About Dr. Wu
Joy Tianyun Wu, Ph.D., DAOM., L.Ac.
Dr. Joy Tianyun Wu’s mission has evolved from her merged backgrounds as a modern life-science scientist of twenty years, followed by ten years practice as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor and instructor of the 5,000 year old Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture and traditions.
Through her decade of academic teaching as professor of TCM medicine and healthcare provider in private clinical practice, Dr. Wu has seen the need to bring to the western world the ancient understanding and wisdom practices of disease prevention and harmonious living that naturally lead to a peaceful, healthy transition at the end of life.
In 2016, Dr. Wu founded Heavenly Joy Institute, a 501c (3) non-profit organization, and in 2018, published The Power of Conscious Dying and actively started a compassionate care education project, developing practices and protocols for healthy aging, end of life care, and support for natural conscious dying. This project promotes healthy, sustainable living from the human level to the planetary level. Dr. Wu is actively involved in local community education and welfare, presenting talks at community and senior centers and offering acupuncture service to those in need at shelters, particularly during Northern California fires.
Dr. Wu also focuses on passing Taoist wisdom to her daughter Aurora. They worked together and translated this famous Taoist sutra, Qing Jing Sutra in 2019.
Dr. Wu started a pilot teaching program for Life Transition Doula certification, which was well received and successful. She is working on a family-oriented end of life care manual which will be available at the end of 2020.
In 2020, during pandemic Covid-19 lock down, with illustration by Aurora, Dr. Wu published an exercise book for students and people who uses theirs eyes. The book is titled as Acupressure for Better Vision, Cognition and Study.
Professional Clinical Experience
2016 - Present: Founder, CEO, Heavenly Joy Institute, Novato, CA.
2010 - Present: Founder/Owner, Heavenly Joy Clinic, serving as Primary Healthcare Provider of Traditional Chinese Medicine based natural healing and Acupuncture, Novato, CA. Website: www.attcm.com
TCM Degrees:
2014, Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, UEWM, Sunnyvale, CA
2009, M.S., Acupuncture, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley, CA
Professional Teaching Experience
2010-2013, Professor, Oral Translator from Chinese spoken language into English spoken language for Doctorate Program of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, University of Eastern and Western Medicine, Sunnyvale, CA.
CA2013 - 2018: Instructing Professor in Master Program (English language) of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, University of Eastern and Western Medicine, Sunnyvale.
Biomedical Academic Research/Work Experience
2006 - 2007: Research Scientist, Shriner Hospital, Sacramento, CA, and University of California at Davis, CA.
1998 - 2005: Postdoctoral Research Scientist, University of California, San Francisco, and VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA.
1986 - 1991: Research Assistant, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, P. R. China.
Educational Background
2010 - 2014: DAOM, Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, University of Eastern and Western Medicine, Sunnyvale, CA.
2007 - 2009: M.S. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley.
1998 - 2005: Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, University of California, San Francisco, CA, VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA.
1994 - 1998: Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
1991 - 1993: M.S., Plant Pathology. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
1982 - 1986: B.S. Microbiology, Shandong University, Ji Nan, P. R. China.
From a scientist to a healer:
Before becoming a Chinese Medicine doctor, I spent 20 years working as a biomedical research scientist, including Post-Doctoral research scientist in the area of gene discoveries, protein isolation, anti-cancer research, and embryonic stage of neurodevelopment in UCSF/VAMC and other academic institutes. This gave me a unique perspective on conventional medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine. It is a spiritual wakening for me to choose this path and changed my career from a modern life scientist to be a Traditional Chinese medicine doctor, or a true passionate healer. I have found my true happiness is to help
others become healthier and happier. I love what I do now!
Roots were literally used to help heal so it was not surprising that I wanted to learn the root cause of pain, illness, health, and happiness. Since I had a keen interest in science my father wanted me to become a medical doctor, not much difference to him either I became a Chinese medicine doctor or a Western medicine doctor. Father was an mechanical engineer, and had a strongly desire for me to become a medical doctor. His family also had many doctors in every generation and he expected me to be able to help lots of people. Back then, I didn’t like to be a medical doctor, but I was more attracted by life science, so I choose to study microbiology as the college major.
After 20 years working and doing research in modern life sciences, I have experienced in working in almost every area in modern life science. After studying TCM and become a TCM practitioner and medicine doctor, these knowledge and wisdom inside TCM made me strongly believe that TCM system is the treasure for whole humanity. Its practice provides the most effective, cheap and simple way to heal. It does not reply on electricity, lab test. It produce much small scale of pollution or no pollution to the planet.
Chinese medicine doctor can help many conditions and can perform in
any time and places.
I treasure this Traditional Chinese Medicine natural healing arts system because it brings harmony to oneself, to our surroundings and the planet earth.
I was raised in China within a loving family that practiced folk Chinese Medicine. My great-grandmother was a well-known mid-wife and herbalist who treated a variety of female conditions, including infertility, and delivered about 70% of babies in her village at that time.
What people here call organic remedies were the natural healing herb therapies my mother used for her children and herself when we got sick and to maintain our good health.
My mother also used fire-cupping to treat her children when they had
bad cough that had being last for a while. My mother taught me how
to do it before I was ten. At that time, the way was done was very
scary because there were no any fancy tools as we have now. But it
worked every time my mom did.
I taught my daughter about acupuncture and cupping Aurora when she was three years old, and she started to do acupuncture and cupping on my since 5 years old. It is part of her and she is natural healer with very useful healing skills. I wish all kids grown up like her, and the healing becomes a part of life.
Dr. Joy T. Wu was born and raised in
Handan (邯郸市), Hebei Province, P.R.
China. Handan is one of the oldest
cities and has the richest culture in
Chinese history.
