“I grew up in Colorado in the United States, where my family was open to home-based medicine and used plants over pharma to heal their ailments,” Jason said. “But through that visit to the Chinese herbalist, who became my teacher, I discovered there were other ways of looking at health.”

Jason decided to travel to New Zealand to join a friend and study Chen Tai Chi. While Jason was there, he came across the New Zealand School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and realised he could study a bachelor’s degree in Acupuncture. In the United States, Acupuncture degrees are only master’s degrees.

When he graduated, Jason stayed in New Zealand and worked in a sports medicine clinic for elite athletes, including professional rugby players and surfers. In 2012, his wife’s career brought the family to Australia, and in Brisbane, at one of the first clinics Jason worked at, he met an Endeavour lecturer. Three years later, Jason began lecturing in Chinese medicine at Endeavour’s Gold Coast Campus.

“I’m passionate about Chinese medicine, and I love teaching its concepts and watching as students grow into practitioners,” Jason said. “I have always felt supported by the College and my colleagues. I think back on my journey, and if I hadn’t met that Chinese herbalist, I may not have chosen this career. I’m grateful for the opportunity to influence other people’s journeys into natural health.”

“At college, you learn the foundations, but from there, you’ve got to continue your education. Chinese medicine has taken me to so many fun places that I may not have got to, and I’ve met many people – celebrities, athletes, musicians, doctors and everyday people with fascinating stories. Sometimes I think to myself, ‘I put pins in people and look where it’s taken me.’ Many doors have opened in my professional and personal life because of Chinese medicine.”

With an equal passion for making acupuncture more accessible to everyone, Jason also runs a community practice at Cabarita in Northern New South Wales. There, he treats many conditions but has a strong focus on pain, mental health, and maternity.

“After working in sports clinics in gyms, I could see that it was possible to treat people comfortably in an open space. This helps keep the cost of consults down,” Jason explained. “During the first months of COVID-19, we went to shut the clinic, and I started doing some home visits, but the phone was ringing off the hook with people trying to get in for treatment. So, we re-opened with some slight modifications, and the clinic just got busier. We have seen a big increase in mental health consultations since COVID-19.”

“There is so much you can do in this field. I love introducing acupuncture to people who haven’t experienced it before, which is funny because before I studied acupuncture, I had never experienced it either.”

Interested in acupuncture?

Empower yourself with knowledge. Take a look at our Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture Therapies).