TARA BIANCA RADO, MS, LAc

Durham, North Carolina

tarabiancaacupuncture@gmail.com
Licensed Acupuncturist | Traditional Medicine Practitioner | Educator | Community Health Advocate

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Experienced acupuncturist, educator, and integrative health practitioner with 30 years of experience in holistic healthcare, bodywork, herbal medicine, and community wellness. Skilled in TCM and Classical acupuncture diagnosis, theory, treatment protocols and needling, Chinese herbal medicine, pain management, women's health, birth support care and education, and integrative care delivery. Proven leadership in clinical management, practitioner and patient training, public health initiatives, and community-based healing programs.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Founder, Lead Acupuncturist & Clinic Manager

Durham Integrative Health and Acupuncture Center, a 501c3 organization | Durham, NC
December 2023 – Present

Lead clinical acupuncture services within a multidisciplinary integrative health practice.
Manage clinic operations, patient care coordination, and practitioner collaboration.
Provide individualized treatment plans incorporating acupuncture, herbal medicine, bodywork, and lifestyle counseling.
Support practice growth, patient retention, and clinical excellence initiatives.
Lead yearly board meetings, determine direction for non-profit clinic

Co-Teacher, Yangsheng: The Art of Living in Season

Ritual Health (with Anne Shelton Crute)
2024 – Present

Co-facilitate a monthly online educational program exploring classical Chinese medicine principles.
Teach the Three Treasures, Yin-Yang theory, Five Elements, seasonal living, Qi Nodes, meditation, qigong, nutrition, and spiritual cultivation.
Guide participants in aligning health practices with seasonal and energetic cycles.

Owner & Lead Practitioner

Tara Bianca Rado Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine | Durham, NC
2018 – December 2023

Founded and operated a private acupuncture and traditional medicine practice.
Provided acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, moxibustion, cupping, bodywork, and nutritional consultations.
Developed individualized treatment plans for chronic pain, women's health, stress-related conditions, and preventive care.
Managed all business operations, patient care, marketing, and community outreach.

Instructor

Alliance for Black Doulas for Black Mamas
2020 – 2025

Delivered professional training on acupressure for labor, auricular therapies (ear seeds), and integrative approaches to maternal health.
Educated doulas on holistic and adjunctive therapies supporting pregnancy, labor, and postpartum care.
Contributed to community-based efforts addressing disparities in Black maternal health outcomes.

Acupuncturist & Research Clinician

Duke University School of Medicine / Duke Integrative Medicine / Duke Emergency Department
November 2019 – January 2020

Served as an acupuncturist and research advisor on a grant-funded clinical initiative addressing acute musculoskeletal pain in emergency care settings.
Participated in interdisciplinary efforts to reduce opioid-related harm through evidence-informed integrative treatment approaches.
Collaborated with researchers and healthcare professionals within the Department of Population Health Sciences.

Staff Acupuncturist

Tiny Needles Community Acupuncture | San Francisco, CA
2017 – 2018

Delivered high-volume community acupuncture treatments serving up to six patients per hour.
Provided private treatments incorporating cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, herbal medicine, and nutritional counseling.
Supported accessible and affordable integrative healthcare delivery.

Massage Therapist & Acupuncturist

Kabuki Springs & Spa | San Francisco, CA
1998 – 2018

Specialized in Asian bodywork therapies and spa treatment development.
Trained practitioners in therapeutic protocols and treatment delivery.
Integrated acupuncture services into wellness and spa-based care settings.

EDUCATION

Master of Science, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine

Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College
2016

Completed 3,600 hours of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and Western medical training.
Advanced clinical externships at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and the San Francisco Homeless Prenatal Program.

Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology

University of California, Berkeley
2004

Summa Cum Laude
Haas Scholar 2003-2004
High Honors in Anthropology with a focus in medical Anthropology

ADVANCED TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Classical Acupuncture Mentorship

Sean Tuten – Complementary Channels in Context
2025

Module I: Physiology, Pulse Diagnosis, Sinew Channels, and Primary Channels.

Chinese View Teaching & Cultivation

2023 – Present

Ongoing study and mentorship in classical Chinese cosmology, cultivation traditions, and the philosophical foundations of Chinese medicine through lineage-based instruction, intensive coursework, and community practice.

Areas of Study Include:

Zi Wei Dou Shu (Polestar Astrology) Mentorship with Anne Shelton Crute (2024–Present)
Foundations of Polestar Astrology Intensive, Da Yuan Circle (2025)
Living Spirits I–V, Chinese Almanac Astrology, historical and anthropological and cosmological basis for Chinese medicine with Liu Ming (2024)
Dao of the Night, a nine-month traditional dream cultivation program with Erin Langley and Clarissa Gunawan (2024-present) Currently assisting Erin Langley with local daoist dream cultivation teaching in Chapel Hill NC

Coursework and mentorship explore traditional approaches to time, fate, spirit cultivation, dream practice, seasonal attunement, and the relationship between cosmology and human health within the broader framework of Chinese medical thought.

Bodywork Training

SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

Dawn Lewis, Full Circle Massage Therapy

Lower body; Hips, Low back, abdomen

2026

Classical Tuina

North American Tang Shou Tao
2011–2012

Training transmitted by Master Hsu Hong Chi through the Arizona School of Oriental Medicine.

Orthopedic Massage Training

Hendrickson Institute of Orthopedic Massage
1999

Shiatsu Practitioner Training

Amma Institute, San Francisco
1998

Herbal Medicine Studies

Pacific School of Botanical Medicine & Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine
1996–1999

Acupressure Institute

Berkeley, California
1995-1997

Certification in acupressure, Zen shiatsu, barefoot shiatsu, meridian theory, and point location.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP & VOLUNTEER SERVICE

Founder & Administrator

Egbe Imodoye Orisa
2019 – Present

Founded and ran an online learning community dedicated to the study and practice of Orisa spirituality.

Founder

African American Safe Labor and Birth Project
2019 – 2023

Developed a community initiative supporting safer labor and birth outcomes through education, advocacy, and integrative care.

Volunteer Acupuncturist

CAARE | Durham, NC
2019 – 2021

Provided acupuncture services for elders and individuals in recovery from substance use disorders.

Harm Reduction Health Educator

Casa Segura Needle Exchange | Oakland, CA
1998 – 1999

Delivered herbal and nutritional support education to people living with HIV/AIDS and individuals affected by substance use.

Volunteer Practitioner

Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic
1997 – 1998

Provided therapeutic massage and acupressure services to low-income women living with cancer.