ABAA Board
Gene Bruno, OMD, LAc, FABAA
Trained in acupuncture and classical Chinese medicine, Dr. Bruno is one of the pioneers in the profession who has dedicated his career to the advancement of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in the US. He was a co-director, with John Ottaviano, of the initial research done by the National Acupuncture Association (NAA) that introduced Veterinary acupuncture into the US in 1972. In 1973 and 1974 he worked with the NAA team of acupuncturists who established the Acupuncture Pain Clinic at UCLA medical school, and in 1974 and 1975 he worked with the same group of acupuncturists who helped to establish the first two colleges of acupuncture in the US. He participated as an acupuncturist in research that was conducted by Gene Smith, PhD, at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in 1975. As a research assistant to Werner Nobel, MD, at Amherst University, Dr. Bruno developed protocols and techniques for applying acupuncture analgesia on animals.
Gene Bruno is the past president of the American Association of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. From 2007 until 2011, he was a member of the Executive Council of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, representing the largest organization in the US, the AAAOM. In 2007 he founded the Trudy McAlister Foundation, a non-profit, charitable, scholarship foundation for AOM students
Dr. Bruno also served on the Acupuncture Boards of the Boards of Medical Examiners in Oregon and Washington and wrote the scopes of practice in these states. He has been licensed in acupuncture in Oregon, California, Washington and Alaska, and is the past president of the Oregon Acupuncture Association. He is the current president of the American Board of Animal Acupuncture (ABAA). Dr. Bruno has published several books on animal acupuncture, entitled Acupuncture Points on the Horse, Acupuncture Points on the Dog, Equine Conditions & Treatment Protocols and Canine Conditions & Treatment Protocols.
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Nanci Bankier, BS, MA, MSTOM, LAc, FABAA
Nanci Bankier has been practicing acupuncture since 2010. With a B.S. in Biology focused on Marine Science, she has always been passionate about all animals, particularly- dogs, horses, marine mammals, and other marine organisms. Though her path to working with animals took some detours, her love for them never wavered.
Nanci holds an M.A. in Secondary Education and spent six years teaching high school Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Environmental Science. During this time, she became deeply fascinated with Chinese Medicine through personal experiences and research. This passion led her to leave teaching and pursue a full-time MSTOM program at PCOM in Chicago, always envisioning a future where she could use Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat animals.
Nanci has significant hands-on experience working with animals. She volunteered at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago for four years, Furry Friends Foundation animal shelter for nearly six years, where she primarily worked with dogs and adopted her first two rescues, and Casey’s Safe Haven Holistic Horse Rescue. Additionally, she has consistently been involved in the animal rescue world and has rehabilitated injured wildlife whenever possible.
Now, after completing the ABAA Animal Acupuncture program a year ago, Nanci is fulfilling her lifelong dream of treating animals using acupuncture and other holistic methods. A devoted animal lover, she combines her extensive knowledge of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to help animals heal and thrive naturally.
Jay Giles Clements, MS, EST
Jay has worked in the horse industry as a professional her entire life. Her experience with horses is extremely vast; from managing large ranches, packing in the mountains, training colts, working/riding 5000 miles on a wagon train, training mustangs with at risk youth, coaching college rodeo, competing at the Pro Rodeo (PRCA) & (WPRA) level in barrel racing, Equine Sports Therapist, riding instructor of both English and Western disciplines, just to name a few…
Jay holds a Master of Science degree in Animal Science/Equine Science from Murray State University in Kentucky. She coached the Women’s College Rodeo Team there and developed the Reproduction Manual used in the Veterinary Technology program. Jay received her Bachelor of Science degree in Equine Science from Sul Ross State University in Texas. Jay has been a member of the Equine Science Society for many years.
Jay has owned her own business “Equi-Sports” (sports therapy for horses) for over 28 years and keeps her business going part time working as an Equine Consultant and Equine Sports Therapist when she isn’t in the classroom. Jay serves on the board of the American Board of Animal Acupuncture and is an instructor for the Animal Acupuncture/Equine portion alongside Dr. Gene Bruno.
Jay started teaching at the collegiate level in 2009, she served as the Equine Faculty and developed the Racehorse Trainers Equine Studies degree program at Bluegrass Community Technical College in Kentucky. Jay was the Director of the Equine Science program at Colorado Northwestern Community College in Colorado for two years where she designed and implemented three Equine degree programs and started the first college rodeo team there. She served as the Director of the Equine and Agriculture degree programs at Cochise College in Arizona for five years where she redesigned the Agriculture degree program and created and implemented the first Equine Science degree there. Jay has been the Director of the Equine Science program at Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, Arizona since the Fall of 2017.
Advisory Comittee
Donald L. Howard, DVM, CVA, CVC
Dr. Howard received his veterinary degree from Washington State University in June of 1986. Following graduation, he worked at the Pacific Veterinary Hospital in Tigard, Oregon, with a practice focused on small animals and horses.
In July 1970, Dr. Howard started his own private practice. In 1974, he and his wife Joan built the Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital in Salem, Oregon. The hospital was a full-service facility for small animals, equine medicine and surgery.
In 1994, Dr. Howard’s Golden Retriever was suffering with severe hip dysplasia. He was encouraged by Dr. Michael Partington, DVM, to try acupuncture. Dr. Partington was certified in veterinary acupuncture, and with some reluctance, Dr. Howard allowed him to treat his dog. After the fifth treatment, she ran off like a young dog. Encouraged by what he learned about the amazing effectiveness of acupuncture, Dr. Howard enrolled in the IVAS program in 1995 and became certified in Veterinary Acupuncture in 1997. He then took the program in veterinary chiropractic in 1997 and was certified in 1999.
Dr. Howard has used these modalities extensively and has given seminars nationally at general veterinary conferences and at veterinary conferences on acupuncture and chiropractic.
Our mission is to promote excellence in the field of Animal Acupuncture by licensed acupuncturists.
In order to fulfill this mission, the American Board of Animal Acupuncture (ABAA) has established standards of competency and safety in the use of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for the treatment and benefit of animals. Board Certification by the ABAA authenticates an acupuncturist’s knowledge and skill to practice the specialty of Animal Acupuncture. Certification by the ABAA designates the acupuncturist as a Diplomate of Animal Acupuncture and allows the acupuncturist to use the designation FABAA, that is, Fellow of the American Board of Animal Acupuncture.
The ABAA recognizes the need for a certification in order to insure that practitioners who are treating animals with acupuncture and Oriental Medicine are doing so with advanced knowledge and experience. The ABAA also recognizes that Animal Acupuncture is and has been the domain of practitioners of Acupuncture long before western veterinary medicine was developed.