About the Mentors
Debra Betts,
PhD, BHSc (Acupuncture) LAc. RN (retired)
Debra graduated from the London College of Acupuncture in 1989 and specializes in women’s health. In 1997, she started teaching acupuncture to midwives and has published several works on the use of acupuncture and acupressure in obstetric practice, including the book “The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth.” She completed her PhD on the use of acupuncture in threatened miscarriage in 2014 and is now the Director of Postgraduate Programs for an online Masters’s course in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. Debra also works as a clinical supervisor at a hospital antenatal acupuncture clinic and lectures internationally on the use of acupuncture in obstetric care.
Claudia Citkovitz, PhD, MS, LAc.
Dr. Claudia Citkovitz is a specialist in acupuncture and has trained 270 acupuncture students and practitioners in inpatient care at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn. She conducted the first study in the US on acupuncture during birth in 2009 and another study on acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation in 2015, which she used as the basis for her PhD. She has published a book on acupressure and acupuncture during birth and is an active practitioner, educator, and peer reviewer in the field. Claudia serves on the board of various organizations related to acupuncture and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine.
Kate Levett PhD, MPH (epi), BEd, Adv Dip App Sci (Acup)
Dr. Kate Levett is a highly qualified specialist in acupuncture, education, and research, with over 20 years of experience in these fields. She holds a B.Ed in Health and Medical Education from the University of Sydney, a Masters in Public Health with a focus on epidemiology, and an Advanced Diploma in Applied Science in Acupuncture. She received her PhD from the NICM Research Institute at Western Sydney University for her research on the development, delivery, and evaluation of an antenatal education program for managing labor pain through non-pharmacological methods such as acupressure.
Zena Kocher, MS, LAc.
Zena Kocher is a practitioner of traditional Asian medicine with over 25 years of experience, especially in women’s health. She provides Integrative Medicine services at the MotherBaby Center of Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minnesota using acupuncture, massage, mind-body techniques, and aromatherapy to support women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. She has experience in high-risk pregnancies and trains other acupuncturists in the Allina Health system. Zena has a Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine and uses Shiatsu, Reiki, guided imagery, NLP, and hypnosis in her work. She enjoys teaching individuals and groups.
Sarah Budd, MSc, LAc. Midwife (retired)
Sarah Budd is a highly qualified and experienced midwife and acupuncturist with 35 years of practice. She has published chapters in two books and has attended high hundreds of births. Sarah has seen thousands of OB patients overall in her 47 years of working in a hospital. In 1988, she set up an acupuncture service in Plymouth Maternity Unit and went on to study Complementary Health Studies at Exeter University, where she won a Churchill Fellowship and studied acupuncture anesthesia in China. She was the first and only full-time acupuncturist midwife in the UK and has treated over 6,000 pregnant women with acupuncture on the NHS. She has co-authored a report for the Department of Health, worked as a research assistant, and contributed to text books and journals. In addition, Sarah has trained 20 students and continues to teach in acupuncture colleges and universities. Currently, she works one day a week in Plymouth and sees patients privately at home.
Sarah Tewhey MS, L.Ac, Doula
Sarah is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and doula with a focus on reproductive wellness. She has been in private practice since 2009 on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, specializing in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care and has attended over 100 births in her decade as a doula. Before starting her practice, she was the Program Coordinator for Acupuncturists Without Borders in post-Katrina New Orleans, where she developed a commitment to providing quality healthcare to rural and underserved areas. She now works closely with midwives and a critical access hospital to provide collaborative maternal care in her community. Sarah lives on the island with her husband and two teenage sons.