Summer 2024 Graduation Speech

Gregory Shim:

It’s graduation day! For some of us, it’s graduation day to start practicing Chinese medicine, and for me, it’s graduation day to start practicing on a higher level of medicine. For my mom and dad, it’s graduation day their son to be called a doctor, and for my wife, it’s graduation day to finally have her husband back to hang out with and enjoy more evening meals with. For my daughter, who just graduated, it’s another graduation day to celebrate and prepare for next Spring when she graduates again with a Masters in psychology. For my family, it’s graduation day to add another doctor into the herd.

For those of you getting your Masters today, take some time to get your practice going, to get your life going, and to do the things you love. However, don’t be like me and wait 20 plus years to get your doctorate. The sooner the better, and the better your practice will be. I’ve been having a tough time wrapping my head around what it means to be a doctor, but today, right now, it’s starting to click. An acupuncturist can do amazing things to help others. I know, I’ve been one for over 20 years, but a doctor, a doctor has a different ring. You’re in a different ring. I came in today as a licensed acupuncturist, but I’m leaving as a doctor. There’s a reason why not everyone is a doctor, it’s a hard road. But it’s one that traveling will bring out qualities and skills you didn’t know you had.

It hasn’t been an easy year so far, but nothing in life worth doing is. To all of you on this graduation day, congratulations! Congratulations on your  hard work, congratulations on your support, and congratulations on another day spent living your life and finding the things that bring meaning and purpose. Enjoy your day, and tomorrow, congratulations for being you, because everyday you’re here, you’re bringing something that no one else can bring into this world.

Joseph Brady:

Esteemed faculty, proud families, and most importantly, our brilliant graduates,

Today, we stand together to celebrate not just your academic achievements, but the beginning of a new era in  healthcare—an era where the wisdom of Chinese medicine  is not only acknowledged but embraced with increasing respect within the broader medical community.

Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed a significant shift in how complementary health approaches are perceived and utilized in the United States. A recent analysis by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) reveals that the use of complementary health

approaches among U.S. adults has nearly doubled—from 19.2 percent in 2002 to 36.7 percent in 2022. Even more compelling is the fact that these approaches, including acupuncture, massage therapy, and meditation, are

increasingly being used to manage pain. This is a testament to the growing recognition of the efficacy of the practices you have spent years mastering.

The data tells a powerful story: In 2022, nearly 50 percent of U.S. adults who used complementary health approaches did so for pain management.

Acupuncture, which many of you will offer in your practices, saw a significant increase in use, supported by enhanced insurance coverage. The shift towards these approaches is driven by a desire to find safer, more holistic alternatives to traditional pain management methods, like opioids, that come with significant risks.

But this is just the beginning. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NCCIH are proposing to invest millions of dollars into more and better research into Chinese medicine and other complementary approaches. The deeper modern science delves into the intricacies of Chinese medicine, the

more it uncovers the profound potential this ancient system holds. We are witnessing a remarkable convergence where science and tradition meet, and the result is a brighter, more integrated future for healthcare.

As graduates of the Colorado Chinese Medicine University, you are stepping into a healthcare landscape that is evolving rapidly. Your skills and knowledge are more relevant than ever before. The world is beginning to understand what we in this room have always known—that Chinese

medicine is not just an alternative; it is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to health and well-being.

You stand at the cusp of a very bright future, where millions more may experience the transformative power of this wonderful medicine. With each patient you heal, with every treatment you provide, you are not only preserving a rich cultural heritage but also contributing to the future of

medicine. Your work will help bridge the gap between conventional and complementary medicine, creating a more integrative and holistic approach to healthcare.

So, as you step forward into your professional lives, remember the significance of your role. You are not just practitioners; you are pioneers, leading the charge toward a future where Chinese medicine is fully respected and integrated into mainstream healthcare.

Congratulations, graduates. The future of Chinese medicine is bright, and it is in your capable hands.

Christopher Shifflet:

Hi Everybody!

I’d like to welcome you today to CCMU’s Summer 2024 Commencement ceremony. Thank you everyone

for joining us today, our graduates, their families, our faculty members, and our administration.

I’d like to share my sincere thanks to our graduating class for providing me with the great honor of speaking today, especially to be up here with these esteemed members of the Chinese Medicine community whom were my teachers and now colleagues. I am truly humbled by this, and I really

appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts today.

I’ve never given a commencement speech before, including for any of my own ceremonies. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I did a little research and the internet told me I should use some humor and tell some jokes. I thought to myself, TCM jokes? No one will get those. What do I say, something like “Did you ever hear about the first guy to try Wu Ling Zhi, he said “this crap tastes so bad my back stopped hurting!”, or something like “Man, getting through acupuncture school is like a pain, right at Gallbladder 30!”

Those are terrible jokes! I would never try to tell jokes like those in public.

But seriously, we are here to today to acknowledge the achievements of our graduates, APP, CH, DS, and MB. Chinese Medicine school is a long and difficult process that requires a lot of work, dedication, study, and sacrifice to get through. I very much understand how these students have had to put everything on hold to focus on their studies to be able to get to where they are today, missing out on events, parties, family get-togethers, outings, sometimes holidays, disappearing for weeks at a time to be able to get their assignments, projects and studying in, sometimes even sacrificing our own health and wellness to get everything done on time.

So again, congratulations to our graduates, I’ve watched you guys go through this program in a few different capacities and I know you have put in the work, and you’ve done

an excellent job to be here today!

Thank you again to all the family members, the moms and dads, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, girlfriends, boyfriends, and partners for supporting our graduates during the last couple of years. I know I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, and I am sure that our graduates were relying on and appreciating your support as they went through their programs.

As our graduates find themselves here today, at the end of their program, and setting onto the next steps of their careers, they are entering into the long standing and living tradition of Chinese medicine.

This medicine has been a continual chain of observation, theorizing, experimenting, reevaluating, and then going back to the drawing board, gaining new understanding, sharing knowledge, and ultimately helping patients for at least the last 2000 years. As we all enter this tradition, we take the knowledge and experience of those who came before us and apply our own understanding to the cases that come

into our practices. We have lots of great examples, and today I’d like to take a look at some of the guidelines put forward by one of our most famous physicians, Sun Si Miao.

Sun Si Miao was a Chinese physician, acupuncturist and herbalist during the during the Tang Dynasty around 600AD and he laid out some ethical principles for physicians that I think are still relevant today.

These are principles that have guided physicians, have guided me in my own practice, and I hope will be helpful guide points for you as you step onto your individual paths along this tradition. Sun Si Miao stated that we should have respect for all life, and that we should strive to help all patients, regardless of their backgrounds, wealth, or social status. I agree and think we can find ways to help whoever comes to see us. Remember that our patients are there because they need help, and theuniverse has placed them in our offices because we have the ability to do so.

He also stated that we should have compassion and empathy for our patients, understanding their suffering. Again, we have a real person in front of us, dealing with something that they cannot handle on their own, and we should recognize where they are coming from, emphasize with their situation, and try to treat the whole person, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Sun Si Miao related that we should act with Integrity and professionalism. Remember that when we are working, practicing, and seeing patients, that we are not only representing ourselves and our businesses, but we are also an ambassador for the entire profession, our colleagues, those who taught us, and we should all act in a way that makes them proud to number ourselves among them.

He stated that we should have continuous learning and improvement. I know you have just completed a grueling amount of study and learning to get where you are, but as much knowledge that you have now, just understand that we all have to continue to learn, and what we learn in school is really just the tip of the iceberg. We all will encounter patients with problems that we’ve never heard of, and we will encounter new treatment techniques we never learned about, and so, more learning will have to take place.

Sun also believed that we should operate with humility and modesty. Remember too, that as much as we know, we will never know everything. The world and the human body still have mysteries, and understanding is a continual process. We cannot rest on our laurels and expect success. He stated that we should operate with altruism as selflessness. As we operate our practices, and make our living working and seeing patients, we should remember that ultimately, we are practicing medicine to help others with our knowledge, and not just to make an income.

Sun Si Miao also mentioned that we should take a holistic approach to medicine. Again, we have real and whole people in front of us, and as we provide acupuncture or herbal medicine treatment, we must make sure to speak to our patients about the other aspects of their lives, address the diet, sleep, emotions, and relationships as best as we are able, at least to help bring some awareness to the patient.

And Finally, we should utilize prevention and health maintenance. As we know, prevention is the superior medicine, and we should try to help our patients when they are well and when they are feeling unwell.                         And we should take our own advice as well, using preventative measures and taking care of ourselves too. We cannot help others if we are in poor health ourselves.

I think our graduates are already embodying these principles and are well on their way. Maddy is always advocating for what she feels is best for her patient, confident in her knowledge, and able to provide sound explanations and reasoning. Alyssa has always asked for more information about concepts, theories or approaches to gain greater understanding and knowledge to better help her patients. Crystal has continually demonstrated an excellent technical mastery and skill with her acupuncture techniques,

and has always asked for feedback and ways to improve her skills. And last but not least, Dakota always approaches her patients from her heart, seeing the person for who they are and approaching their care with compassion and love. Keep up the good work, and you will go far.

To Close, I’d like to give you a couple pieces of advice based on some insights I have gained in my limited experience. First, I would like to ask you to not give up, to remember the determination that you have demonstrated to get through this program, and to rely on that determination as you build your practices, as you navigate the realities of running a business, and encounter challenging patients and cases. Your ability to keep getting up and showing up will help you to succeed.

Along with this, remember way back in your very first class at CCMU, in Caylor’s Basic Theory Class, Day One, Paragraph one, where we talked about the Tao and Yin and Yang as the basis for all Chinese medicine, and really, this is the basis for all life and experience, as well as our practices.

There will be great yang periods of your life and practice, full of activity, growth, wealth and success, there will also be great yin periods too, full of inactivity, sometimes lean finances, routine, and slow progress with patients.

Remember that everything is cyclical and will turn. We should still have some time for resting and taking care of our health, setting aside some savings when things are riding high and our practices are busy.

We should also enjoy the downtime when we have it,  spending time with family, friends, or studying and learning new things when we aren’t as busy. Know that as the Yin and Yang of your lives waxes and wanes, there is always space for a little bit of rest in the activity, and time and space for some new growth in the still parts too. Keep these things in mind, don’t give up, and remember how far you’ve come and you’ll do great things.

Finally, if you’re stuck, not getting results, go back to your diagnosis and pattern differentiation, sort out if the problem is excess, deficient, hot or cold, interior or exterior, yin or yang, If your diagnosis is correct, your medicine will work and get results!

These megre insights have helped me over the last 10 years, and I sincerely hope they help you as well as you enter into the next phase of your medical careers, again becoming part of this living tradition.

So once more, Congratulations to our graduates! I have enjoyed working with each of you over the last few years as students, and I am excited now to work and acknowledge you as colleagues!

Congratulations and Best of Luck to all of you!

Thank You!

Jon Cacherat:

Welcome Families, Friends, and Esteemed Faculty,

I’m Dr. Jon Cacherat and It is my great honor to be here today to speak on behalf of the 2024 graduates of the Colorado Chinese Medicine University’s Masters Program.

Today we celebrate these graduates as they achieve the mountain top in their academic and professional quests.

They are honored for their hard work, focus, and scholasticism as they reach the finish line of this rigorous program.

As their professor, I have worked personally with each one of them and have seen firsthand their drive, intellect, and the discipline it took for each one to make it to this mountain top. I have been and am still in awe of these geniuses.

From start to finish, these graduates have invested about 3 years of their lives to this program. These graduates have invested hundreds and hundreds of hours in countless real-life encounters with real life patients applying acupuncture and Chinese medicine to conditions ranging from intractable pain to cancer to diabetes to plantar fasciitis to Parkinson’s to sciatica to heart disease to insomnia to tennis elbow and to so much more.

Every encounter with every patient is an experience that has brought personal growth and compassion to these graduates, and each have been able to behold their higher selves.

These graduates have invested just under 1,800 hours of clinical time working directly with patients, performing acupuncture and Chinese medicine. This does not include the additional 2,000 or so hours spent in lecture and didactic classrooms. This does not include almost triple that amount in the thousands of hours devoted to reading, researching, practicing, studying, writing papers, and preparing for endless exams and tests. Wow!

But there’s more, way more, these graduates, at the same time, held down jobs, raised families, commuted daily over spanning over 60 miles each way, dealt with living arrangements, day to day stresses, car problems, relationships, marriages, … and also, significantly, a major historical event that has touched every single one of us in this hall, a world-wide epidemic. With their hard work and determination and the experiences of this day and age, I say to all of you *behold* some of the greatest generations of acupuncturists to ever come forth in American history.

I would like to share a beautiful Bodhisattva blessing written by Shanti Deva, a mystical Tibetan Saint of the 8th century. It held much meaning to me decades ago when I was a student, and it means just as much to me now.

The Medicine Prayer

“May all beings everywhere

Plagued by sufferings of body and mind

Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy

By virtue of my merits.

May all who are sick and ill

Quickly be freed from their ailments.

Whatever diseases there are in the world,

May they never occur again.

May the pain of every living creature

Be completely cleared away.

May I be the doctor and the medicine

And may I be the nurse

For all sick beings in the world

Until everyone is healed.

For all those ailing in the world,

Until their every sickness has been healed,

May I myself become for them

The doctor, nurse,

May I be the medicine itself. And may I be placed near at hand

For as long as space endures,

And for as long as living beings remain,

Until then may I too abide,

To dispel the misery of the world”

***Pregnant pause***

At this point, I wish to make a special mention of another student graduating here today. She personally attended and participated in every one of the courses that I teach in musculoskeletal conditions as well as a course in Chinese medicine. She participated in every assignment and

reading. She commuted to our university daily from and back to Colorado Springs. She was literally there every step of the way during her mommy’s pregnancy. I am not sure if she is here with us today, but we have prepared a special  certification for her… Crystal’s baby, Anita.

*Hold up Baby Certificate*

In conclusion, it can be said that a school is known by its students. If this is true, then our university is truly blessed.

We see before us an extraordinary group of people with bright, golden futures built upon the foundations of their academic efforts and labors.

To those of you that have been my students, with both honor and humility, I now call

you, my colleagues. I wish you all success, prosperity, and life-long happiness.

Thank you so much!

Melissa Durgin:

Graduation is an accomplishment of the intellect,  traditionally, and our culture is full of cliches about the hours of mastery it takes to get here. And it’s not that that isn’t important, but to me, this medicine is about something much deeper.

Let’s take a moment to contemplate the nature of the Yi, and the earth element that is it’s home. Why would the intellect be associated with an energy that is traditionally thought of nurturing, sympathy? What is the relationship between nurturing and learning? Because the job of the caretaker is to nurture the future. In childhood, the caretaker not only

guides and disciplines, but through their love the child finds the capacity to love themselves, to believe in themselves, and ultimately through this bond built on compassion and trust, blossom into the person they were meant to be.

To me, teaching acupuncture often feels like parenting. Of course there were hundreds of acupuncture points to memorize, countless late nights, compromises to self care, all the papers and projects, etc, etc, etc. Teaching must also include the parental energy of assuring a toddler

that they can take that first step. In practice there is little difference in assuring that student that they can, indeed, thread a three inch needle deep into their leg. For a grade. And you can memorize all those points. And herbs.

And channel branches. You are more than capable of doing all of it.

I hope that I and your other teachers, helped you find that divine caregiver within yourself, that warm and steady space inside that you can return to and caretake for yourself. You did it when things got rough during school, and you can return to it when things get challenging in the future. Because there will be challenges. There are board exams to take. There will be people that you won’t be able to help simply because they weren’t meant for you, and that’s ok. You will push through because this journey towards being a healer matters.

To be a caretaker in a world that seems ever more angry and unjust is a heroic feat of keeping your heart soft while also protecting it. I hope you will keep your corner of it kind, both to others and to yourself, and are able to relish the joy of making people’s lives just a little better every day.

But today, we’re not going to worry about the future. We’re going to celebrate you and all your hard work, and the people who have supported you on your continuing journey. Congrats, colleagues!