Haunani Chong Drake
Dr. Haunani Chong Drake, [houW-nuh-nee] Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, is a Licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner in the United States, an international Yoga and Ayurveda educator, facilitator, and mentor, and adjunct faculty in the A.A.S Yoga Studies program at Pacific College of Health Sciences (PCHS). She is a bridge builder and connector by nature who has served her local, national, and international communities with heart, mind and body wellness for over 20 years. She completed her Ayurveda Wellness Counselor training from the Kerala Ayurveda Academy under Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar, B.A.M.S, in 2010. Since then, Haunani has taught Ayurveda workshops for yoga spaces and trainings and is currently teaching Ayurveda for the Yoga Studies program at PCHS. Because of her unique ability to cross-talk between East Asian Medicine and Ayurveda she is sought out by her colleagues for her unique perspective on both systems of healing and medicine. Haunani regularly gives workshops on topics of stress management, Yoga, Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, cultural stewardship, and professional practice and ethics that integrate movement, breath, self-inquiry, neuroscience, and trauma-informed healing processes. Haunani is proud to be a mixed-Asian American born in Hawai’i, a mom of two, and globe-trotting military spouse to an active duty Marine Corps Infantry Officer. She has a reputation for being a passionate and infectious teacher who makes complex topics and theories easy to understand and applicable for life’s complexities. As a clinician who is also involved with her state and national Acupuncture organizations, she is passionate about health equity, supporting underrepresented voices, rebelling against diet culture, and dignity centered medicine. When she’s not geeking out on all things healing and medicine, you’ll find her spending time with her family in nature, traveling, connecting with her Hula Halau, finding the best ramen in town, reading, or listening to podcasts.
Haunani holds a B.A. in Sociology with honors from Whitman College (2002), a M.S. in Traditional Oriental Medicine from PCHS (2011), and completed her clinical Doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from PCHS (2023). She received her NCCAOM Diplomate of Oriental Medicine in 2011 and is board licensed in California and Virginia.