From the President

Galina V. Roofener AP

Dear FSOMA Members, 
The FSOMA, as a 501(c)6, not-for-profit professional association, has been serving Florida Licensed Acupuncturists since 1994. During our long history, FSOMA has had tremendous success in gaining respect and acceptance for our profession at the State and National levels.

The FSOMA has always followed its mission: FSOMA members are committed to improving the health & well-being of Floridians by advancing the practice of Eastern Medicine and Acupuncture.

As the acupuncture physicians’ powerful ally in patient care, the FSOMA delivers on this mission by representing acupuncturists with a unified voice on the State level and as a member of the American Acupuncture Association (ASA) across the nation. We promote strategies targeting the removal of the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to abate the opioid epidemic, and confront public mental health crises. We are focusing on driving the future of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) to tackle the biggest challenges in health care. 

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the legislative committee and its chair, David Bibbey. An outstanding amount of time has been put into defending our profession and updating 457 Florida Acupuncture statutes. Please support your profession by visiting your legislators.

The FSOMA Fundraising committee, led by Stuart Shipe, has been working diligently to raise money for the defense of our profession. I wish to express immense gratitude to all of you who have been and will be donating to the PAC and Legislative Funds at

 The FSOMA continues its lineage of efforts to protect and promote our profession through the work of the Advocacy Committee, which is led by Cynthiaann Hayes-Hurst. The committee’s focus for the past year was on promoting the profession by leading an Acupuncture Education Day for our legislators in Tallahassee. Another immediate action is to generate referrals and public interest, which brings patients to your clinic doors through exhibiting at various events and conducting radio interviews throughout South Florida.

We pay special attention to the future of our profession through the work of our Membership committee led by Dickie Walls. We plan activities to promote local connections among professionals to support each other, develop programs to support members’ businesses and connect with students and new practitioners. Special thank you to our Florida Acupuncture Schools, who now include FSOMA membership as an additional service to their students. 

This year our Journal committee, led by Natalia Morrison and Rachel Siditsky, plans to present a new initiative, which provides an opportunity for our students to publish their Capstone project abstracts in the FSOMA Journal. 

FSOMA has always been at the forefront of professional development by continuing our yearly Acupuncture and Asian Medicine conference. The Conference Committee, led by FSOMA Vice President Sandra Kahn, has assembled an outstanding team of teachers, vendors, and volunteers to make your learning experience informative and exciting.

At the conference, you will hear more exciting news from the FSOMA Insurance Committee. Among its great achievements is the development of the Appeal Letter Template, which you, as a FSOMA member, may download and utilize for the right to bill and the recoupment of Evaluation and Management Codes.

The Association’s Executive Committee and the Bylaws Committee meet monthly to ensure that the FSOMA remains the strongest association in the country. Our Executive Team—Ellen Teeter (Executive Director) and Natalia Morrison (Communication Director)—have been invaluable assets to the FSOMA. Your work made FSOMA the strongest, smoothest-running association in the country. Your administrative help and support appreciably accomplish every task of the FSOMA. I am excited to continue working with you.

I believe when we work together, we can accomplish great things. During these challenging times, my highest commitment is to achieve our shared goals. Florida acupuncture community is one that has been built by our compassion toward each other, our commitment to decency, and our dedication to our profession. I am deeply humbled by your support, and I want to assure you that I will do my best to ensure that our community members’ concerns are heard and addressed. This is a tremendous honor to serve you as the FSOMA President. I pledge to dedicate great efforts toward achieving a bright future for our profession.

Sincerely,
Galina V. Roofener A.P., L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., Dipl. C.H. (NCCAOM)