Founded in 1983, Oregon College of Oriental Medicine’s mission is to transform health care by educating highly skilled and compassionate practitioners, providing exemplary patient care, and engaging in innovative research within a community of service and healing. OCOM's primary activities are providing studies for specialized graduate degrees; running two teaching clinics, providing affordable ca
re for patients – many with severe and unresolved health issues – and hands on experience for student interns; and conducting acupuncture and Chinese medicine research. OCOM is a single purpose professional graduate school that offers two specialized degree programs: Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM) and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM). Repeatedly ranked the best acupuncture school in the US, OCOM's academic programs provide students with a solid foundation in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, therapeutic massage, and qi cultivation, as well as a focus on collaboration between Chinese medicine and Western biomedicine. The current campus, a LEED Gold certified remodel of the former Globe Hotel building, places OCOM in the center of Portland, providing multiple opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to partner with and serve the community. OCOM operates two clinics, one at its main campus in Old Town Chinatown, and a satellite campus in the Hollywood neighborhood. Both focus on student interns (under the supervision of licensed clinic supervisors) providing low-cost acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatments to the public. Last year, OCOM provided 18,338 treatments to 2,946 unique patients. 64.36% of the patients seen at OCOM's clinics are low-income; most are from the Portland metropolitan area, but are otherwise quite diverse (e.g., gender, age, race, medical condition). OCOM is one of the longest standing colleges of acupuncture and Chinese medicine in the United States. To date, OCOM has graduated more than 1,450 students, and currently has alumni practicing in all 50 states, as well as six other countries. Cumulatively, OCOM graduates have provided an estimated 10 million patient visits.
