About the Founder
Derek Doran
BHSc (Acupuncture) · AHPRA CMR0002211465 · AACMA Member
My Story
I was born in London in 1967 and moved to Australia in 1989, taking up citizenship in 1995. My working life has taken me through banking and recruitment in London, personnel consulting in Sydney, and more than twenty-five years as a self-employed painting contractor across NSW and Queensland. Along the way I trained as a PADI Divemaster, served on call with the Mount Tamborine Urban Fire Brigade, and worked the odd acting job around Sydney in the mid-90s.
The thread running through all of it has been people — listening to them, working alongside them, and figuring out how to be useful. That's what eventually drew me into healthcare. I completed a Diploma of Energetic Healing in 2000, then went back to study properly, finishing my Bachelor of Health Science in Acupuncture at Endeavour College of Natural Therapies in 2018. I've been in clinical practice ever since.
Today I run Eastern Medical Acupuncture, my face-to-face clinic, and I'm the founder of Medi-Chi — an AI-powered TCM diagnostic platform that bridges classical Eastern diagnosis with modern Western medical context for patients and practitioners worldwide.
How I Work
People are all different, and predisposed to conditions that shape who they are — but not necessarily who they want to be. My job is to help bridge that gap. I lean on classical pulse and tongue diagnosis, multi-style acupuncture (TCM, Japanese, Korean Saam, auricular), and an evidence-informed eye to build treatments that fit the person in front of me rather than a one-size-fits-all protocol.
I'm a sceptic by nature — logical, but creative and open to philosophy and ideas. I hope to help people be who they want to be, without conditions getting in the way.
Education & Training
- 2013–2018Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture), Endeavour College of Natural Therapies
- 2000Diploma of Energetic Healing, Nature Care College of Australia
- 2008–2009Urban Fire Brigade training, Mount Tamborine QLD
- 2006Cert IV Train the Trainer, Gold Coast
- 1995PADI Divemaster, Sydney
- 1993Painting Contractor Licence, TAFE Australia
Working Life
Self-employed Acupuncturist
2018 – Present
Eastern Medical Acupuncture & founder of Medi-Chi.
Self-employed Painting Contractor
1993 – 2019
Sydney NSW and Mt Tamborine QLD.
Urban Fire Brigade (on call)
2007 – 2010
Mount Tamborine QLD.
Scuba Divemaster (casual)
1995 – 1997
Sydney.
Personnel Consultant
1989 – 1991
Priority Consulting Group, Sydney.
Banking & Recruitment, London
1985 – 1989
Lloyds Bank International, BCCI, Atlas Employment.
Get in touch
Questions about Medi-Chi, clinical work, or speaking? I'd love to hear from you.
ABN 26 600 839 506