Author Biographies

Fan Ya-li

Fan Ya-li was born in Shandong, China in 1963. From Sept. 1979 to Jul. 1984 she studied Chinese medicine at the Shandong College of Chinese Medicine from which she graduated with a B.S. degree. From Sept. 1985 to Jul. 1986, Dr. Fan attended the National Teacher Training Class on Tui Na at the Shandong College of Chinese Medicine. From Nov. 1987 to Feb. 1988, Dr. Fan attended a National Qi Gong & Tui Na Training Class at the Shanghai College of Chinese Medicine in Shanghai. Then from Sept. 1988 to Jul. 1989, she attended an English Training class at the Shandong School of Hygiene in Jinan. From Jul. 1984 to Aug. 1996, Dr. Fan worked in the acupuncture and tui na departments of the Shandong College of Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital. From Nov. 1992 to Aug. 1996, she also worked part time at the Zhong Hua Expert Clinic of Chinese Medicine in Jinan. While in China, Dr. Fan was an associate professor teaching tui na, pediatric tui na, and tui na in English to foreigners. In Aug. 1996, Dr. Fan came to the United States to teach tui na at the Florida Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pinellas, FL and to work in that school's affiliated clinic. She is a member of the Chinese National Academy of Chinese Medicine and the Chinese National Academy of Traditional Manipulation.

Before coming to the U.S., Dr. Fan participated in several research protocols and wrote a number of books and articles in Chinese. Some of the Chinese journals which have published articles by Dr. Fan include the Nanjing Journal of Chinese Medicine, the Journal of Chinese Medicine & Medicinals, the Journal of Overseas Chinese Medicine (Taiwan), the Journal of the Shandong College of Chinese Medicine, the Jiangsu Journal of Chinese Medicine, and the Zhejiang Journal of Chinese Medicine. Her areas of research interest have been the motor, nerve, and digestive systems, common pediatric diseases, and geriatrics. In addition she has special interests in migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc protrusion, pediatric hyperactivity, asthma, bed-wetting, and night crying. Dr. Fan is the author of the Blue Poppy books Chinese Self-massage Therapy and Chinese Pediatric Massage.

Dr. Fan's hobbies include practicing qi gong every morning and evening and going to the gym three times per week.