Osher Clinical Center For Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies

Our Staff

	Meredith Beaton Starr, MS, OTR/L, has been practicing occupational therapy for the past 22 years in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Meredith was educated at Tufts University/Boston School of Occupational Therapy, where she received both a BS and an MS in Occupational Therapy. Her clinical focus since receiving her Master's degree in 1997 has been Mind-Body medicine and wellness. Meredith is also a movement specialist and teaches creative movement to young children and NIA (neuromuscular integrative action) to adults.
	Xiao Ming Cheng, L. Ac., is a senior TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner who has worked for over 33 years in the TCM and Acupuncture field; he started his teaching life as a director of the Acupuncture Department in 1980 in Zhejiang University of TCM. After 1991, Xiaoming was invited to teach TCM, Acupuncture and oriental philosophy at the New England School of Acupuncture. He is also a member of the team that teaches the Acupuncture course for physicians through the Dept. of Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School. Xiaoming got his OMD degree after he graduated from Shanghai University of TCM, and got his license Acupuncture certification by NCCAOM and COA of Massachusetts. He is a guest Professor of Shanghai University of TCM and Hua Shan Hospital of Shanghai Medical University. Since 1992, he has had a busy private TCM and acupuncture practice in Brookline, MA. Xiaoming Cheng has already published three significant clinical texts in Chinese: Acupuncture for Emergencies, Scalp Acupuncture, and Acupuncture Pathology & Point Prescriptions. He has also published his first English book of acupuncture and moxibustion (an acupuncturist desk reference book).
	Lynda B. Danzig, L.Ac., M. Ac., is a practicing massage therapist and acupuncturist. She received her massage therapy training from the Institute of Therapeutic Studies in Santa Ana, CA. Lynda received her master's degree in acupuncture from the New England School of Acupuncture in 2000. By embracing Oriental medicine, she has learned to interact with the body, mind and spirit in an organized system to compassionately alleviate suffering. It is her dream to be part of a community bridging Eastern and Western technologies for the betterment of health in the United States. At the Osher Clinical Care Center, Lynda combines acupuncture into the massage treatment as needed or requested.
	David M. Eisenberg, MD, is the Director of the Osher Research Center at Harvard Medical School and the Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies and the Director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. He is also the Bernard Osher Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Eisenberg is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. He completed his fellowship training in general internal medicine and primary care and is board certified in Internal Medicine. In 1979, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Eisenberg served as the first US medical exchange student to the People’s Republic of China. In 1993, he was the medical advisor to the PBS Series “Healing and the Mind” with Bill Moyers. More recently, Dr. Eisenberg served as an advisor to the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federation of State Medical Boards with regard to complementary, alternative and integrative medicine research, education and policy. From 2003-2005, Dr. Eisenberg served on a National Academy of Sciences Committee responsible for the Institute of Medicine Report entitled “The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by the American Public.” Dr. Eisenberg has authored numerous scientific articles involving complementary and integrative medical therapies and currently oversees Harvard Medical School’s research, educational and clinical programs in this area.
	Jie Fan-Roche, PT, NCMT, is a French-trained physical therapist with a US license as a nationally certified massage therapist who is fluent in French, Chinese and English. She integrates a variety of modalities, including craniosacral therapy, Chinese reflexology and acupressure and teaches Tai Chi and Qi-Gong. She is an Upledger Institute-certified CranioSacral therapist and certified instructor of the "Introduction to CranioSacral Therapy" workshop- a course appropriate for both health professionals and the general public. Since 1990, Jie has been integrating these modalities into her work in Europe, China and the US, working for the last 5 years as a member of the Harvard-affiliated Integrated Care Center. Jie works with people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly. Her current practice focus is on CranioSacral Therapy, SomatoEmotional Release and Chinese reflexology. These techniques give Jie the opportunity to adapt to each client's needs. Her goal is to give each person a taste of a new way to approach their own body and the freedom to relax and express themselves, physically, emotionally or spiritually. In her leisure time, Jie loves to play the cello, travel, read, and orchestrate her three boys' musical development.
	Thomas Jacobson, LMT, is a licensed massage therapist and hatha yoga/body awareness/movement instructor. His massage specialty is in pain relief and pain management. Tom's yoga specialty - for individuals and groups (classes) - is in learning how yoga, or yoga-based movement, can be a powerful tool for moving with more ease, comfort and relaxation through activities of daily living. Tom Jacobson graduated from New England Institute of Musculo-Skeletal Therapy, Boston, MA. His positions have included: Supervisor, Hands-On Therapy, Pain & Stress Relief Clinic of Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Boston, MA (1984-89); Director, Student & Professional Clinics, Muscular Therapy Institute, Cambridge, MA (1993-97), where he was also Instructor of Anatomy. In addition to being an original member of the Osher Clinical team, Tom maintains a private practice in Brookline, MA - Equilibrium Bodywork & Yoga.
	Caitlin Hosmer Kirby, MS, RD, especially enjoys working with people who are making long-term positive changes in eating habits to optimize health and decrease risk of chronic diseases. She does this in one-on-one counseling, speaking to groups in a variety of settings, and writing articles and educational materials. Caitlin graduated from Cornell University with a BS degree with honors in Nutritional Science. After working for several years in the field of community nutrition, she completed her master's degree and dietetic internship at Tufts University. Following this training, she worked as the Program Director of the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease for the duration of the program in Boston. This experience reinforced a strong interest in integrative approaches to long-term lifestyle changes. Several experiences also involving integration in healthcare followed this work. These efforts involved the integration of complementary and conventional medicine, and developing an online curriculum with an integrated team of health professionals to support women's weight loss efforts.
	Matthew H. Kowalski, DC is a 1990 graduate of the National College of Chiropractic, where he also completed a two-year multidisciplinary residency in orthopedics . He is certified with the American Board of Chiropractic Orthopedics. Dr. Kowalski is the President of the New England Spine Institute, PC, with practices in Holbrook, East Bridgewater and Carver. He is an adjunct post-graduate faculty member of the National University of Health Sciences. Dr. Kowalski has co-authored chapters on "The lumbar intervertebral disc" and "Lumbar spinal stenosis" for Low Back Syndromes (Morris, ed.). His practice focuses on the evaluation and treatment of patient suffering with headaches, neck pain and back pain.
	Donald B. Levy, MD, is the Medical Director of the Osher Clinical Center. He is a board certified internist and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He graduated New York Medical College in 1981 and completed his residency at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Levy taught Harvard medical students, interns, residents and fellows in a variety of roles for over 25 years and maintained a practice in primary care internal medicine until 2007. He worked at the Marino Center for Progressive Health in Cambridge, MA for over 10 years, where he served as Medical Director for one year, and then staff physician and Director of Integrative Medical Education. He helped the center to expand its multidisciplinary team of practitioners and to ally itself with local academic medical centers, hospitals and research organizations. His professional interests include the use of nutrition and dietary herbs and supplements in medicine, the management of cardiac risks to prevent heart disease and the integration of scientific advances in modern medicine with the rediscovery and implementation of age-old principles and therapies that enhance the ability to heal and maintain good health.
	Arthur Madore, LMT, is a licensed massage therapist with offices at the Caritas Carney Hospital. A graduate of the Muscular Therapy Institute, he has chosen to specialize in the treatment of injuries and physical restrictions. His is the first hospital-based massage therapy practice in the state. He is Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork with advanced certification in Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) and Feldenkrais-based Integrative Movement Therapy. He has been chosen as a research therapist for two Harvard studies on lower back pain. Arthur has had extensive training in craniosacral work, myofascial release, as well as personal empowerment techniques such as guided imagery. For many years he has taught other massage therapists and physical therapists, massage, movement, and neuromuscular therapy as a staff teaching assistant for St. John NMT Seminars and the Somatic Training Associates. He is a longtime member of the American Massage Therapy Association and the International Association of Healthcare Practitioners.
	Gira Patel, L. Ac., holds a master's degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine from the New England School of Acupuncture. She graduated from the University of MD and the University of London Kings College with a Bachelors in Biochemistry, emphasizing a variety of Clinical and Scientific Courses. Gira held a research position and volunteered in hospitals, which eventually led her to the healing art of Chinese Medicine. Her studies in Western medicine have allowed her to integrate Eastern and Western knowledge in order to provide her patients with a complete view of their health. Gira is a member of the team that teaches the Acupuncture course for physicians through the Dept. of Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School. She has a private practice in Newton, MA.
	Randall Paulsen, MD, is a board certified psychiatrist, who is also fully trained as a psychoanalyst. He is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Currently, he is the President of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. For 13 and a half years, he was the Director of Primary Care Psychiatry in Healthcare Associates at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and helped to build and expand the program that trained primary care physicians in issues of mental health and trained psychiatry residents in the method of optimum ways of working collaboratively with primary care doctors and nurses. He is trained as an instructor in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical Center and has an active interest in the integrative study of alternative and mind-body medicine.
	Margaret A. Tabor, DC, has been practicing Chiropractic Medicine since 1995. She graduated as valedictorian of her University of Bridgeport (CT) College of Chiropractic class. In addition to the Doctor of Chiropractic degree, she holds both a master of science and a Diploma in Clinical Nutrition. She is a certified clinical nutritionist and holds a fellowship Certificate in Medical Acupuncture. Dr. Tabor is a practicing clinician within the Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates system and is also an Associate Adjunct Professor of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic.