Elizabeth Sommers, PhD, MPH, Licensed Acupuncturist, is based at the Integrative Medicine and Health Care Disparities Program at Boston Medical Center. Her doctorate is in Health Services Research from Boston University School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Dr. Sommers is immediate- past chair of the American Public Health Association’s Section on Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices. Graduating from the New England School of Acupuncture in 1979, she studied under Dr. James Tin Yau So and has been practicing since that time. Her special areas of interest include treatment for HIV/AIDS and chemical dependency, and she has conducted clinical trials and other types of observational assessments in these areas. Dr. Sommers has published papers on cost-effectiveness and price elasticity of integrative services, as well as numerous papers on public health aspects of acupuncture. She was the guest co-editor for the 2013 public health issue of the European Journal of Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Sommers is a regular public health contributor to Acupuncture Today and is public health editor of the journal Meridians. She also serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. In her roles at APHA, she is currently a member of the Governing Council and the Intersectional Council.