Leon Hammer, M.D., is a graduate of Cornell University, Cornell Medical College, and the William A. White Institute of Psychoanalysis and Psychiatry. In the early 1970′s, Dr. Hammer began a study of Chinese Medicine in England and traveled to study in China in 1981. He studied with the internationally acknowledged Chinese master Dr. J.F. Shen over a period of 27 years. After retiring from his practice of Chinese medicine, Dr. Hammer has devoted his time to writing and teaching.
Dr. Hammer was first published on the subject of Chinese medicine in the American Journal of Acupuncture in 1980. His book, Dragon Rises Red Bird Flies, has become a classic in the field; his second book, Chinese Pulse Diagnosis, A Contemporary Approach, has been described as a seminal work. His third book, The Patient-Practitioner Relationship in Acupuncture, unpacks the “sacred space of the client-practitioner interaction.”“The Patient-Practitioner Relationship in Acupuncture.” Dr. Hammer has taught workshops in various aspects of Chinese medicine, especially pulse diagnosis, in the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan.
In 1984, he served as a member of the Commission for Evaluation of Acupuncture Schools, and in 1995, he was appointed a member of the National Blue Ribbon Committee for Initiation of the Herbal Examination. From 1991 to 1998, he served as a member on the New York State Board of Acupuncture. In April 2001, Dr. Hammer helped found the Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. He is Chairman of the Board, provides guidance and direction, and is a faculty member of the College. The College curriculum, Contemporary Oriental Medicine, emphasizes psychology and integrates into a unique whole aspects of various models of Chinese Medicine, including TCM and Five-Element. It has a strong focus on diagnosis, especially Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis and Asking Diagnosis.
Over the last few years, Dr. Hammer has decided to restrict his travels. Currently he is engaged in writing, but continues to teach a small, select group of advanced students, and conducts an ongoing teacher training programme for Certified Teachers. Dr. Hammer’s vision distinguishes the school by its strong focus on diagnosis, especially Contemporary Chinese pulse, and its curriculum, Contemporary Oriental Medicine®, that stresses psychology and integrates parts of various models of Oriental Medicine.
