Students in the Acupuncture Institute are eligible for two program-specific merit-based awards. At the time of graduation, Acupuncture students may be awarded:
- The Director’s Award for Outstanding Achievement and Scholarship in the field of Acupuncture
or
- The Golden Needle award for mastery in the use of Acupuncture and Moxabustion in
Clinical Service to Patients
These are awarded at the Honors and Graduation Luncheon at the end of the sixth semester of study.
Yan Huo, Golden Needle Award Recipient, 2012
I am greatly
honored to be receiving this year's Golden Needle Award. I
would like to thank everyone who has helped me reach this point in my
path towards a rewarding healthcare career, and share a few thoughts
about my journey along the way.
During my many
clinical hours, one of my patients observed to me how fortunate we are
today that we can combine both eastern and western medicine in order to
better serve our health. Acupuncture may have originated in ancient
China, but I believe its practice and use belongs to the wealth of
human knowledge. The deeper my own understanding of acupuncture
techniques and history develops, the more I want to learn. The more
clinical practice I experienced, the more I enjoyed it. I feel a great
sense of happiness and satisfaction when I see the results of
acupuncture in patients, and find joy in helping people recover from
their illnesses and pains. I will always strive for excellence in this
field which I am so passionate about, and am excited for the future
ahead. I am happy to observe that as acupuncture is increasingly
acknowledged by the American people, its uses and benefits have also
become more common and accepted by the general population.
My
three years of study at the University of Bridgeport have been life
transforming. I have personally benefited from acupuncture treatment,
and I now have the ability to treat others. I truly thankful and
appreciative of all the education and clinical experience I received
here. I could not have gotten here without the mentoring and support
from the faculty, administration and staff. Your rich experiences and
knowledge have been eagerly absorbed and I thank you for recognizing me
with this prestigious award.
Jeff Campbell, Golden Needle Award Recipient, 2011
I am truly surprised and humbled to be receiving this year’s Golden Needle award. I wish I could be present to accept this award, but my path has led me to the great state of Michigan to begin my health care career. I would like to acknowledge two great assets at UB that assisted me during my journey in becoming a holistic practitioner: Clinic Services and the faculty.
Clinic services provided me an outstanding opportunity to interact with patients from all walks of life, bringing all of my education into practice. This allowed me not only to hone my skills as an acupuncturist, but helped develop me into an empathetic healer of the human being as a whole, in mind, body and spirit.
I would like to thank the faculty for their diverse knowledge-base, giving a student such as myself the background to approach each patient with the techniques needed to be successful not only in the UB clinic, but out in the world to serve others with dignity and respect. Please know that a piece of your mentorship has been passed on to helping and caring for others.
In closing, thank you to both the administration and program faculty involved in the selection process and your acknowledgement of me for this award.