Academy Faculty & Staff
Donald R. Yance ~ Mederi Academy Founder, Faculty, and Principal Architect of the Mederi Care Methodology
Donnie Yance is a Clinical Master Herbalist, Certified Nutritionist, and Certified Mederi Care Practitioner renowned for his extraordinary knowledge and deep understanding of the healing properties of plants and nutrition, as well as epigenetics, laboratory medicine, oncologic pathology, and molecular oncology. He is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild and the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. Donnie is also professed as a Secular Franciscan, which equips him with the breadth and wisdom to touch on the spiritual aspects of healing.
Donnie conducts his clinical practice as the Lead Clinician at the Mederi Center in Ashland, Oregon utilizing Mederi Care (also known as the Eclectic Triphasic Medical System or ETMS), an integrative approach to patient care he developed over more than twenty years of successful clinical practice. The Mederi Care model elegantly combines Donnie's passion for the latest scientific research with the wisdom of ancient healing traditions, resulting in a compassionate, creative, intelligent, and effective approach to healing. As a visionary leader, mentor, teacher, author, and healer, Donnie’s methodology has transformed thousands of lives and is carried out through the mission and programs of the Mederi Foundation.
Jason Miller, DACM, LAc, Dipl. OM (NCCAOM) ~ Head of Faculty and Content Development
Drawing on over seventeen years of clinical practice that has focused on the management of chronic disease and cancer, Dr. Miller has developed a collaborative approach that bridges the time honored theory and practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern biomedical therapies and diagnostic tools. Dr. Miller received his masters degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 2005, and his doctorate degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego in 2018. He is also certified as a Mederi Care Practitioner.
Dr. Jason established his Ashland-based clinic Jade Mountain Medicine in 2006, where has specialized in the management of patients with pain, cancer, neuromuscular disorders, and a host of chronic diseases. Since 2018 he also has worked with patients through https://drjasonamiller.com/ and its care team to provide comprehensive, collaborative care to patients with cancer.
Since 2005, Dr. Miller has worked closely with a group of distinguished colleagues and cancer experts including Donnie Yance CN, RH (AHG), founder of Natura Health Products, Mederi Center, and Mederi Academy, and Dr. Dwight McKee. Dr. Miller has served as the medical educator for Natura Health Products since 2006, was a practitioner in the Mederi Center from 2007-2011, and has been a core faculty member in the Mederi Center's Clinical Training Program since 2009. Dr. Miller currently serves as Lead Faculty and Director of Curriculum Integration and Implementation for the Mederi Academy.
In addition to his clinical work with patients, Dr. Miller lectures around the United States on botanical medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine in the modern clinic, and on specific topics related to chronic disease. As teacher and doctor, Dr. Miller is able to simplify complex biomedical concepts, making them accessible to his students and patients. He brings a strong scientific background to bear on his work, and is a diligent evaluator of modern biomedical literature. Dr. Miller also has a deep love for nature and passionately explores the relationship between human ecology and disease. He shares this in a short documentary called "Cancer Culture" that explores why cancer is the disease of our time.
Dwight McKee MD, CNS, ABIHM ~ Faculty
Dwight McKee MD, CNS, ABIHM has been in medical practice since 1976, having explored many alternative/complementary approaches to cancer in his practice between 1976 and 1988. He then returned to 6 years of residency and fellowship to train in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Hematology, and subsequently became board certified in all 3 disciples as well as in nutrition and Integrative and Holistic medicine. He practiced Integrative Oncology for 6 years after completing training as an oncologist, and then began to consult for other physicians working with cancer patients from the integrative side. He currently teaches with Mederi Academy, consults for groups interested in research in integrative cancer medicine, and has served as Scientific Director of Life Plus, an international nutraceutical company since 2000 to the present. Dr. McKee also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mederi Foundation and is a Certified Mederi Care Practitioner.
I am very excited about being part of the adjunct faculty for the Mederi Academy training program. Training clinicians in the Mederi Care / Eclectic Triphasic Medical System is very rewarding, and many more practitioners are needed to meet the growing awareness of, and need for, Integrative Cancer Care. I have taught with Donnie Yance for over a decade, and have learned much in the process. I am very interested in passing this on to a new generation of clinicians, to help people with cancer and other degenerative diseases.
~ Dwight L. McKee MD, CNS, ABIHM, Diplomate American Board of Medical Oncology
Mark Bricca, ND ~ Faculty
Dr. Mark Bricca earned degrees in Naturopathic Medicine and Classical Chinese Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine. Born nearly three months premature with an inherited immune system deficiency, technologically advanced allopathic medicine helped him to survive. When he was five, his oldest brother Barry died due to complications of acute myelogenous leukemia, following a successful stem cell transplant with Mark’s donor cells. Mark thus grew up acutely aware of both the strengths, and inherent limitations, of allopathic medicine.
This early life experience is what led him to pursue studies in Naturopathic and Classical Chinese Medicine. A long-time practitioner of Buddhism and a student of Sufism, Mark’s practice of medicine and the work of facilitating healing has become less about patients’ pathology, test results, and “data,” and more about encouraging them to lovingly tend their bodies, as well as helping them find ways to fully open to whatever their life circumstances may be—whether easy or difficult, painful or peaceful.
After launching his private practice Bodhicitta Healing Arts in 2008, Mark worked alongside Donnie Yance with the team at the Mederi Center clinic from 2011 to 2014. Mark was also mentored by Dr. Dwight McKee for many years and took over Dr. McKee’s practice when he retired from private medical consulting in 2015. In 2012, Mark joined the Metta Institute’s two-year long training program in spiritually-oriented end-of-life care with renowned teachers including Frank Ostaseski, Ram Dass, and Rachael Naomi Remen, MD.
Mark is a Certified Mederi Care Practitioner and maintains his private practice focused in Integrative and Naturopathic Oncology. His clinical work with patients also includes addressing a wide range of complex chronic illnesses, particularly those relating to mold exposure, chronic infections, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.
Mederi’s unitive approach to healthcare provides a truly remarkable, deeply holistic framework—an accessible roadmap that practitioners can learn to implement and utilize across many healing disciplines. Mederi Care/ETMS offers tremendous gifts in its breadth and inclusivity; it is truly comprehensive in its scope, without being esoteric or confusing. This approach has enriched my clinical practice immeasurably, and changed me for the better as a person and as a doctor. It is therefore my great honor and privilege to have the opportunity to share this body of work with others, since I know in my heart that Mederi’s approach has important gifts to offer our world today. ~ Dr. Mark Bricca
Nancy Birang BS, MT (ASCP), NC ~ Faculty
Nancy Birang is a board certified nutrition consultant with over 20 years of experience in the holistic nutrition field. She is the owner of Four Seasons Nutrition - a private nutrition consulting firm in Los Gatos, CA. Since 2012, she has provided nutrition services for individuals, families, and caretakers at CancerCAREpoint in San Jose, CA. Nancy leads classes for other local nonprofits including Bay Area Cancer Connections in Palo Alto, WomenCare in Santa Cruz, and Wellness Within in Roseville, CA. As a faculty member of Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts in Berkeley, Nancy led classes in therapeutic nutrition for over 13 years.
As a strong advocate of nutrition education for children, families and communities, Nancy is the co-founder and current board president of Nourishing Generations, a nonprofit that brings chefs, nutritionists, and fitness specialists into schools and community centers to lead classes in hands on cooking, nutrition and fitness.
Nancy has a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from Northeastern University and completed a Clinical Applied Study from The New England Deaconess Hospital. She is certified in Holistic Nutrition from Bauman College, is Board Certified by the National Association of Nutritional Professionals, and is Certified in Herbal Medicine from The American School of Herbalism. Nancy has completed Levels I and II in the Eclectic Triphasic Medical System/Mederi Care.
I am honored to be part of the Mederi Academy and the Mederi movement. Besides the expansive technical knowledge that I can directly apply to client care, I am continuously inspired by the Mederi approach to whole person care- that beautiful synergy of body-mind-spirit medicine. I have learned to integrate the best of conventional medicine with the art of botanical healing to support my clients’ journeys toward health and happiness.
~ Nancy Birang, BS, MT (ASCP), NC
Susan J. Fidler, ND, MS, BS ~ Faculty
Dr. Fidler, ND, MS, BS trained at the College of Phytotherapy in the UK, where herbal medicine plays a vital and recognized role in the healthcare system. She has a Doctorate in Naturopathy (ND) and a bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Herbal Medicine as well as a master’s degree (MS) in molecular biology from the University of Maryland and a second BS in Information Science from Leeds Polytechnic Institute. She was admitted to the prestigious College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy following rigorous clinical examinations at the London Clinic of Phytotherapy. Dr. Fidler is also a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild.
Since qualifying, Dr. Fidler has continued her education through regular conferences and training courses in the US and the UK. These specialist courses include care for cancer patients, detoxification, brain chemistry, functional endocrinology, and brain and neurotransmitter function. She is also qualified in Total Body Modification (TBM).
Dr. Fidler founded Riverdell Herbs, LLC in 2002 and has been in full-time practice ever since. Her practice incorporates a wide range of clients, many of whom have struggled with methylation defects, Lyme disease, and gluten intolerance. She still takes time to wild craft some herbs and makes almost all her own tinctures, creams, decoctions, etc., while using high quality supplemental products as needed.
“Being able assist others, especially those in the medical field, to incorporate natural approaches to healthcare is important to me. I am invigorated to be part of such an eminent team where we can each excel in our strengths and launch others out into an effective integrative practice. I have benefited from the wisdom of Donnie Yance in the past (and present!) and am delighted to be in a position where I feel I can give something back.” ~ Dr. Susan Fidler
Dr. Susan Saccomanno, ND, LAc ~ Faculty
Dr. Susan Saccomanno, ND, LAc, Mederi Center's Senior Practitioner, has over fourteen years of experience as a family physician with a specialty in wholistic cancer care and chronic illness. Prior to joining Mederi Center in 2014, she had a family practice in Portland, Oregon. As a Naturopathic physician and Chinese medicine practitioner, Dr. Susan has a unique skill set that enables her to assess health from both Western and Eastern perspectives.
Dr. Saccomanno received her Naturopathic Doctorate and Master of Oriental Medicine degrees from National University of Natural Medicine in 2006, with a pre-med Bachelor of Arts through Appalachian State University. She has completed all three levels of the Mederi Care/ETMS Clinical Training seminars (trainings offered before Mederi Academy was established) and is a Certified Mederi Care Practitioner. Through her long-standing professional affiliation as a clinical associate of Donnie Yance, Dr. Susan has applied the ETMS methodology in clinical practice for over ten years. In 2020, Dr. Susan completed a 2-year program to deepen her knowledge of Chinese herbology.
Dr. Saccomanno’s approach combines cutting edge research and Naturopathic and Chinese traditions along with the ETMS methodology. She has deep faith in the healing and regenerative powers of natural therapeutics, which plays a central role in her treatment.
Oscar Sierra, Certified Herbalist, RH (AHG) ~ Faculty
Oscar Sierra holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in Nutrition Science and an Anthropology minor in Traditional Medicine. Oscar also completed over 3,000 hours of hands-on training and national board exams to earn Board Certifications in both Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture. In addition to his ongoing continued education in Chinese Medicine, Oscar also studies biomedical and systems engineering fields of Functional Medicine and Wholistic Oncology.
Oscar is passionate about the Patient-Centered care approach of the Eclectic Triphastic Medical System (Mederi Care) and has been practicing as a Certified Mederi Care Practitioner since 2021. Blending Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern Functional Medicine, Oscar practices telemedicine out of the Mederi Center clinic, as well as at Sierra Botanica & Collaborative Medicine in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
In addition to his clinical work, Oscar is a speaker at various state, regional, and national herbal and functional/integrative medicine conferences. He also practices and teaches Martial Arts (2nd Dan Black Belt, Chi Budo Kwon) and enjoys volunteering with group acupuncture treatments for the homeless at a free community clinic in Georgia. He is an active member of the American Herbalists Guild (AHG), International College of Integrative Medicine (ICIM), National Association of Environmental Medicine, and the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO).
