Our Practitioners

Tony Ward, L.Ac, MAOM


    Tony is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalists with over 20 years experience helping patients live happier healthier lives. Tony began his career in healthcare as a restorative nursing assistant where he was responsible for carrying out physical and occupational therapy care plans, training healthcare workers in proper body mechanics, as well as repairing, building and sometimes designing assistive devices for elderly and disabled patients. During his 10 years working with the elderly Tony had the opportunity to learn and practice many therapeutic techniques including active muscle release, E-stim and Watsu (water shiatsu) as well as helping start the first in house Nautilus weight lifting program for the elderly in the country. Tony has extensive experience working with mobility and activities of daily life issues as well as many chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, stroke recovery, and hip replacement rehabilitation. Because of his excellence and dedication to the elderly Tony was awarded the Good Samaritan Residents Rights Champion Award and was a National Certified Nursing Assistant Employee of the Year nominee.

 

     After his experience working in the Bio-medically centered arena of healthcare with its disease based focus and reliance on pharmaceuticals, Tony was inspired to become more involved in the primary care of patients. “It was frustrating watching my patients, our elders, taking dozens of prescription medications everyday. They had poor appetites, no energy and a host of unwanted side effects which usually inspired more prescriptions from doctors they almost never saw. I knew there was a better way”. Tony’s years of Zen meditation and martial arts practice found their natural extension in the holistic art of Oriental medicine with its focus on treating the whole person and its emphasis on preventative healthcare. Now as a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist it has become Tony’s mission to make Oriental medicine less the “alternative” and more the “primary” form of healthcare and health maintenance for everyone. “As an uninsured student I knew that I couldn’t afford doctors visits, prescription meds or even the standard acupuncture prices”. This is what inspired Tony to join with his partners to create the Neighborhood Acupuncture Project, where the people of Austin can receive the benefits of Oriental medicine at an affordable price.

 

       Tony continues to develop his skills through the study of Japanese meridian therapy and his ongoing Tai Chi practice. As a lifelong musician Tony compares the art of acupuncture to that of music. “We learn the scales and the styles of the great musicians that came before us, we practice, practice ,practice then we bring our whole unique selves into every moment and we play”.

Joanne Tait, L.Ac, MAOM

 

Joanne is a licensed acupuncturist and Diplomate in Oriental Medicine, certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She is also a certified yoga instructor.


In 2011, she completed her degree of Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, where she conducted over 500 treatments for patients during her clinic internship.


Joanne had the privilege and opportunity to travel to China in 2009 where she attended the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She took part in academic seminars, mind-body classes and patient observation rounds at the teaching hospital, which combines both Eastern and Western Medicine. The experience enriched her education and further solidified her appreciation of mind-body wellness.


In 2005, Joanne completed a yoga-training program at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Nassau, Bahamas. In addition to Sivananda, her classes combine the principles of alignment from Iyengar and breath synchronized movement from Vinyasa. She enjoys teaching yoga and recognizes its compatibility with Eastern Medicine. She has been teaching since 2005.

 

Before coming to Austin, Joanne worked as an environmental advocate at the Sierra Club legislative headquarters in Washington, D.C. She received her Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior from the University of Maryland at College Park.

 

By providing time-proven holistic methods that prompt the natural ability of the body to heal, Joanne is committed to helping her patients achieve optimal wellness, balance and longevity.

 

She enjoys organic gardening, birding, photography and live music.

 

Pamela Strosser, LAc 

    Bio Coming Soon…..


Victoria Jara, LAc, AOBTA-CP

¡Yo hablo español! 

Victoria Jara is a NCCAOM-board certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist who studied at AOMA Graduate School for Integrative Medicine. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Biological Psychology- the study of the biology of behavior with a focus on the nervous system, hormones and genetics.Victoria is a first generation Peruvian-American and a native Spanish speaker. 

 

In 2013, Victoria worked on an ethnobotanical project researching medicinal plants and ritual healing in the Peruvian Amazon. Her undergraduate thesis focused on studying how the nervous system processes pain and is influenced by language, culture, and beliefs. Later in 2023, Victoria trained in Tsukuba, Japan with master acupuncturists learning Japanese meridian therapy and observed how acupuncture and herbs are used in conventional hospital/clinic spaces. 

 

Before starting graduate school for acupuncture, Victoria worked as a community organizer focusing on anti-oppression and interdisciplinary community work with the multi-lingual, immigrant, and refugee communities in Austin. Her work outside of the Neighborhood Acupuncture Project involves health equity and she works with organizations in the city to help expand community access to acupuncture and herbal medicine. 

 

As a lifelong dancer, Victoria is especially interested in the functionality and movement of the body. She is experienced with helping people who have chronic or acute pain due to musculoskeletal injuries, surgical procedures, and/or autoimmune conditions. Helping people achieve their movement and mobility goals while reducing pain and improving quality of life is a driving motivation for practicing this medical art form. 

 

In addition to that, she enjoys helping people recover from the negative effects of chronic stress like problems with sleep, emotional and hormonal dysregulations, digestive complaints, headaches/migraines, and muscular tension. Victoria infuses her background and experiences to provide trauma-informed and patient-centered care.