Dr. Thomas Kouo serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs for the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM), the first in its two decade history, after a distinguished tenure as both Academic and Clinical Dean at The Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine (ESATM) in Bloomfield, NJ. During his leadership at ESATM, he spearheaded the development and implementation of New Jersey’s first Master’s degree in Acupuncture in 2016. Additionally, under his guidance, ESATM achieved a full seven-year accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) for the first time in the school’s history.

Currently, Dr. Kouo serves as the Vice President for the Council of Colleges for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (CCAHM). In this capacity, he has represented the Council at the annual Academy for Integrative Health & Medicine conference in San Diego and collaborated with the Council’s Executive Committee to advance the interests of acupuncture medicine schools and the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine profession. He also holds the position of Chair for the CCAHM School Clinic Committee and is the immediate past chair of the Council’s Herb Committee. Furthermore, Dr. Kouo is a long-standing accreditation site visitor for ACAHM.

Prior to his role at ESATM, Dr. Kouo was the Academic Dean and Chair of the Herbology Department at VUIM. His leadership was instrumental in guiding VUIM through the ACAOM accreditation process, culminating in the university receiving the maximum five-year initial accreditation in March 2015. Before joining VUIM, he served at Pacific College of Health Sciences in San Diego as the Chair of the Herbal Department, where he taught in both the Master’s and Doctoral programs and supervised clinical training.

Prior to his first stint with VUIM, Dr. Kouo founded and served as the Clinical Director of Elemental Harmony Acupuncture in San Diego. The clinic was renowned for its expertise in pediatrics, orthopedics, and women’s health. He also developed a specialized facial rejuvenation protocol, “Age-Reversal Therapy” (ART), which was prominently featured at A & B Medical Spa in Hillcrest, California.

Dr. Kouo has provided acupuncture care to athletes from the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Lakers, the US Winter Olympic Training Team, and served as the acupuncturist for the La Jolla Open Tennis Tournament. He was among the first acupuncturists selected to pilot UCSD’s Center for Integrative Medicine, where he worked alongside UCSD’s leading physicians in family medicine with hospital privileges. Additionally, he has contributed to the oncology department at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, where he developed a deep compassion for pediatric care.

Dr. Kouo is a sought-after lecturer on various topics, including Chinese Medicine and HIV/AIDS, Fatty Liver Disease, healthy pregnancy, pediatric care, sports injury care, and integrative medicine. He also served as the Director of Wellness for a Fortune 500 company in Los Angeles and was the herbal consultant for the licensure review preparatory company, TCM Tests.

Dr. Thomas Kouo holds a Master and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) from the Pacific College of Health and Science.