Bastyr University was the only school he saw listed as a place to earn a natural medicine doctoral degree. After arriving at Bastyr, a flurry of attending school, teaching and creating the AOM program seemed to begin simultaneously. Dr. Cao has kept up a hectic pace ever since. He regards me with raised eyebrows and a slight smile, as if surprised. I was never sick, never even took sick leave, and I never missed a class.
Most people prefer to do a private practice.
I have a very good practice at Wedgewood Acupucture, but I stay at Bastyr because I have made a commitment to build the AOM program. Many other long-term AOM faculty at Bastyr attest to a similar commitment, he explains. Dr. Cao's co-founders eventually left the university, but he remains, serving as a bridge between Eastern and Western medicine and continuing to influence the AOM program's development. Dr. Cao teaches a diverse range of subjects, from Acupuncture Therapeutics where students learn to place needles, Traditional Chinese Medicine Pathology where students learn to treat disease using energy balance and Eastern healing philosophies, and Medical Classics where advanced students learn about the ancient school of Chinese medicine. Dr. Cao's students commend him for his ability to provide real-life examples from both Eastern and Western medicine and do so with humor, clarity and organization.