Dr. Kien Trinh, MD, PhD, FCFP, FRSS
McMaster University Health Sciences Medical Acupuncture Program Chair
Clinical Professor, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University Chair, MD Admissions, McMaster University (2011-2016)
Research Chair, Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine Director, Ancaster Sports Medicine Centre Medical Director, Boxing Canada
Background
Dr. Kien (Ken) Trinh received his M.D. degree and residency training from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He is licensed to practice medicine independently in Ontario, Canada and in New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida, USA. Dr. Trinh is licensed as an acupuncturist and a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner in Ontario by the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario. He is licensed to practise acupuncture in New York. He has many years of experience in acupuncture. He holds a Diploma in Sports Medicine from the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine. He earned his M.Sc. degree in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University. His thesis topic was on acute low back pain and acupuncture. His PhD thesis was in the area of medical school admissions.
He was the recipient of many awards such as the Sport Hamilton Award, the McMaster University Innovator Award and most recently Trinh was the recipient of the McMaster University Health Sciences Outstanding Preceptor Award. His most significant artistic merit was winning a contest to design the University of Western Ontario Medical School Emblem.
Teaching and Clinical
He was a team physici an for Canada for the 2003 Pan American Games in Dominican. He was a team physician for Canada again at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2007. He was on the board of directors as the Medical Director for Boxing Ontario He was a team physician for Boxing at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and the boxing pre-competition examining physician at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Dr. Trinh is the current Medical Director for Boxing Canada and is the Lead Medical Doctor for the Pan American Games, Oshawa Sports Centre in Toronto, 2015. He was a Field of Play physician at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He is a certified Ringside Physician by AIBA and has covered many professional combat events such as Mixed Martial Art (MMA) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Dr. Trinh has covered many international events such as athletics, diving, field hockey, gymnastics, judo, karate, soccer, taekwondo, beach volleyball and wrestling. Dr. Trinh is an attending physician at the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, McMaster Hospital Site. He is the Elective Coordinator for the Acupuncture in Sports Medicine electives for undergraduate medical students at McMaster University. Furthermore, he was the Chair of the M.D. Program Admissions at McMaster University.
Research
He is the first author on two of the few positive systematic reviews on musculoskeletal conditions with acupuncture. His research has been evaluated by funding agencies as evidence for acupuncture effectiveness. He is quoted by Wikipedia and in many citations by others.
Dr. Trinh is a creator of the innovative method for interviewing and selecting medical students here at McMaster University, the multi-mini interviews (MMI). This interviewing method has been adopted or pilot tested by at least half of the Canadian medical schools. Most of the Canadian medical schools have adopted this innovative method of selecting our future physicians. The MMI has also been adopted by some physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dental hygiene schools and other commercial establishments. The MMI has been used around the world; Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.
His present research interests include Acupuncture, Sports Medicine and Evidence-based Medicine. He is the Principle Investigator for the project on Acupuncture in Neck Disorders; a Cochrane review. He is a coauthor and contributor to several Cochrane reviews for Neck Disorders. Dr. Trinh is currently the Principle Investigator for the randomized controlled trial on acupuncture for rotator cuff disorders at McMaster University.
He has lectured extensively to the medical profession and the public on the topic of acupuncture and has published numerous articles on acupuncture research methodology. Dr. Trinh serves on numerous international panels as an expert in acupuncture research methodology. He is an acupuncture expert in the Exeter Consensus Symposium in 2001 where the STRICTA statement (a guide to acupuncture research methodology) was compiled. He is a member of the advisory board for the Cochrane Collaboration Complementary Field.
Selected Publications
Trinh KV, Graham N,Gross AR, Goldsmith C et al. Acupuncture for Neck Disorders: A Systematic Review. Cochrane Collaboration Library 2006. Trinh KV, Phillips SD, Ho E, Damsma K. Acupuncture in alleviation of lateral epicondyle pain: A systematic review. Rheumatology. Jun 2004. Trinh KV, Phillips SD. A Critique of a Cochrane review. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. January 2006. Trinh KV, Phillips SD. Needling the facts.: An evidence-based review of acupuncture. The Canadian Journal of Diagnosis. March 2004. p81-84 Trinh KV. The challenges of non-pharmacological trials: Blinding and other issues in acupuncture research as an example. Drug Information Journal. 36(4) 2002. p509-511 Trinh KV. Blinding issues in acupuncture research: Should the treating acupuncturists be blinded? The Journal Clinical Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. 3(4) 2002. White AR, Trinh KV. Performing systematic reviews in acupuncture. The Journal Clinical Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. 3(2) 2002. p26-31
Selected Presentations:
1) Trinh KV. Evidence of acupuncture treatment in diseases of the locomotor system. First German Joint Acupuncture Congress. Plenum in Raum Frankfurt. One of the two invited international speakers. May 2007, Bad Nauheim, Frankfurt.
2) Trinh KV. Workshop: Acupuncture in Sports Medicine. First German Joint Acupuncture Congress. Plenum in Raum Frankfurt. May 2007, Bad Nauheim, Frankfurt.
3) Trinh KV. Evidence-based Sports Medicine: How to deal with uncertainty in the evidence. Invited speaker for the plenary session. Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine Annual Scientific Conference. March 2007, Quebec City, Quebec.
5) Trinh KV. Acupuncture for neck disorders; An update of a systematic review. American Academy of Medical Acupuncture and ICMART Congress May 2006, Washington DC.
6) Trinh KV. An overview of evidence for medical acupuncture May 2005. ICMART Congress, Prague.
7) Trinh KV. Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis; A systematic review May 2005. ICMART Congress, Prague.
8) Trinh KV. Acupuncture for neck disorders; A systematic review. ICMART Congress, Prague.
9) Trinh K, Medical acupuncture : An evidence based approach. April 2005. McMaster University, A special invited seminar for medical and allied health students.
10) Trinh K. The BMAS Annual Scientific Meeting. October 16, 2004. Topic: Neck pain. Served as an expert on an international panel. The Royal College of Physicians, London, England
11) Trinh K, Phillips, SD. The BMAS Annual Scientific Meeting. October 16, 2004. Topic: Epicondylitis: Clinical treatment and present evidence. The Royal College of Physicians, London, England
12) Trinh K, Phillips, SD. Acupuncture in alleviation of lateral epicondyle pain: A systematic review. Society for Acupuncture Research. October 2, 2004. San Francisco, California, USA
13) Trinh K. The BMAS Annual Scientific Meeting. October 5, 2003. Topic: Clinical heterogeneity: An example from a systematic review of acupuncture for neck pain. The Royal College of Physicians, London, England.
14) Trinh K. CIHR CAM Priorities Workshop. Toronto. February 10, 2002. Invited as an expert on acupuncture research methodology for the panel.
15) Trinh K. McMaster University. Complementary Medicine Day for Medical Students. November 21, 2001. Invited speaker. Topic of presentation: Acupuncture: An evidence-based perspective.
16) Trinh K. The 37th Annual Meeting of the Drug Information Association. Denver, Colorado. July 7 to 11, 2001. Invited speaker and served as an expert on the panel for acupuncture research methodology. Topic of presentation: The challenges of non-pharmacological trials.
17) Trinh K. International Symposium on Acupuncture Research Methodology. Exeter, United Kingdom. July 2 to 4, 2001. Invited speaker and served as an expert on the panel for acupuncture and systematic review methodology. Topic of Presentations: i) Proper blinding in acupuncture research and ii) Best evidence synthesis: Limitations and problems.
18) Trinh K. The 2nd Annual KMH Laboratory CME Event. Deerhurst, Ontario. Invited Speaker. Topic: Common Sports Injuries for Family Physicians.
19) Trinh K. The 48th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. Baltimore, Maryland. May 30 2001. Is One-month recovery too soon to expect from patients with acute low back pain? A systematic review.
Dr. Peter Dorsher MD, MSc
Former Chairman, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic
Background
Dr Peter Dorsher has been a member of the Mayo Clinic staff for 27 years and is the former chairperson of his department at Mayo Clinic Florida. His educational background includes a medical degree from Rush Medical College and a Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Peter has previously held leadership roles, including chairperson of his department at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, CEO of East West Integrative Medicine and been on multiple committees of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. His long tenure at Mayo Clinic reflects a commitment to excellence in patient care and rehabilitation practices. He is passionate about integrating innovative approaches in medical treatment and is well-respected among his peers. Peter's career is marked by a blend of clinical expertise and strategic leadership, making him a valuable asset in the healthcare sector.
His 3 decades of practice focused on chronic pain conditions with emphasis on myofascial pain syndrome and acupuncture, with research that bridges these traditions as well as the contemporary concept of myofascial meridians. This research has important implications for elucidating acupuncture mechanisms as well as those involved in chronic pain states.
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He has now over 90 publications including an acupuncture anatomy reference DVD (Primal Pictures) and APP database that details the fundamental overlap of the myofascial pain and acupuncture traditions available at ewiemanual.com. He has been a loyal AAMA member since 1998 and received multiple research awards from the organization.
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He has lectured nationally and internationally on acupuncture related topics including invited lectures at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero and 2019 ICMART conference, as a featured speaker. New publications in Medical Acupuncture and Chinesische Medizin have been recently published, and 2 invited articles for the official journal of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine are forthcoming as are multiple other acupuncture and myofascial pain related publications.
Future lecture series and workshops are being planned to bring 3 decades of research into practical clinical courses.
Educational Background: BSc, Biomedical Engineering, Case Institute of Technology; MSc, Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University; MD, Rush Medical College; Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency, Mayo Clinic Rochester; Acupuncture, UCLA/ Helms Medical Institute
Abbreviated List Of Research
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1) Dorsher PT. Acupuncture points and trigger points: anatomic and clinical correlations Medical Acupuncture. 2006; 17:211-4.
2) Dorsher PT, Cummings M. Anatomy for Acupuncture (DVD format textbook). Primal Pictures Ltd; November 2006.
3) Dorsher PT. Optimal localization of acupuncture points: Implications for acupuncture practice, education, and research. Medical Acupuncture. 2008; 20(3):147-50.
4) Dorsher PT. Fibromyalgia: A unifying neuroendocrinologic model for understanding its pathophysiology. Nature Precedings. 4 Dec 2008. https://doi.org/10.1038/npre.2008.2595
5) Dorsher PT. Can classical acupuncture points and trigger points be compared in the treatment of pain disorders? Birch's analysis revisited. J Altern Complement Med. 2008 May; 14(4):353-9.
6) Dorsher PT. Acupuncture in chronic pain syndromes. In: Jay, Gary. Chronic Pain Syndromes and Management INforma Press; 2008.
7) Dorsher PT. Relationship of trigger points to Classical acupuncture points. In: Irnich, Dominik. Leitfaden Triggerpunkte Munich Germany: Elsevier, Urban & Fischer; 2008.
8) Dorsher PT. The neuroanatomic basis of the acupuncture Principal meridians. Nature Precedings. 22 September 2009. https://doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3795.1
9) Dorsher PT. Myofascial meridians as anatomical evidence of acupuncture channels. Medical Acupuncture. 2009; 21(2):91-7.
10) Hendi A, Dorsher PT, Rizzo TD Jr, Gibson LE. Subcutaneous trigger point causing radiating postsurgical pain. Arch Dermatol. 2009 Jan; 145(1):52-4. PMID: 19153343 DOI: 10.1001/archderm.145.1.52
11) Dorsher PT. The 2001 STRICTA recommendations for reporting acupuncture research: a review with implications for improving controlled clinical trial design. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Feb; 15 (2):147-51 PMID: 19183071 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2008.0141
12) Dorsher PT. Myofascial referred-pain data provide physiologic evidence of acupuncture meridians. J Pain. 2009 Jul; 10(7):723-31. Epub 2009 May 05. PMID:
19409857 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2008.12.010
13) Dorsher PT, Johnson A. Accuracy in the use of traditional cun measurement techniques for localizing classical acupoints in the upper extremity: An experimental study. Medical Acupuncture. 2010; 22(3):191-5.
14) Dorsher PT. Clinical equivalence of laser needle to metal acupuncture needle in treating musculoskeletal pain: A pilot study. Medical Acupuncture. 2010; 22(1):11-7. PMID: 0
15) Dorsher PT. The languages of healing: linked by a common thread. J Altern Complement Med. 2010 Aug; 16(8):907-13. PMID: 20673081 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2009.0527
16) Dorsher PT. Invited commentary on "Discrimination of real and sham acupuncture needles using the Park sham device: a preliminary study". Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010 Aug; 91(8):1306-8. PMID:20684914 DOI:10.1016/j.apmr.2010.04.025
17) Dorsher PT, Peng Z. Chinese medicinal herbs use in managing cancer. In: Cho WC. Supportive Cancer Care with Chinese Medicine. Springer; 2010.
18) Dorsher PT. Acupuncture for chronic pain. Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management. 2011; 15(2):55-63.
19) Dorsher PT, McIntosh PM. Acupuncture's effects in treating the sequelae of acute and chronic spinal cord injuries: a review of allopathic and Traditional Chinese Medicine literature. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011; 2011:428108 Epub 2010 Oct 25 PMID: 19244295 PMCID: 3135628 DOI: 10.1093/ecam/nep010
20) Dorsher PT. Acupuncture for hot flashes: combining traditional and neurophysiologic considerations for effective treatment. Medical Acupuncture. 2012; 24(4):215-20.
21) Dorsher PT. Invited commentary on “Central hypersensitivity in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome”. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2013 Jan; 94 (1):209- 10; disscussion 211-2 Epub 2012 Aug 07 PMID:22878229 DOI:10.1016/j.apmr.2012.07.021
22) Dorsher PT. Trigger points and myofascial pain: Acupuncture points and the meridian system. In: Myofascial Trigger Points: Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment. 2013. Munich Germany p. 41-8.
23) Da Silva MAH, Dorsher PT. Neuroanatomic and clinical correspondences: Acupuncture and Vagus nerve stimulation. J Altern Complement Med. 2014; 20(4):233-40. PMID: 24359451
24) Dorsher PT. Myofascial Pain. In Armati P and Chow R, editors. In: Patricia Armati, Roberta Chow. PAIN: The person, The Science, The Clinical Interface. 1st ed. Melbourne Australia: IP Communications; 2015. p. 33-44.
25) Trinh KV, Diep D, Dorsher PT. A critical look into the 2016 NICE Guidelines: Acupuncture for low-back pain and sciatica. Medical Acupuncture. 2017; 29: (1)20-4.
26) Dorsher PT. Neuroembryology of the acupuncture principal meridians: part 1. the extremities. Medical Acupuncture. 2017; 29: (1)10-9.
27) Dorsher PT. Neuroembryology of the acupuncture principal meridians: part 2. the trunk. Medical Acupuncture. 2017; 29: (2)77-86.
28) Dorsher PT, Chiang P. Neuroembryology of the acupuncture Principal meridians: part 3. the head and neck. Med Acupunct. 2018 Apr 1; 30 (2):80-88 PMID: 29682148 PMCID: 5908427 DOI: 10.1089/acu.2018.1271
29) Chon TY, Mallory MJ, Yang J, Bublitz SE, Do A, Dorsher PT. Laser acupuncture: a concise review. Med Acupunct. 2019 Jun 1; 31 (3):164-168 Epub 2019 June 17 PMID:31297170 PMCID: 6604908 DOI: 10.1089/acu.2019.1343
30) Yang J, Mallory MJ, Wu Q, Bublitz SE, Do A, Xiong D, Chen CYY, Dorsher PT, Chon TY, Bauer BA. The safety of laser acupuncture: A Systematic Review. Med Acupunct. 2020 Aug 1; 32 (4):209-217 Epub 2020 Aug 13
31) Dorsher PT, Edsel Bittencourt; PT; Li Zhuo MS. Pilot study: physical examination evidence of acupuncture principal meridian coupling. Med Acupunt April 2021; 33(2): 144-149. http://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2020.1446
32) Dorsher PT. Acupuncture as neuromodulation: how it can explain ancient and modern acupuncture paradoxes. Chinese Medezin (Austria) Dec 2020; 35(4):212-224 doi:
10.1007/s00052-020-0283-6
33) Dorsher PT, da Silva MAH. Acupuncture’s neuroanatomic and neurophysiologic basis. Longhua Chinese Medicine. 1 March 2022; Vol 5, pp 8-8. https://doi.org/10.21037/lcm-21-48
34) Dorsher PT. The anatomic, clinical, and physiologic correspondences of myofascial trigger points and Classical acupuncture points. Longhua Chinese Medicine. 1 March 2022; Vol 5, pp 7-7. https://doi.org/10.21037/lcm-21-47
35) Stone J MSOM LAc, Dorsher P MD, de la Torre B MD, Neal E MD. Origins of medicine: guest editor roundtable discussion. Med Acupunct 2024; 36(6): 305-311. doi:10.1089/ acu 2024.0162
36) Dorsher PT. The anatomical and physical knowledge of the Huangdi Neijing authors: why it matters. Med Acupunct 2024; 36(6): 312-322. doi.org/10.1089/ acu.2024.0016
37) Dorsher PT, Schmid O, Fleckenstein J. Classical acupuncture points and the “most common” myofascial trigger points: anatomic and pain indication considerations. Dtsch Z Akupunkt 2025;68(1): 58–70. doi.org/10.1007/s42212-025-00735-8
38) Dorsher PT, Schmid O, Fleckenstein J. Classical acupuncture points and the “most common” myofascial trigger points: non-pain indications and referred-pain to Channel correspondences. Dtsch Z Akupunkt 2025. doi.org/10.1007/s42212-025-00737-6
39) Dorsher PT. The complete myofascial trigger point to Classical acupuncture point correspondence database: pain, non-pain, and myofascial referred-pains to acupuncture meridians. Available at www.ewiemanual.com
40) Dorsher PT. The anatomic and physiologic basis of the Triple Energizer. Submitted for publication