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Laurie Regan, PhD, ND

Assistant Professor, Dean of Classical Chinese Medicine

Bio

A solid foundation is crucial to building a career, and for doctors the process starts with medical school curriculum. As the dean of NCNM’s School of Classical Chinese Medicine, Dr. Laurie Regan says her background in curriculum development helps guide her in refining a balance of coursework, personal cultivation, and clinical experience for students and faculty. “My role is to support our faculty by ensuring that our courses bring out their gifts,” she says. “My goal is to give students the tools they need to cultivate a lifetime of learning.”

Dr. Regan’s own journey in natural medicine started with a desire to find larger truths behind the quantitative science she pursued while earning a Doctorate in Neurobiology from Harvard University. She worked on the curriculum review committee at Harvard, but in the end said she “just felt that straight science wasn’t full enough, it didn’t give a complete picture of what was important.”

The missing pieces started to fall into place when she came to NCNM to study homeopathy in 1993 and discovered that classical Chinese medicine embodied the spiritual aspects of healing that she was seeking. Academically, she focused on earning a doctorate in natural medicine (ND), but her personal interest in Chinese medicine led Dr. Regan to join Dr. Heiner Fruehauf and NCNM students on annual trips to China to learn from master practitioners and healers. She took classes in classical Chinese medicine, and became a Qi Gong instructor. Dr. Regan received her ND degree in 1997. In addition to teaching classes in neuroanatomy, physiology, and pathology at NCNM, she remained active in curriculum development.

Now in her role as dean, Dr. Regan plans to facilitate the further enhancement of the Chinese medicine curriculum, with the goal of establishing a doctoral degree program. NCNM currently offers the Master of Science in Oriental Medicine and Master of Acupuncture degrees. “Medical students and patients are looking for alternative ways to treat illness, especially chronic disease. They are seeking a path to wholeness and wellness,” she says “I want to gain more visibility for our program and for the medicine.”

Curriculum Vitae

Updated March 27, 2009

EDUCATION    
1993-1997 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  •  N.D.  
  •  Graduated first in class, High Honors  
  •  Concentration in Homeopathy and Qigong  
1984-1991 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
  •  Ph.D. in Neurobiology (Medical Sciences Division)  
  •  Albert J. Ryan Fellow  
  •  Thesis: "The biophysical and pharmacological properties of calcium currents in dissociated rat cerebellar Purkinje and dorsal root ganglion cells"; Discovered a new class of calcium channels in vertebrate neurons.
1975-1979 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA
  •  B.A. in Biology  
  •  Kappa Gamma Scholar  
  •  Concentration in Physiological Mechanisms of Animal Behavior
     
ADDITIONAL EDUCATION  
2000-2003 Jaffe Institute of Spiritual and Medical Healing Angwin, CA
  Concentration in Spiritual Ministry  
1997-1999 Hahnemann College of Homeopathy Albany, CA
1996-1999 Heron Institute Summer Program in Qigong Sichuan, PRC
& 2005-2006    
1992 Harvard University Graduate School of Education Cambridge, MA
  Visiting Fellow, Developing Discussion Leadership Skills", taught by C. Roland Christensen, founder of the Case Method at Harvard Business School
1988 James McDonnell Foundation Summer Institute in Cognitive Neuroscience Cambridge, MA
1985 Marine Biological Laboratory Wood's Hole, MA
  Summer Course in Neurobiology  
     
PRIVATE PRACTICE  
2006-present Naturopathic Physician, Hai Shan Clinic Corbett, OR
1997-2006 Naturopathic Physician Portland, OR
     
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS  
2006-present National College of Natural Medicine  Portland, OR
  Dean, School of Classical Chinese Medicine  
2005-2006 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Associate Dean of Classical Chinese Medicine  
1999-2001 National College of Naturopathic Medicine  Portland, OR
  Adjunct Clinical Professor of Research in Homeopathy and Qigong
1995-1997 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Educational Coordinator for Curriculum Development  
  •  Organized and consulted for all of the case-based courses in the curriculum  
  •  Initiated work with the Academic Dean and the Curriculum Committee to establish "Clinical Case Presentation I, II, and III", case-based courses focusing on clinical diagnosis, and "Clinical Case Discussion I and II", case-based courses focusing on naturopathic treatment and case management  
1992-1993 Division on Addictions, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 
  Education Specialist  
  •Wrote and managed a $250,000 grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a collaborative public education project on substance abuse with Boston's Museum of Science
  •Played a central role in the development and implementation of an innovative substance abuse curriculum that was integrated into all four years of the medical school curriculum, as well as into the residency training programs at the Harvard teaching hospitals.
  •Initiated and participated in many projects on substance abuse education that included work with the Boston Public School System, the Harvard College Student Health Center, and Northeastern University.
     
TEACHING EXPERIENCE  
2007-present National College of Natural Medicine Portland, OR
  Assistant Professor  
  Qigong Retreats and Practica  
2006-2007 National College of Natural Medicine Portland, OR
  Assistant Professor  
  Integrative Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry I, II, III  
  Qigong Retreats and Practica  
2005-2006 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Instructor  
  Integrative Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry  I, II, III  
  Integrative Pathology I, II, III  
  Qigong Retreats and  Practica   
2004-2005 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Instructor  
  Cellular Systems I, II, III  
1998-2003 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Instructor of Qigong  
1998-2002 Multnomah County Portland, OR
  Instructor of Qigong  
1996 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Instructor, "Clinical Case Presentation I"  
1994-1995 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Instructor, "Physiology Laboratory"  
1994 National College of Naturopathic Medicine Portland, OR
  Teaching Assistant, "Neuroanatomy Laboratory"  
1985-1992 Harvard Medical School Boston, MA
  Tutor and Conference Leader in Neurobiology and Pharmacology
1978-1980 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA
  Laboratory Assistant "Physiological Mechanisms of Animal Behavior"
     
COMMITTEES  
2007-present National College of Natural Medicine Portland, OR
  Academic Affairs Committee  
  College Program and Curriculum Review Committee  
  Council on Academic Affairs  
  Council on Financial and Administrative Affairs  
  Enrollment Management Team  
  President's Planning Council  
  Program Development Team  
2006-2007  National College of Natural Medicine Portland, OR
  Curriculum Committee  
1996 Bastyr University Seattle, WA
  Grant Reviewer for the CAM AIDS Research Center  
1994-1997 National College of Naturopathic Medicine         Portland OR
  Curriculum Committee, Chair, 1996-1997  
1989 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
  Curriculum Review Committee, Division of Medical Sciences  
  The committee reviewed and evaluated coursework issues as well as educational policies and procedures. On the basis of the recommendations of the committee, a Core Curriculum was established.  
1986 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
  Chair, Program in Neuroscience Student Retreat Committee. Organized a retreat featuring international leaders in the field of neuromodulation.  
     
PUBLICATIONS  
Regan LJ (1991) Voltage-dependent calcium currents in Purkinje cells from rat cerebellar vermis J. Neurosci 11: 2259-2269.
     
Regan LJ, Sah DWY and Bean BP (1991) Ca2+ channels in rat central and peripheral neurons: High-threshold current resistant to dihydropyridine blockers and w-conotoxin. Neuron 6: 269-280.
     
Regan LJ (1990) Calcium currents in freshly dissociated rat Purkinje and dorsal root ganglion cells. [Dissertation]. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. 135 p.
     
Regan LJ, Dodd J, Barondes SH and Jessell TM (1986) Selective expression of endogenous lactose-binding lectins and lactoseries glycoconjugates in subsets of rat sensory neurons. PNAS(USA) 83: 2248-2252.
     
Rogart RB and Regan LJ (1985) Two subtypes of sodium channels with tetrodotoxin sensitivity and insensitivity detected in denervated mammalian skeletal muscle. Brain Res 239:314-318.
     
Rogart RB, Regan LJ, Dziekan LC and Galper JB (1982) Identification of two sodium channel subtypes in chick heart and brain. PNAS(USA) 80: 1106-1110.

 

Courses

Dr. Regan teaches the following:

CCM524      Qi Gong II Retreat                               
CCM505E   Qi Gong II Retreat
CCM655      Qi Gong V Practicum