In her undergraduate program at UC Santa Cruz, Brooke studied Political Science and Spanish. After college Brooke worked doing grassroots lobbying and while social justice work was her passion, she found herself angry at a system that was flawed. Later she realized that anger was not a way she wanted to live, leading her to move on and travel extensively in Mexico and Central America. Brooke worked and lived in communities that were more connected to cultivating their land and well-being, subsequently learning more about sustainability in food systems and health than she had ever before. Eventually this led her to move back to LA to become a Master Gardener with the hopes of having a positive, proactive impact on her community.
Soon after, she got a job as the Executive Assistant at Emperor’s College of Chinese Medicine in Santa Monica. It was through her work where Brooke realized she needed to pursue a career in Acupuncture and Chinese medicine and work to help empower communities back to the source of their food and medicine.
In 2006, Brooke began studying in the Masters of Science in Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine program at Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. During her time there she managed the Chinese Medicinal Gardens at the school. She also completed externships at community acupuncture clinics, hospital in-patient clinics, low income and private practice clinics. Furthermore, she acquired up to level 2 Craniosacral Therapy Certification, as well as the training in Community Acupuncture Models in Portland, Oregon. She also received a research grant to study the integration of Public Health and Urban Agriculture in post-revolutionary Cuba. Throughout her time of studying both herbal medicine traditions and acupuncture, Brooke traveled to China twice to work in hospital settings.
Currently, Brooke is working on completing her IFMCP (Institute of Functional Medicine Certification Program) through extensive online classes. This certificate signifies that all of her knowledge and methods are as up to date as possible. Additionally, Brooke is taking this course to further support patients’ complex layered health patterns to set them on their journey to recovery.
When Brooke is not in the clinic, she loves to cook and eat good food with her family, hike and run through the hills of Glassel Park, surf, dance with friends, and go camping.
Overall, she has been practicing integrative medicine for so long because she is passion driven and truly out to make a difference in her community. Through making connections with each and every person who walks through the door, to giving people the options they need to live a happier and healthier life, Brooke has truly taken what she loves to do and made it a life’s purpose.
