Christy Lee-Engel, ND ('92), MS ('95), LAc
Gail Buquicchio, ND ('01)
Susan Holt, ND, PA-C ('85)
Brendan Cassidy, MS, MS ('01) LAc
Briefly describe your practice (business model):
We're part of a collaborative care clinic, One Sky Medicine. Our provider group includes NDs, MDs, acupuncturists, a DC, psychotherapists and bodyworkers. Our business also emphasizes community education and professional education, with a variety of classes offered by many different teachers, and some continuing education courses.
How is natural medicine accepted in your region?
We're located in Seattle, which is, of course, a hotbed of natural medicine and collaborative medicine projects.
What are your overall marketing strategies?
Our main sources of new patients are word-of-mouth from established patients, referrals from other health care providers, and insurance lists (the lists that people look at to find a provider in their neighborhood, on their particular plan, etc.) Our main marketing strategy is to cultivate relationships. We each belong to a lot of business and networking groups and we give talks in the community. We also offer classes at our clinic, publish a quarterly newsletter, write thank-you notes for referrals and volunteer to participate in community projects. Each of us knows a lot of people, and we enjoy talking about our vision and practice with anyone who is interested (and there are so many people who are interested!)
What do you find to be the most interesting aspect of practicing?
The intimacy and privilege of hearing people's stories and seeing the profound benefit that people gain from natural medicine care.
What keeps you motivated to practice?
This is an important question for me. While this work is often fascinating and satisfying, it is not easy. And, I sometimes feel very frustrated and discouraged with the current state of the "health care industry". I continue to be committed to patient care and to business for two main reasons:
Because I've seen so many people benefit from natural medicine ways and
The practice of natural medicine and the collective management of a visionary business have become aspects of my spiritual practice-opportunities for me to deepen and open my own life and to participate in the healing of the world, the restoration of the Garden.
What's next for you? Where would you like to place your energies?
What's next for me is now! I have been passionately interested in education, especially naturopathic medical education, for many years, and in September I started in a new part-time position at Bastyr, as Assistant Dean. One exciting assignment I have is to help cultivate and illuminate the soulful and spiritual aspects of our medicine, as well as the collaborative and transdisciplinary potentials of the university.
Actually, I do have ideas about my next "next." I'm considering to formally study education via the Transformative Learning and Change program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, with integrative natural medicine education as a research topic.
What would you like to see from Bastyr University Alumni Department?
Opportunities to visit with other alumni; more news and pictures!
What types of CEU topics would you be interested in seeing Bastyr host?
Lately my favorite clinical topic is botanical medicine.
What would it take for you to get totally excited about returning to campus for the annual reunion?
Knowing that a lot of other alumni were coming too! Food and drink and good music are always nice too.
What are some of your interests/hobbies outside of healing?
I am particularly interested in my boys (my husband, Robert; Noah who is almost 13, studying for his Bar Mitzvah service and loves movies; and Natan who is 7 ½ and loves every and any game and sport), our wider family circle, and friends. I love my garden, though I have neglected it terribly the past few seasons. I am also very fond of poetry, cooking, walking and looking around, and of exploring ideas with interesting people.
One Sky Medicine