Board of Directors
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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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.
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.
Lisa Franzetta, LAc. DAIM, FABBA
Dr. Franzetta has her first cat, a six-toed tabby named Seamus, to thank for introducing her to the world of Chinese medicine. After seeking out supportive care for him when he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, she was amazed to see him deeply relax as he would rest with his needles during acupuncture treatments. She went on to discover the many benefits of Chinese medicine for human and nonhuman animals alike.
An East Coast native, Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Brown University before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated summa cum laude from the Master of Science and Doctoral programs at Berkeley’s Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, and she is a Fellow of the American Board of Animal Acupuncture.
Lisa treats animals at Marina Village Veterinary, an integrative veterinary practice in Alameda, California, and she treats humans at Griffin Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine, her Chinese medicine practice in Oakland. She is a long-time cat care volunteer at Hopalong Animal Rescue, and she also serves on the boards of directors of Herd & Flock Animal Sanctuary and the Trudy McAlister Foundation.
Lindsay Rohrbaugh, BS, MS, MAc, LAc, FABAA
Lindsay earned her BS in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD in 2004 and went on to earn her MS in Biology from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY in 2008. She was the lead reptile, amphibian, and mammalian biologist for Washington, D.C. from 2009-2022, where she carried out various wildlife surveys in accordance to the District’s Wildlife Action Plan. Her love for turtles and bats directed her research focus, enabling her to be awarded grants study aspects related to box turtle translocation and white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats.
She began her acupuncture journey in 2019. She studied Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at Virginia University of Integrative Medicine in Vienna, Virginia and earned her master’s degree in Acupuncture in March 2022. Her life-long passion of working with animals led her to seek out the animal acupuncture program at Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture in Phoenix, AZ. While working to complete her master’s degree, she simultaneously studied in the ABAA animal acupuncture program, completing her certification in March 2022.
In June 2022, Lindsay moved to England with her husband, three cats, and dog. Having ridden horses since the age of 4 and having had several horses throughout the years, she and her husband have welcomed an Irish Sports Cob to their family. She has opened her private human acupuncture clinic in Warmington, UK and still does acupuncture on horses, dogs, and cats. She continues to be a licensed human and animal acupuncturist in Maryland, and upon returning to the United States, she plans to begin practicing in New Hampshire, where she and her family have a home in the White Mountains.
Advisory Commitee
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.
Anne Marie Wilson, DVM
Dr. Anne Marie Wilson has been a faculty member at Scottsdale Community College in the Equine Science Department since Spring 2024. After receiving her B.S. in Zoology and a minor in Chemistry from Northern Arizona University she obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. Primary focus in clinical practice in California and Arizona was equine ambulatory general medicine before entering the education field. Dr. Wilson’s philosophy as a practitioner and teacher has always been to support the horse’s wellbeing by caring for the horse and educating others.