Having joined CCM faculty in 1996, acupuncturist mentored students on expeditions to China, Tibet. 

William “Bill” Frazier, MA, LAc, an adjunct faculty member at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM), died peacefully July 23 surrounded by his family, friends, and students at his home in Aurora, Oregon. He was 76. 

“One of the earliest and ongoing faculty of CCM, Bill was deeply dedicated to his Qigong practice, the preservation of the Jinjing Gong lineage, and to his students,” said Dr. Laurie Regan, dean of the College of Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) at NUNM from 2006-2020. “His down-to-earth and authentic presence as an instructor, mentor, and friend is dearly missed.” 

A native of Pocatello, Idaho, Frazier practiced five-element acupuncture having studied with J.R. Worsley before earning his Master of Acupuncture degree from the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in 2001.

In his first years at NUNM (then NCNM), Frazier served as a clinical supervisor and instructed multiple Qigong practicums. He later focused exclusively on his passion for teaching Qigong.

As a practicing acupuncturist, Frazier collaborated with Dr. Heiner Fruehauf, founding professor of the Classical Chinese Medicine program at NUNM, on expeditions to the Chinese provinces Sichuan and Yunnan, as well as eastern Tibet to study the roots of Qigong. 

“I will keep him in my heart as one of my best friends,” said Fruehauf, who hired Frazier as one of the first teachers in the College of Classical Chinese Medicine, which was founded in 1995.  

Having made eight visits to the sacred mountain ranges of China and Tibet between 1994 and 2003, Frazier and Fruehauf were accompanied by as many as 20 students interested in deepening their immersion in ancient traditions.

After 2003, Frazier focused on the revival of pre-modern Western astrology and continued to teach and mentor students at NUNM. His last trip to China was in 2016

“The Jinjing Gong Heart Bridge has been the most important thing in my life,” Frazier said just days before his passing, reflecting on the connections built during three decades of practicing Qigong with students at NUNM. 

Frazier also served as the Xiang Fu of Uncle Bill’s Qigong Club in Aurora, offering Sunday gatherings and annual retreats focused on the history, theory, and foundational practices of the Jinjing School of Qigong, as transmitted by lineage holder Wang Qingyu of Sichuan.

“He will be remembered for his boisterous spirit, for his extraordinary dedication to the lineage system of transmission in Chinese medicine—specifically the Jinjing Lineage of Qigong—and his uncompromising love for red turtlenecks,” Fruehauf said. “His unmistakable presence will be greatly missed.”