Meet Our Staff
Compassionate experts in acupuncture, mind/body techniques and counseling
At the Domar Center, we believe that complete, compassionate healthcare requires attention to the whole person, mental and physical. Our therapists, acupuncturists, and program leaders take time to get to know you personally, and to address your individual needs in your quest for health and well-being.
Acupuncture Services
Lili Cai, Lic. M.Ac., Co-Director of Acupuncture Services
Lili received her medical degree from the Shanghai College of Traditional Medicine in 1983 and is a Diplomate in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology with the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. She has practiced traditional Chinese medicine in China and Japan. She provides services at the Chinese Natural Health Clinic in Brookline and is on staff at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston. She has taught at the Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and at the New England School of Acupuncture. Her expertise lies in the areas of fertility, gynecological conditions, chronic pain, and gastrointestinal problems.
Michelle P. Hay, Lic. M.Ac., Co-Director of Acupuncture Services
Michelle Hay is a graduate from the New England School of Acupuncture where she received a Masters degree in Asian Medicine and Herbal Studies. Her undergraduate is from Quinnipiac College where she attained a B.S. in Respiratory Therapy. Michelle has worked in numerous hospital and clinical settings in Connecticut and Massachusetts including Hartford Hospital, Newton Wellesley Hospital, and Pathways to Wellness. Her background and education allow her to have a unique perspective of both Eastern and Western medicine. Her expertise is infertility, anxiety, all gynecological issues, digestive disorders and respiratory disorders including asthma.
Yan Jin, Lic. M.Ac., Senior Staff Acupuncturist
Yan received his medical degree from the Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1982 and is a Diplomate in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology with the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. He has practiced at the Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Longhua Clinic, and the Clinic of the New England School of Acupuncture, and provides services at the Chinese Natural Health Clinic and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. He has taught in China, Japan, Watertown, and Brookline. His expertise lies in the areas of male infertility, male sexual dysfunction, neurological disorders, and pain management.
Kristin Wisgirda, Lic. M.Ac., Senior Staff Acupuncturist
Kristin graduated in 1999 from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego with a Masters degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine. She is a Diplomate in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She has extensive experience supporting women and men struggling with infertility. She maintains a private practice in Brockton, MA. Her expertise lies in the areas of fertility, gynecological problems, digestive disorders, stress management, and pain.
Christina Noonan, Lic. M.Ac., Senior Staff Acupuncturist
Christina, a senior staff acupuncturist at the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health, is a graduate of the New England School of Acupuncture, where she received a masters degree in Japanese and Chinese Acupuncture styles. She is a Diplomate in Acupuncture by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, Christina is also certified by the Auricular Therapy Certification Institute, and has completed an extensive Integrated Oncology program from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. Her clinical interests include infertility, gynecological issues, migraines, digestive conditions, and anxiety.
Psychological Counseling Services
Elizabeth Ward, PhD, Mind/Body Group Leader/Individual and Couple's Counseling
Dr. Ward has worked with individuals and couples for over 10 years as a licensed psychotherpist. She received her doctorate in clincal psychology from Fielding Graduate Psychology and her master's in counseling psychology from the University of Denver. Elizabeth is a member of Professor Ellen Langer's mindfulness lab at Harvard University as well as the American Psychological Association, Association for Applied Sport Pschology and Wellesley Centers for Women. The mind-body focus at the Domar Center relates well to her work with high-performing athletes.
Karen Marans, PhD, Mind/Body Group Leader/Individual and Couples Counseling
Dr. Marans is a licensed psychologist and a clinical neuropsychologist. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Boston University, completed a two-year post doctoral fellowship in neuropsychology and is a clinical instructor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine. She specializes in treating women's health including infertility. She has extensive experience working with patients with a wide range of presenting problems including mood and anxiety disorders, relationship/marital issues, grief and loss, and the emotional and adjustment issues of pregnancy and postpartum.
Nutritional Counseling Services
Hillary Wright, MEd, RD, LDN, Director of Nutritional Counseling
Hillary is a registered and licensed dietitian with a Master’s degree in Health Education from Boston University, and has over 18 years experience counseling clients on diet and lifestyle change. After 12 years as a nutrition educator for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Kenmore and Cambridge practices, Hillary recently transitioned to a part time position at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Hillary is also the founder of New Vision Nutrition in Arlington, Massachusetts, a private nutrition consulting practice that includes nutrition counseling, public speaking, program development, freelance writing, and teaching nutrition for colleges and institutions. Hillary is a contributing editor and regular writer for the newsletter Environmental Nutrition, and is currently working with the Arlington Public Schools on grant funded programs designed to increase nutrition education and physical activity in the schools and community. Hillary’s clinical interests include nutrition and women’s health and nutritional management of polycystic ovary syndrome.
Restorative Yoga
Natalie Engler, Director of Restorative Yoga Services
Natalie has been an avid yoga practitioner for 20 years and a yoga teacher for 5 years. While she has trained with many highly regarded teachers in the Hatha Yoga tradition, her primary teacher and influence is Bo Forbes, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and yoga teacher who is the founder of Elemental Yoga and founder and director of the Center for Integrative Yoga Therapeutics in Boston. She is also a health correspondent for Harvard Medical International, has written for Reuters Health and Harvard Health Publications, and has co-led body image workshops that combine yoga, journaling, and psychotherapy. Professionally, Natalie has witnessed the potent effects of Restorative Yoga on a wide range of issues from affective disorders to fertility. Personally, she has found Restorative Yoga to be a powerful tool that helps to shift emotional and thought patterns, promoting a deepening sense of self-acceptance, inner calm, and mental clarity. It is her great pleasure to share this empowering practice with others, tailoring it to meet their individual needs.
Jolyon Cowan, Mind/Body Program Yoga Instructor
Jolyon studied Public Health at Tulane University and has had extensive experience working in reproductive health programs. Jolyon has studied yoga in the UK, India, and the US since 1989, and he has enjoyed teaching yoga to participants of Dr. Alice Domar’s Mind/Body Program for Infertility since 2001. His gentle teaching style is suitable to all participants enrolled. In addition to his 11 + years experience teaching yoga, Jolyon has also worked and studied with the Yoga Bioymedical Trust, in London, an organization dedicated to both the medical research of and teaching of yoga therapy.
