College of Oriental Medicine Faculty
Dr. Souheir Alkhoury, D.D.S.
Dr. Alkhoury graduated with a Doctor of Dentistry degree from the College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Damascus, Damascus, Syria in 1979. Dr. Alkhoury was awarded a teaching certificate from the State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona and teaches dental hygiene at Rio Salado Community College. She is adjunct faculty at Gateway Community College teaching anatomy and physiology, biology. She instructs pharmacology, biochemistry in the AOM program at RainStar.
Peter Chow, Physician (China), L.Ac
Dr. Peter Chow studied the ancient Chinese culture of feng-shui, I-ching and martial art from his family since the age of 6. After graduating from Hong Kong with degrees in Education, Sociology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy; and after learning from the various Great Masters of Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts, Dr. Chow began his own practice in 1980. Since then Dr. Chow has been a keynote speaker, teacher and lecturer at such institutions as Arizona State University, Motorola, Chase Manhattan Bank and the Governor’s office. Dr. Peter Chow has resided in Phoenix, Arizona, in the last few years. In the year 2000, Dr. Chow founded the International University of Classical Chinese Medicine and was nominated as the Vice President of the Acupuncture Society of Arizona in 1999.
Yong Deng, Physician (China), MSOM, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., C.H.
Dr. Deng was a graduate and former faculty and physician of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese P.R. China. He had taught and practiced acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine at this school and its teaching hospital for over thirteen years before invited into Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Tempe, Arizona, in 1996. Dr. Deng is an internationally well-known lecturer and practitioner of TCM and has twenty years’ experience in practicing acupuncture, Chinese herbs and Tui Na (Chinese therapeutic massage) for a wide range of diseases and conditions including pain syndromes, allergy, depression, lack of energy, cancer, stroke, gynecological disorders, GI problems, etc. He is currently the Chair and Professor of the Department of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Tempe. Dr. Deng has his private practice at Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center in Scottsdale and at his office in Gilbert. Dr. Deng is an internationally recognized speaker and scholar in the fields of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. He has his yearly presentations at national and international conferences and has published over 20 papers and several books including Encyclopedia of Chinese and U.S. Patent Herbal Medicines. Dr. Deng has held many esteemed positions in China and the United States. He is a director of the International Association of Integrated Medicine (IAIM), a member of State of Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiner, and a member of the National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance (NAOMA).
Katherine Farber, B.A.
Katherine is a medical student at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. She teaches Western Science in the Oriental Medicine and Therapeutic Massage Colleges at RainStar. Her teaching credits range from Cadaver Lab Assistant to Organic Chemistry instructor for elders with Alzheimer’s Disease. Katherine graduated with the highest honors in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley, where she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa. She is an active member of Toastmasters and is certified in Shiatsu massage.
Nick Garboushian, B.A.
Nick Garboushian was born and raised overseas. He immigrated to the United States as a teenager, and his family settled in Ann Arbor, MI. He graduated from the College of Wooster in Ohio, in 1980 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Foreign Languages. By this time, Nick had been involved in the martial arts for several years already, focusing mainly on the Chinese systems of self-defense including Kenpo and Kung Fu. This training led to the internal arts like Tai Chi and Qi Gong, which he has been concentrating on ever since. His teachers include Master Lin Zhong Wei, and Taoist Master Share K. Lew. Nick has been teaching since 1982, and owns a martial arts dojo in Mesa, Arizona, where he lives with his wife, a Master Reiki practitioner. Nick holds advanced black belt levels in Kenpo and Kung Fu. He is a personal trainer and sports nutritionist, and also does Oriental bodywork including Zen Shiatsu, Five Element therapies, and Tibetan massage.
Dr. Janice Highfield, B.S., N.D.
Dr. Janice Highfield received her B.S. from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania and graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences. She completed a one-year residency and is currently a supervising physician and teacher at Southwest. She has been an instructor at RainStar since 2001 and currently enjoys sharing the principles of basic medical science and holistic health through teaching classes in the acupuncture and oriental medical program.
Robert Koagedal, B.A., MSOM, L.Ac, Dipl.Ac.
Robert received his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Religion from San Francisco State University in 1995 and attended Southwest Acupuncture College, Santa Fe, NM in 1999, graduating with a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine. While at Southwest he externed in Beijing, China, for two months. This externship encompassed studying at five different major hospitals including the renowned International Academy of Chinese Medicine. He began his practice in 2000 in New York and did his detoxification internship and NADA training for addiction and recovery at Lincoln Hospital, New York City. He maintains licenses in Oregon, New York, and Arizona and is NCCAOM certified in acupuncture. He is a member of the American Association of Oriental Medicine and the Arizona Society of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture. Robert holds private practice in North Scottsdale, Arizona.
Susan Luo, Physician (China), MSOM, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. C.H.
Dr. Susan Luo received her medical degree in 1983 from Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Pharmacology, the finest institution of TCM higher education in China. She was a TCM physician working in the Beijing Hospital of TCM in China. Dr. Luo has practiced acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Tui Na in China and the United States for over 20 years. After moving to the United States, she earned her national certification from NCCAOM in acupuncture and herbal medicine. She is also a certified acupuncture detoxification specialist by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association. Dr. Luo is a licensed acupuncturist and is currently practicing in Chandler, Arizona. She is currently an Associate Professor and clinic director at RainStar. Before joining RainStar, Dr. Luo was an Associate Professor and clinic supervisor at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Tempe, Arizona, teaching acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Dr. Luo has successfully treated a variety of diseases and disorders, such as fatigue, stress, anxiety, depression, gynecological disorders, arthritis, strokes, Bell’s palsy, digestive disorders, cancers, pain syndromes, allergies, asthma, car accident injuries, nicotine additions, neurological disorders and many others. Dr. Luo’s mission is “to popularize Chinese medicine in Arizona.”
Tom Morrissey, B.A.
Thomas P. Morrissey first began his study of Chi Gung under the late Grand Master Kenny Gong of Canton, China and New York City in 1976 after achieving black belts in two different systems of Karate. At the time Tom was in the early stages of his career as a Deputy US Marshall and was looking for a way to stay in shape that was not as combative as Karate.
He found it (or should say, it found him) when he was introduced to Grand Master Gong. Over the years Master Gong selected Tom to be one of seven students he would certify to carry on the Chi Gung tradition he had brought to this country from China. Tom has cherished the knowledge given to him by his teacher and has developed a way to bring it to people in all walks of life, man, woman, young or seasoned. His students include federal judges, attorneys, teachers, crafts people, truck drivers and social service workers just to name a few. Tom Morrissey has established Chi Gung schools in Albany, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; Tucson, Arizona; and Phoenix, Arizona. He is currently conducting seminars in Flagstaff, and Prescott, Arizona. He has developed a system that makes it easier to understand and thus more valuable to the practitioner because it maximizes the effect. Tom recently retired as a Chief Deputy US Marshall, and he currently is Chief of Security for the Department of Economic Security. In that capacity he is responsible for Workplace Violence Avoidance Training for all employees of the agency and is teaching what will amount to ten thousand people when completed. He is using Chi Gung principles as the basis of these classes.
John A. Montoya, D.O.M., B. A., L.Ac., C. H., (NCCAOM)
John Montoya is a graduate of the International Institute of Chinese Medicine (IICM 1998). Prior to attending IICM, Dr. Montoya learned spiritual healing passed down generations from both sides of his family and has worked with underprivileged cohorts in and across the borders of Mexico and Northern New Mexico. He has also worked in Austin, Texas in an integrative health clinic and has worked with HIV/AIDSA patients in San Francisco specializing in Tui Na therapy. In addition, he has worked throughout the North Bay area using diet, nutrition and herbal medicine helping the homeless with mental illness and drug related problems. He has a generous nature and a passion for healing. Talking with his students, it is apparent that he has found a true calling as a teaching professional as he conveys his passions by sharing his wealth of knowledge and experiences.
Amy L. Rosner, Ph.D., Dean of Education
Dr. Rosner obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Experimental Psychology and her Master of Science in Psychology from the University of Memphis, specializing in Biopsychology, Comparative Neuroanatomy, Comparative and Human Visual Perception and Cognition, and Experimental Neuropsychology. Prior to that, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Ripon College, emphasizing studies in Psychology, Biology, and the Philosophy of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. She has received several science awards, she was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Hartwick College and was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Whitman College. In addition to numerous conference presentations, workshops, and invited talks, Dr. Rosner has published several articles in behavioral neuroscience, perception and neuropharmacology journals and is an accomplished painter. Dr. Rosner has served the educational industry for 4 years in an accreditation facilitation capacity; as a member of the Self-Study Committee at Hartwick College and as Academic Dean of Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture. She has been teaching for over 15 years and is currently serving as Dean of Education at RainStar.
Joanna Wiscombe, MSOM, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.
Joanna Wiscombe has been practicing Oriental Medicine since 1998. She has 4 bulk herbal pharmacies and is researching external applications of Chinese herbs. She specializes in her private practice in respiratory, dermatology, gynecology, gastro-intestinal and pain issues. She graduated from the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine where she had the honor of studying with many Masters from Chine, Europe and Australia. In the recent past, she was an instructor with an acupuncture school for two years and Clinic Dean for over one year. She studied Chinese Medicine in China the summer of 2004. She holds a Certificate in Massage Therapy and has used, grown, processed and studied Western herbs for over 15 years. She is interested in Ancient History and received a BA in History in 1997 and has traveled to many sacred sites in the world.
