NCNM Provost Dr. Andrea Smith Elected to Serve ACAOM
The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) announced that Andrea C. Smith, EdD, was elected as an academic member of the Commission. The appointment of Dr. Smith, provost and vice president of Academics Affairs at National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM), is effective immediately. ACAOM is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a specialized and professional accrediting agency. ACAOM’s primary purposes are to establish comprehensive educational and institutional requirements for acupuncture and Oriental medicine programs, and to accredit programs and institutions that meet these requirements. ACAOM currently has more than 60 schools and colleges with accreditation or candidacy status.
During her 22-year tenure at NCNM, Dr. Smith has held many senior administrative positions, including dean of Institutional Research and Assessment; dean of the School of Classical Chinese Medicine; dean of Student Services; and educational consultant. As provost, Dr. Smith has presided over a growing number of academic programs while continuously raising the bar on academic standards at NCNM.
Dr. Smith, who holds a doctorate in education in curriculum and instruction from Portland State University, presently oversees six doctorate and master’s degree programs in NCNM’s Schools of Naturopathic Medicine, Classical Chinese Medicine and Research and Graduate Studies; the departments of Student Life and Institutional Research and Compliance; the Helfgott Research Institute and NCNM Library; and the offices of the chief medical officer and the dean of Academic Progress.
In announcing Dr. Smith’s appointment as a new Commissioner, ACAOM Chair Catherine Niemic, JD, LAc, expressed her delight in having Smith join the organization, noting that Dr. Smith brings “a depth of experience and knowledge to the Commission that is of great value as ACAOM continues to provide the highest quality of accreditation services while preparing for the future of the profession.”
Dr. Smith has long been active in the acupuncture and Oriental medicine educational community, including her work with the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and ACAOM’s task forces for its first professional doctorate, which was announced in 2013, and its current re-conceptualized master’s programs.
For more information, visit www.acaom.org or www.ncnm.edu.
