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 and her initial training in Chinese Medicine in l990.   She received her Master of Public Health degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2003, and her board certification as a fellow in the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture in 2008.   She is the lead researcher and trainer in the Qigong Sensory Training protocol.

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 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 research a treatment that had been developed in Europe for children with autism, that could place real tools in parent's hands to help their children.  

Since 2000, she has completed multiple research studies of the effect of qigong massage on young children with autism. After joining The Teaching Research Institute at Western Oregon University, she developed and evaluated a training and support program in which parents give their children the massage, as well as a training program for early intervention professionals to train and support parents and work with children directly.