Jennifer Ashby, PhD

Dr. Jennifer Ashby, DAOM, L.Ac. has been practicing Integrative East Asian Medicine since 1996 and has been at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Health since 2014. She earned her master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1995 from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) and her Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from ACTCM in 2010. She completed her doctoral residencies both in Shanghai and the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been in private practice at The Lotus Center in San Francisco since 1996. 

Dr. Ashby is also part of the Polycystic Kidney Disease Center for Excellence at UCSF. Her focus is on Polycystic Kidney Disease and lifestyle to affect the epigenetics of the disease process. Another focus is in oncology. She has been published for her work in writing research protocols utilizing East Asian Medicine to help control cancer related pain. Her passion for mitigating side effects of cancer treatments has been part of her life’s work. She is often called for end of life care. Her role in the transition process has been a valuable resource for those who ask. She believes that death should be like a good birth; calm, dignified, empowering, and full of love.  

She taught Women’s Health at ACTCM for 10 years. She has also worked as a research assessor for three years at Stanford University, on a study researching the effects of acupuncture on depression.  She has been an addiction recovery and detoxification specialist since 1994, and has treated inmates in the San Francisco County Jails for addiction, using acupuncture treatments.  

She has done a TEDx talk, guest lectured at UCSF School of Medicine, the Cancer Resource Center Oakland,  the School of Psychiatry at UCSF, UC Berkeley, and the San Francisco Doula Group, as well as ACTCM, and she has been the keynote speaker for multiple events. 

Dr. Ashby uses acupuncture, Chinese herbs, nutrition, mind-body techniques, lifestyle adjustments, and other supplements. She believes that each patient’s treatment must be individualized care.