Louisa Silva, M.D., M.P.H.

QSTI was founded by Dr. Louisa Silva, who resides in Oregon and practices medicine in a way which integrates Chinese medicine with preventive medicine and public health. She received her Medical Degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1979, her Master of Public Health degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2003, and has integrated Chinese Medicine into her practice since l990. Dr. Silva completed seven years of training with Dr. Anita Cignolini in Chinese Medicine for Physicians.  She is board certified in acupuncture by the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.

Dr. Silva searches for low cost solutions that are gentle and effective and use the resources to which the person has access. Depending on the problem, the best approach can come from education, Chinese medicine, diet, prevention, or Western medicine. She believes that although not all illnesses can be cured, it is possible to help and strengthen the person, and help the body to heal. She believes that the hopes and fears of the people suffering illness, and the people caring for them must be addressed.

In l995, Dr. Silva was one of three people to found a community clinic in Salem, Oregon that offered western and complementary medicine for Spanish-speaking, uninsured patients. Their goal was to find the most effective, least expensive, and least invasive treatment to help this population of working poor who were getting their health care in the most expensive way, from the hospital emergency room.

In 2000, when the son of a dear friend was diagnosed with autism, she became aware of the devastating impact of the autism diagnosis on families, and the lack of effective, research-based treatment. She decided to bring to Oregon a Chinese Qigong treatment that had been developed in Europe for autism.

Since 2001, she has completed multiple research studies of the effect of this qigong treatment on young children with sensory impairment. After joining The Teaching Research Institute at Western Oregon University, she has developed a parent training program in which early intervention and autism professionals train parents of children with autism to treat them with qigong. To hear about what some of her trainees said about the course, click Interviews.

For information regarding Dr. Silva's current and future plans, visit Studies in Progress.