NESA Turns 50: A Legacy of Leadership, a Future of Innovation

Shifting Gears in the ‘90s

In another box, Moseman finds an academic catalog from the late ’90s announcing a major update: the transition to a three-year master’s degree.

“Here’s where things really started to shift,” Moseman says, holding up a stack of historical files. “This is when acupuncture education started to formalize—longer programs, more clinical hours, standardized exams, and eventually degree-granting authority. That was a big leap forward.”

He remembers that era well. “I graduated in ’99,” he says, “and even then, there were really no opportunities like what we have today in integrative healthcare. You graduated, you hung a shingle, and you went into practice. That was really it.”

Then vs. Now

Moseman, who was already a practicing chiropractor when he became an acupuncturist, says integration into hospital settings was virtually nonexistent back then.

“We had a community clinic, we did our time, we served our patients there—and then we were released out into the wild to treat patients,” he recalls. “There was no clear path into medical systems. In between hanging a shingle and practicing in a hospital, the closest thing you might find was a multidisciplinary office with maybe a chiropractor, psychotherapist, PT, and massage therapist all under one roof.”

Today, it’s a different story.

“The VA is now the number one employer of acupuncturists in the U.S.,” he notes. “And at NESA, we have clinical affiliate sites in all the main hospital systems here in Massachusetts. Our students train in hospitals alongside other healthcare professionals and truly learn in an integrative environment. That just wasn’t the case 25 years ago.”

Even internationally, the structure differs. “In China, acupuncturists are typically trained as MDs and work in dedicated acupuncture departments within hospitals. It took much longer to get to that kind of integration here,” Moseman says.

Still, he sees the progress as remarkable. “We now have graduates running acupuncture and integrative medicine departments in hospitals—not just in Massachusetts, but across the country. It’s really come a long way.”

‘A Major Turning Point’

A package of photos from the mid-2000s shows students treating patients at the school’s first full-service professional treatment center. Community members came for affordable care, and students gained hands-on experience. Around the same time, NESA began forming clinical partnerships with major hospitals and healthcare systems—including Boston Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center—laying the groundwork for what would become a robust, evidence-informed approach to acupuncture.

In 2016, NESA reached another milestone: a merger with MCPHS, joining a broader network of health professions education.

The merger expanded NESA’s capacity, opening access to university-wide research infrastructure, a custom-built 29,200-square-foot facility on Norwich Street in Worcester, and launching the Doctor of Acupuncture (DAc) program in 2017—developed to align with contemporary healthcare demands and train leaders in integrative medicine.

“That was a major turning point,” Moseman says. “It created new pathways for research, interprofessional collaboration, and academic growth.”

Today, in addition to two master’s programs and a Doctor of Acupuncture degree, NESA also offers professional certificates in Japanese Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine—continuing Dr. So’s enduring legacy of academic credibility and integration into mainstream healthcare systems.

“The partnership with MCPHS and creation of doctoral-level education would affirm his vision.”

A Yearlong Celebration

NESA celebrates its 50th anniversary with a series of events and initiatives.

An alumni reunion on the Boston campus is scheduled for November 8, offering graduates a chance to reconnect, revisit the school’s evolving mission, and tour the soon-to-open Boston Acupuncture Treatment Center—a significant point of pride for NESA and MCPHS alike.

The celebration also includes community wellness events on all three campuses. These “acupuncture de-stress” events—mini ear acupuncture treatments led by students under faculty supervision—are designed to support well-being and increase visibility for NESA across the University. The Worcester event, held this spring, drew faculty, staff, and deans, and featured seasonally supportive Chinese herbal tea crafted by the school’s herbal dispensary manager. Manchester is up next this summer, with Boston slated for the fall.

“We’re using this anniversary to spread awareness—not just about acupuncture, but about NESA itself,” Moseman says.

The return to the Boston area feels especially meaningful—a full-circle moment for a school that began just a few miles away in Watertown. And it’s only the beginning. As part of MCPHS’s broader strategic plan, NESA aims to offer classes in Boston by fall 2026. Plans also include expanding continuing education offerings and increasing clinical partnerships with major hospitals and integrative healthcare settings throughout Massachusetts and the East Coast.

“Dr. So would be proud of the high level of academic standards that NESA continues as his legacy,” Moseman says, “and that acupuncture is so much more accessible to so many more people, in large part because of NESA’s influence in integrating acupuncture into the healthcare system.”

Back in the archives, Moseman strikes gold: a hardbound thesis tucked among the boxes. The title—”Professionalization of an Alternative Healing Tradition: A History of the New England School of Acupuncture”—was written by a Harvard student in 1999. “I’ve never seen this before,” he says, eyes lighting up. “I know what I’ll be reading tonight.”