Homan received her acupuncture degree from Tai Sophia Institute in 1998 where she has been teaching since 2002 and is a member of the Core Faculty. She has completed trainings in advanced acupuncture and Chinese medical aromatherapy with Jeffrey Yuen in New York. Celeste holds a certificate in advanced massage and bodywork from the Baltimore School of Massage and is certified in Zero Balancing. She recently wrote an article titled “The Use of Zero Balancing within the Context of Acupuncture.” This article appears in the Fall 2011 edition of The American Acupuncturist, AAAOM’s official publication for practitioners of Oriental Medicine. |
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| Kaiya Larson, M.Ac., L.Ac. |
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"I teach and practice acupuncture because I think acupuncture is the greatest thing ever. I wake up every day grateful that I have a job that brings joy to my life," says Kaiya Larson.
"My patients flourish, and I continue to be amazed by their flourishing," she says. "And I love to watch the students grow from the time they first arrive through the final phase when they treat clients in the clinic. As each student goes through the program, it's like watching a flower opening." Newly named to Tai Sophia's core acupuncture faculty, Kaiya has been teaching at the Institute since her graduation eight years ago from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute (Tai Sophia's predecessor).
Another of her passions is helping couples with childbearing difficulties - a focus that comprises about half of her practice. "Babies come out of this work with couples, and then I end up treating the babies, too - a wonderful cycle," she says. Kaiya practices acupuncture at Tai Sophia's clinic in Laurel, Maryland.
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| Heidi Most, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCCAOM) |
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"I find that practicing and teaching acupuncture work wonderfully together," says Heidi Most. "I am challenged to be fully aware of the needs and struggles of both my patients and my students. A teacher has to know the material 10 times better than her students, so I'm constantly studying. Of course, this also serves my patients. As I study, I'm continually reminded of the beauty of the different points and treatment principles."
"I am so excited when my patients and my students move forward - to manage better in the world and to progress in the world of acupuncture. I feel truly privileged to share in their lives in such a deep way and I so appreciate being part of the Tai Sophia community. I think Tai Sophia must be one of the most warm and caring communities in the world." Heidi has been teaching and practicing at Tai Sophia Institute since 2001.
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| David Paton, M.Ac. |
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David Paton has been practicing acupuncture for over 15 years and is currently in private practice as well as teaching at Tai Sophia Institute. He was the Chair of the Maryland Board of Acupuncture and is currently President of FAOMRA, a national organization which is working to represent state regulatory boards. Team building and leadership skills have been developed from his experiences in these roles. He has worked with pain management centers, chiropractors and is currently investigating the role of acupuncture in the treatment of pediatrics conditions and especailly in ADD, ADHD and especially autism.
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| Sharon M. Smith, M.Ac., Dipl.Ac (NCCAOM) |
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Sherry Smith serves as the director of the Student Teaching Clinic at Tai Sophia Institute. A 1989 graduate of the Traditional Acupuncture Institute, she also earned a B.S. in psychology from the Johns Hopkins University in 1978 and received a certificate of completion in Chinese Herbs from TAI in 1996. Sherry formerly worked as a management training consultant and as director of the Women’s Center of Howard County; she served on the board of the Maryland Acupuncture Society. She has been on the Tai Sophia faculty since 1990. She currently teaches theory and serves as a clinic supervisor. Sherry maintains a private practice with Acupuncture Associates of Columbia.
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Deanna Slate Stennett, L.Ac (U.K. and FL)
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In clinical practice since 1992, Deanna currently serves as division chair for the clinical foundations division. She received her Licentiate in Acupuncture from the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupuncture and her Advanced Licentiate in Acupuncture from the College of Traditional Acupuncture in the United Kingdom. She holds a private practice in Crofton, Maryland, and since 1999 has been teaching at Tai Sophia. From 1993 to 1995, she taught at the Worsley Institute in Florida. Deanna views teaching and treating as different facets of the same inspiring work. Deanna is the mother of two daughters, ages 19 and 23.
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