Oregon College of Oriental Medicine



Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) is a private university in Portland, Oregon focused on graduate degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. OCOM's programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine and authorized by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission's Office of Degree Authorization to award Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degrees. The institution's trustees voted in spring 2024 to close the institution because of declining enrollments and financial challenges.

History
Oregon College of Oriental Medicine was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1983, and is one of the oldest Chinese medicine colleges in the United States. OCOM trains master's and doctoral students, conducts research and treats patients at its Old Town Chinatown campus (OCOM Clinic). In July 2005, OCOM became the first college to graduate a cohort of Doctors of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The institution announced plans in July 2009, to move from Portland's eastside to a historic building in downtown's Old Town Chinatown district. The new LEED Gold certified facility was renovated at a cost of $15.2 million. In September 2012, the school moved into its new home in Portland's historic Old Town Chinatown neighborhood.

In 2024, the institution's trustees voted to close the institution. They cited declining enrollments and financial challenges, including decreasing property values for their real estate, as the primary reasons for the closure. Teach out plans were established with other institutions, subject to approval by relevant regulatory bodies.

Clinics
OCOM operates two Portland clinics and an herbal medicinary. The OCOM Hollywood Clinic, with eight clinic rooms, serves residents of northeast Portland, including the neighborhoods of Hollywood, Grant Park, Irvington and Beaumont-Wilshire. OCOM Clinic, at the institution's Old Town Chinatown campus, opened in September 2012 and serves downtown residents and workers. The OCOM Herbal Medicinary is located on the ground floor of the institution's campus. More than 20,000 low-cost acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, tuina, and shiatsu patient treatments are offered annually by the clinics, which also serve as teaching facilities for the institution. OCOM has an active research department, and has received substantial research grants from the National Institutes of Health/NCCAM. OCOM research projects have included a collaborative grant with the University of Arizona to study temporomandibular joint disorder.