Meet Integrative Medicine Expert Ta-Ya Lee
Ta-Ya Lee joined the Kimmel Cancer Center in February, providing integrative medicine consultation to patients through the Under Armour Breast Health Innovation Center. A licensed acupuncturist with a Ph.D. in acupuncture from Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China, Dr. Lee has been practicing patient-centered care in the traditions of Eastern and Western Medicine for more than 25 years. Most recently, she completed an Integrative Oncology Fellowship at University of Michigan. Joining the Kimmel Cancer Center is a homecoming of sorts for Dr. Lee. She served as an oncology research nurse for the School of Nursing in the mid-1990s and earned one of her three doctoral degrees and three of her four master’s degrees from the Johns Hopkins Schools of Nursing, Business and Public Health, respectively.
What do you like most about your work? What drives you professionally and personally?
The Kimmel Cancer Center provides a great opportunity to practice and expand integrative medicine for our patients and utilize all of my training and knowledge from the past. As an oncology research nurse in the 1990s, patients inspired me to become an acupuncturist to use non-pharmacological intervention to address the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Integrative medicine training allowed me to grow professionally to provide unique individualized care for each patient. I trained at the Bravewell Integrative Fellowship in 2008. Not only was I inspired, but I was learning new concepts as a young child does, two to three new concepts per day. I read, I saw the importance of integrated medicine, not alternative but true integrative, synergistic medicine. After learning 5 Elements acupuncture in the U.S., I realized it had great merit, but I needed to learn the history, philosophy and research. In the U.S. acupuncture research is growing. Going to Japan yearly, I got so vested in Toyohari Japanese-style acupuncture. It was incredible working with some of the best researchers and practitioners in the world. Finally, I was hearing horror stories about plastic surgeries for facial rejuvenation, so for two years I studied Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation. Now I can help people who wish to have a face lift and wrinkle reduction by using acupuncture needles to guide the body’s own energy system to help itself without surgery. For me, after learning five completely different styles of acupuncture you can integrate them for best practices. The sum of all styles is truly greater than the parts.
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
There are very limited resources and referrals to provide integrative medicine, which we will expand. Hopefully, we can gradually build up referral hubs for cancer patients to utilize acupuncture, massage therapy, music therapy, meditation, nutrition consult, resilience training, hypnosis, Tai chi or Yoga or Qigong.
We are grateful for support from Under Armour to bring integrative medicine services to our patients with breast cancer.
To learn more about integrative medicine and Dr. Lee, watch this video:
