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Meredith St. John named new Academic Dean; Amy Hull becomes Director of Program Development

November 13, 2009

President Katherine Tallman announced that Meredith St. John will become the new Academic Dean on November 16 succeeding Amy Hull, who is taking on the new role of Director of Program Development.

President Tallman characterized this decision as an outstanding outcome to a national search and praised Meredith for her longstanding and significant involvement with NESA and the acupuncture profession. From the announcement:

"Meredith is uniquely qualified for this position. She has contributed to the growth and reputation of NESA through a number of roles, including:

  • Student and Alumnus - Class of 1996
  • Administrator - former Registrar and Bursar
  • Faculty Member -  highly regarded NESA faculty member since 2001. Has taught TCM Etiology & Pathology, Clinical Supervision at NESA and Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Clinical Case Management, Actions & Effects, Introduction to Clinic and Clinical Skills. As full-time faculty for two years, co-developed CAS comp exams.
  • Governance - Faculty Trustee on the Board of Trustees, Faculty Chair - focused on faculty development initiatives, including informational literacy; organized faculty development seminar. Member of the Interdepartmental Committee and the Board of Trustees Academic & Research Committee; former member of Faculty Ranking, Faculty Compensation & Benefits committees.
  • Research - co-investigator of current study "Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Gulf War Illness;" co-investigator on "Educational Initiatives in Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine," focused on integrating biomedical research on acupuncture into OM curriculum.

Meredith has long been involved on behalf of and is well known within the acupuncture profession.  Her experience includes:

Practitioner - acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for 13 years, in private practice and in integrative medicine settings; focused on treating oncology patients after advanced study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Presentations and Publications - frequent presenter of papers to audiences including Brain Injury Association of MA, VA Healthcare system, Wellesley College, New England Hematology and Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (award for excellence), Regis College, MA School of Professional Psychology, and Tufts University School of Medicine. Published in Medical Acupuncture and Alternative Therapies Health Medicine.

Professional Alliliations - practitioner at Veterans Acupuncture Center (VAC) Metrowest/Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB), a local volunteer acupuncture clinic for veterans and their families to facilitate recovery from post-combat stress. Member of the Society for Integrative Oncology, the American Association for Teachers of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the Society for Acupuncture Research.

Meredith has a BA from the University of Chicago, a MAc from NESA and has pursued ongoing professional development.  She is currently an associate professor at NESA and a faculty member in the Research Department and the Chinese Acupuncture department.  She has been instrumental in securing the Department of Defense grant and will continue her work as co-investigator on this grant approximately one day a week over the three-year period of the grant.

Meredith has been a key advisor to me and a source of knowledge with respect to NESA's faculty, history, present and future opportunities, professional trends and the integration of research within our core curriculum.  Continuous enhancement of NESA's programs is a top priority for me and the Board of Trustees. Meredith shares our commitment to curriculum and faculty development and will be instrumental in designing and implementing changes that will support NESA's ongoing leadership in education and research.

Meredith's appointment  is effective November 16, 2009, when she and Amy Hull will commence a transition of roles. Amy, who has served as NESA's Academic Dean since 2001, will take on the new role of Director of Program Development.  In this position, Amy will oversee the strategic planning and execution of NESA's continuing education and certification programs.

Please join me in congratulating Meredith and Amy on their new roles."