OCOM transfer grad advocates for collaborative medicine and reclaiming patient health choices.

The National University of Natural Medicine is proud to highlight our student speakers for the 2025 Commencement, taking place on June 28.  

Eden Choi ’25

Program: Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, OCOM Teach-Out/Transfer Program

As the Student Speaker for the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) Teach-out Transfer program at this year’s National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) commencement ceremony, Eden Choi shares her journey to study Chinese medicine and advice to fellow graduates.

Before Choi came to NUNM’s College of Classical Chinese Medicine as an OCOM student in the Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine program, she originally planned to pursue a career as a medical doctor.

However, it was during a study abroad trip to Kunming, China, during her early academic years that she first discovered her passion for East Asian medicine (EAM).

“That’s when the medicine became real and life-changing to me,” Choi said. “I had to learn more!”

After earning her undergraduate degree in English and pre-medicine from the University of Oregon, Choi decided to work as a patient coordinator at an acupuncture clinic to explore the field firsthand.

This experience confirmed that EAM was the right choice, and she later enrolled at OCOM to pursue her doctoral studies in acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Now approaching graduation from NUNM, Choi said she plans to expand her expertise in the field, focusing primarily on areas such as female reproductive health, orthopedics, and Chinese herbal medicine.

Eden Choi caught up with NUNM to share her journey to Chinese medicine and her vision to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western medicine.

NUNM: How did you become interested in your field of study? 

Choi: A study abroad trip to Kunming, China, sparked my interest in East Asian medicine (EAM). While there, a sudden and intense fever hit me, and I found it difficult to see and walk. I was in a foreign country, so I sought help from my resident advisor (RA). Initially, I thought I just needed a doctor’s visit or some medication, but he said his father was the village doctor and insisted I needed Tuina (bodywork). I was too tired to argue, so I agreed to receive Tuina from him but wondered how a massage could help with a raging fever.

During the massage, he proceeded to smack my head, then grasped, pulled, and kneaded along the back of my neck, down my shoulders, and into my arms. Honestly, it was torture. But after about five minutes, I noticed I was sweating profusely, and my fever had broken. My fingers were also rigid and stuck, like something had left them, and they were shocked by the loss. He put me back in my dorm room and said, “See you tomorrow in class!”

The next morning, after I’d slept, it was like the fever had never existed. That day, I did Taiji with my classmates and walked 20,000 steps on an herbal field walk. That’s when the medicine became real and life-changing to me.

What are your plans post-graduation? 

After graduation, I’m volunteering with Acupuncture Relief Project in Nepal for two months! There, I will be providing acupuncture and basic primary care to the community. When I return, I plan to work and pay off my student loans.

What kind of impact do you hope to have in the future? 

I hope to make EAM more accessible for my community here in America. I want to build a culture where a person with indigestion will at least consider food and lifestyle before relying solely on pharmaceuticals to solve all their problems. I want to help people take back some control of their health choices rather than leaving it entirely in the hands of others.

Also, I’ll be working towards having Eastern and Western medicine be more collaborative and understanding of one another, striking a balance where we can help serve and care for our patients better here in the States.  

Any advice for fellow students as they move forward in their careers? 

My advice to others would be to hang on to your hobbies and find time to rest with your community. It’s hard to serve and love others well when you don’t have any way to replenish your Qi and calm your Shen. Breathe deeply, pray, and remember that this is just one piece of the pie that is life.  

Written by Ashley Villarreal, NUNM Marketing Content Specialist, in collaboration with Eden Choi.