OUR TEACHERS
Meet our team of world-class teachers and supervisors
We have assembled a first class team of highly experienced practitioners, lecturers and experts, many of whom hold PhDs in different aspects of Chinese medicine and other related specialities. These include:
ANDREW FLOWER
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Andrew has been practising acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine since 1992. Since graduating he has gained a wide range of experience working in private practice as well as within the NHS and voluntary sector working with people with HIV/AIDS and with drug and alcohol addictions. He is a past President of the UK Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) and has advised the European Herbal Traditional Practitioners Association (EHTPA) on developing research strategies in Europe.
In 2009 Andrew completed his PhD at The University of Southampton exploring the role of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of endometriosis. He has published a number of peer-reviewed papers relating to Chinese medicine research, including two Cochrane systematic reviews. He co-ordinated an EU project that prepared guidelines to improve the quality of clinical trials into Chinese medicine. In 2011 he was awarded a five year NIHR Post doctoral Fellowship to investigate Chinese herbs for the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs) that has resulted in the RUTI trial that started recruiting in February 2016. He runs herbal clinics in London and Hove and has a special interest in providing supportive treatment for people with cancer. He is a founder member of the White Crane Academy and is passionate about the therapeutic potential of herbal medicines and the importance of rigorous training to ensure this potential is realised.
MICHI NAOMOTO
SCHOOL DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
Since graduating with an honours degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2003, Michi Naomoto has built up her own successful practice based at the Breakspeare Clinic in West Oxfordshire where she has been practicing Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for almost eleven years.
Michi uses various treatment strategies including acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, moxibustion, as well as Chinese and Japanese styles of massage. Although she finds acupuncture to be an effective treatment for a variety of conditions, she is able to offer alternatives for nervous patients who cannot tolerate needles.
Michi writes for a number of Japanese practitioner journals and is a co-founder of Intensive Postgraduate Seminars, an expert group that organises seminars exploring the synergies between traditional western and Chinese approaches, particularly in the field of herbal medicine.
She is a member of the Acupuncture for Fertility Network and the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) and still finds time to be a devoted mother of two.
CHRISTOPHER ETHERIDGE, PHD
Chris holds a first class honours BSc and a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Imperial College, London. He was a Lecturer and Research Fellow in Gene Therapy at Imperial’s Department of Chemistry and at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at St Mary’s Hospital from 1995-2002, where he taught on the undergraduate and postgraduate courses. He published a diverse range of research in areas including synthetic, medicinal and biological chemistry, and biochemistry.
After this, Chris completed his professional training on the four-year Herbal Medicine degree programme at the College of Phytotherapy, East Sussex, where he graduated in 2006 with a first class honours BSc. His dissertation on quality control in herbal medicine was subsequently published. Chris currently works fulltime as medical herbalist and runs two busy practices in Central London and Epping.
TONY HARRISON
Tony has been practising CHM since 1997 and has served on the RCHM governing council from 1999 to present with responsibility for materia medica/approved suppliers and the much acclaimed Chinese Herb Garden. He was President of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) from 2003-2005. He has taught Module 5 of the European Herbal Traditional Practitioners Association (EHTPA) curriculum for the past eight years for a number of UK colleges. This provides training in practical dispensary and pharmacognosy and takes place at the Bristol Chinese Herb Garden at the University of Bristol. Tony wrote both the RCHM Dispensary Codes of Practice and the external auditing standards for suppliers.
MARTIN JOHN
Martin is a Registered Practitioner of Chinese Medicine working within the Frome and N.E. Somerset area. He qualified with a double degree level (BHSc) in both Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine from the Southern School of Natural Therapies in Melbourne, Australia, which has one of the highest standards for Chinese Medicine qualifications and practice in the West. Following practice in Australia as a member of the Chinese Medicine Registration Board (CMRB) of Victoria, he recently relocated back to the UK. He currently sits on the council of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM), which regulates Chinese Medicine Herbalists in the UK. As such, members adhere to a strict code of practice and ethics that helps ensure the highest standards of care and professionalism within the industry.
As part of his extensive training he has studied many areas of western medicine including clinical anatomy & physiology, clinical diagnosis, pharmacology, counselling & psychology. He has served clinical internships with Tran Nga of Eastern Medicine, and Steven Clavey, a world renowned specialist in the field of fertility and gynaecology in Chinese Medicine. He has also worked in Community Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation and in support organisations for patients living with HIV.
SIMON KING
Simon King has worked as a practitioner of Chinese medicine for thirty years. Since his first degree in philosophy he has maintained an active involvement in this subject and is now studying for a doctorate. He has a particular interest in how philosophical assumptions make their way into practice with a pragmatic approach which holds theory lightly.
During the early 1990s Simon taught himself to read medical Chinese and has applied this skill to develop particular interests in urology, the herbal treatment of joint disease and ENT (ear, nose and throat disorders). He has published articles in The European Journal of Oriental Medicine and the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine journal on Chinese medicine and the philosophy of science and has taught widely in the UK.
LILY LAI
Lily graduated from her acupuncture and CHM course at Middlesex University with First Class Honours in 2005. She has combined a busy practice with a ground breaking career as a practitioner-researcher and she currently holds a visiting academic position at Southampton University. In 2015 she completed her PhD, funded by the NIHR School for Primary Care Research, which included a trial exploring the use of Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in primary care. This was the first such trial in the UK and is a recognized piece of pioneering research. Her current research interests are in expanding the evidence-base for Chinese and Western herbal medicine by evaluating interventions in primary care, and in improving access to research for practitioners through teaching core research skills such as critically analysing commonly-encountered research designs.
CHRISTINE LEON
Experienced Botanist with a demonstrated history of working in pure and applied research. Skilled in Chinese medicinal plants and materia medica, notably morphological authentication, quality, nomenclature and sustainable use) (20 years at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew); this has included leading extensive field collection expeditions in China.
Previously I spent 10 years in plant toxicology and herbal medicine safety (working jointly for RBG Kew and Guy’s Hospital’s Medical Toxicology Unit) and prior to this I managed the Threatened Plants Unit of IUCN (also at Kew) specialising in the red-listing of endangered species and ensuring their protection under European legislation.
BEATRIZ LINHARES
Beatriz trained with Corinna Elsey at CE Hypnotherapy Training and obtained the Diploma in Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapy in 2010. She is a member of The General Hypnotherapy Register.
In 1982 she qualified from the School of Herbal Medicine and in 1996 she obtained a Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine from The school of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Regents College, London and clinical training and observation at Nanjing Provincial Hospital, China.
She is a long-standing member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) ,the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM), the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (CPP) and the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR).
For over 15 years (2001-2016) Beatriz run a dermatology clinic at Whipps Cross NHS Hospital in Leytonstone, East London, in collaboration with consultant dermatologists and herbalist colleagues. This is an observation training clinic for degree students of herbal medicine at University of Westminster, London. She gained much experience in treating various skin conditions during that time there
MARTIN LOGUE
Martin Logue is a Postgraduate Research Student and Senior Research Assistant within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton.
Martin is a graduate of degree programmes in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Phytotherapy. He was also awarded a Bachelor of Chinese Medicine from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
Martin completed an MSc in Endocrinology with the University of South Wales in 2015, and wrote his thesis on the effect of the somatotrophic axis on ageing.
Martin has taught widely throughout the UK and Ireland. He has worked as a herbal consultant with various herbal companies including Bioforce, Switzerland and Pukka Herbs, UK.
DANNY MAXWELL
After completing an MA in English and Italian Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, Danny went on to train in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese massage in both the UK and China. With over 18 years clinical experience, he practices from clinics in London and Somerset. He is also the editor of the Journal of Chinese Medicine and sits on the Governing Board of the British Acupuncture Council.
GRAEME MCCRACKEN
Graeme McCracken started his study of Chinese Medicine in 1998, His main Oriental medical training occurred in London with additional studies in Hong Kong, New York and mainland China. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and a Diploma in Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage). He studied Chinese Herbs at the White Crane Academy.
Since qualifying, Graeme has had the opportunity to work in the NHS (at the Gateway Clinic) and in private practice, combining Tui Na and Acupuncture alongside Chinese Dietary Therapy. In 2013 Graeme founded Source Point Community Health CIC, a not for profit social enterprise offering Chinese Medicine.
Graeme is also a trained chef and brings this knowledge into his teaching.
MICHAEL MCINTYRE
Michael McIntyre has practised herbal medicine and acupuncture for over thirty years. He has a degree in modern history from Oxford University. He has chaired the European Herbal and Traditional Medicines Practitioner Association since its launch in 1993. He has an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University and is currently a visiting Professor at this university. He is a former President of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and is a Fellow of this body and a life Member of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine. Michael regularly writes, lectures and broadcasts on herbal medicine and acupuncture.
CLARE MULLIGAN
After working in the financial sector for 8 years, Clare yearned for a more fulfilling life and followed her keen interest in alternative health and lifestyle to retrain as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner.
Clare qualified in 2008 as a practitioner of Chinese Medicine with a double degree level in both Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine from the Southern School of Natural Therapies in Melbourne, Australia, which has one of the highest standards for Chinese Medicine qualifications and practice in the West.
She was drawn to study Chinese medicine after seeing the emphasis it places on treating patients holistically, utilising the patient’s own energy to help return the body to a state of balance and was also intrigued by the strong scientific concepts it embraces.
Clare currently works as an acupuncturist at Sourcepoint Community Acupuncture in Dartmoor and has also worked in Community Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation and in support organisations for patients living with HIV.
Clare is especially passionate about women’s health and emotional conditions which both respond exceptionally well to TCM.
Clare also has a strong understanding of modern and Chinese nutritional therapy and feels patient education is a big part of any healing process in terms of diet and lifestyle changes and so uses this knowledge to empower and help patients make huge transformations in their lives and in the way they take care of themselves.
Clare loves spending time in Nature, walking and foraging on the land, growing medicinal herbs and vegetables as well as practicing yoga and meditation.
MARTIN POWELL
Education is my passion.
I taught at the University of Westminster from 2002-15, helping set up their Chinese Herbal Medicine MSc programme and lecturing on phytochemistry and mushroom nutrition. In addition I have lectured on Chinese herbal medicine at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, as well as in Ireland and Portugal.
Recently I have focused increasingly on education in the field of mushroom nutrition with the publication of:
Medicinal Mushrooms – A Clinical Guide (Pub. Mycology Press 2010, 2nd edition 2014)
Medicinal Mushrooms – The Essential Guide (Pub. Mycology Press 2013)
Currently I am working on online educational resources to support practitioners working with medicinal mushrooms, as well as further publications to expand awareness of their therapeutic potential.
I continue to lecture on mushroom nutrition in the UK and around the world.
FRANCES TURNER
Originally a composer and Baroque violinist, Frances spent 17 years touring and recording with the leading UK Baroque orchestras and ensembles. At the same time she gradually trained as a complementary health practitioner, setting up the Frances Turner Clinic in 1990. She studied acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine at the London Academy of Oriental Medicine and the London College of Traditional Acupuncture, and added these skills to her practice in 1998. She now runs her practice at the Cholsey Complementary Health Centre, in Cholsey near Wallingford, Oxfordshire.
Frances went on to gain a Masters Degree from Exeter University in the English Language of Chinese Medicine, and used this research in curriculum development at the London College of Traditional Acupuncture, where she became a senior lecturer from 2000 until its closure in 2010. She studied herbs in China in 2006, and was Course Director for Chinese Herbal Medicine at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine in Reading from 2011-2015. In 2014, 2015 and 2016 she completed clinical trainings in Classical Herbalism (Jing Fang) with Dr Feng Shilun in Beijing, and set up the Herb Community Clinic at her Oxfordshire practice to offer a Jing Fang Apprenticeship – a clinical training in the Jing Fang Six Syndrome Differentiation System. The Jing Fang Apprenticeship was officially opened by Dr Feng Shi Lun when he visited in October 2015.
TREVOR WING
Dr.Trevor Wing is a recognised specialist in the natural medicine treatment of female health conditions, with particular interest in applying scientific research to traditional and naturopathic medicine. Trevor runs a busy private clinic in London where he carries out clinical research studies and treats a wide range of gynaecological and obstetric conditions including ovarian dysfunction, tuboperitoneal disease, uterine disease, gestational disorders, post-partum disorders and menopausal syndrome. Trevor graduated with a first class honours degree from LCTA London. Trevor has also studied conventional reproductive medicine and holds an MSc in Oriental herbal medicine, an MSc in obstetrics and gynaecology diagnostic ultrasound and a doctorate in medical imaging. Trevor has also practised gynaecology at Nanjing First Medical University Hospital, China and regularly lectures at post graduate level on natural medicine gynaecology and obstetrics and medical imaging at several universities in Europe and the USA. Trevor regularly contributes to professional journals with papers on his own research and treatment approaches and is a peer reviewer for the journals “Human Fertility”, “Complementary Therapies in Medicine” and “Reproductive Biomedicine Online”. Trevor is also an honorary research fellow at the University of Portsmouth and a faculty member at the University of Bournemouth in medical imaging and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and Fellow of the UK Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine.
NINA ZHAO-SEILER
Nina was born in 1965. She got her first TCM education during six years in Zurich, San Francisco and Hamburg, followed by three years of internship and continuing education at the TCM University Teaching Hospital and private clinics in Chengdu, China. She has been running her own TCM practice in Zurich, Switzerland, since 1998 with a focus on paediatrics. During this time she has taught TCM materia medica, formula studies, acupuncture and Tuina in the basic TCM education as well as TCM pediatric internal medicine and children’s Tuina for advanced/continuing studies at the major Swiss TCM schools. Since 2002 she has led regular TCM herb study trips to China, where she takes participants to identify herbs in the wild, visit herb cultivation areas as well as processing facilities.
Nina initiated the first garden for Chinese medicinal plants in Switzerland which was opened in August 2016 (www.tcm-garten.ch). Nina has a BA in Chinese studies and history from University of Zurich and has taken the newly established Swiss national exam for naturopaths with a specialisation in TCM. She is also a practitioner and teacher of Chen style Taijiquan.