more information on Maureen Flannery

Since her medical school days, Maureen has been interested in exploring approaches to health and disease that complement those of conventional medicine. Her years of involvement with the women’s health movement convinced her of the importance of social and political activism in health care.

She also has a long-time interest in the role of spirituality in health. She has completed a two-year program in spiritual nurturing, has served on the national board of the School of the Spirit, a ministry of prayer and contemplation, and is a member of Quakers in Pastoral Care and Counseling. She is the author of Profession and Practice: Quaker Perspectives on Healing as Ministry, published by Pendle Hill in 2002.

For Maureen, the opening of her acupuncture practice and her affiliation with the WaysMeet Healing Arts Center, Inc. are the culmination of many years of dreaming about bringing together all her interests, creating a space for healing to happen, and being a member of a community of practitioners who work together to offer a variety of healthy choices for individuals and groups. She is excited about joining the Community Acupuncture Network movement to make acupuncture more accessible and affordable.

After completing medical school and a family practice residency, Maureen Flannery practiced for seven years in eastern Kentucky. She moved to Berea in 1986 with her husband and two sons to join the staff of Berea College Health Service, where she worked for 14 years.

In 2000, she completed the University of California Medical Acupuncture for Physicians Program. She is an active member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture and in February 2004 became a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture. Since 1979, she has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine.

During a recent two-year faculty fellowship in the Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine at University of Kentucky College of Medicine (UK COM), she provided medical acupuncture for patients with cancer and their family members and caregivers through the Integrative Medicine Clinic at UK Markey Cancer Center.

In May 2003, Maureen received a MPH (Master of Public Health) degree from Kentucky School of Public Health, with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. She continues as Assistant Professor at UK COM, where her work includes teaching about acupuncture and other complementary therapies and research on the ways in which patients and health care professionals communicate and interact. Her most recent project examined the way in which patients in Kentucky primary care practices discuss their use of complementary and alternative medicine with their conventional health care providers. 

Since September 2006, Maureen has chaired the Kentucky Acupuncture Advisory Committee, which advises the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure about matters related to the practice of acupuncture in the state.