Dr. Nida Chenagtsang was born in Amdo, Tibet. Interested in the traditional medicine of his people, Dr Nida began his early medical training at the local Traditional Tibetan Medicine Hospital. Later he gained scholarship entry to Lhasa Tibetan Medical University and completed his medical training in 1996. Dr Nida completed his Masters degree in Ku Nye and gained his practical training at the Traditional Tibetan Medicine Hospitals in Lhasa (Lhasa Mentsi Khang) and Lhoka.

Dr. Nida has published a number of articles and several books on Traditional Tibetan Medicine. He has carried out extensive research in ancient Tibetan medicinal treatments, specializing in the revival of external therapies bringing him high acclaim in the field of Tibetan Medicine in both the east and west.

Dr. Nida is the Director of the International Academy for Traditional Tibetan Medicine (IATTM), of which Ku Nye International (KNI) is a part and specialised branch. Moreover Dr Nida is the Co-Founder of the International Ngak-Mang Institutes (NMI), established to preserve and maintain the Rebkong Ngakpa culture within modern Tibetan society.

Dr. Nida’s teachings are widely known through Asia, Europe, Russia, Australia, and more recently the U.S., having trained students in Traditional Tibetan Medicine, Ku Nye Massage, Mantra Healing, Diet and Behaviour, Dream Analysis, Sa Che (geomancy) as well as Birth and Death according to Tibetan Medicine. Being fluent in English, Dr. Nida is an experienced and knowledgeable communicator with a sophisticated ability to teach the subtleties of these Traditional modalities to Westerners.

Co-founder of the Ngak Mang Institute in Xining, Wuqi was born to a nomadic family in Amdo (Qinghai Province, China). After graduating from Qinghai Normal University, he worked as a history and computer teacher at Huangnan Teachers Training School. At the same time, he worked with various NGOs, such as Doctors of the World (MDM), Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and the Association for International Solidarity in Asia (ASIA), focusing on poverty relief, education, and health care in Tibetan regions. He also edited two Tibetan magazines and translated several works of Tibetan literature.

In 2003, he received a fellowship from the Ford Foundation, subsequently earning an MA in International Service, Leadership, and Management from the School of International Training (SIT) in Vermont. During that time, he interned at the Latse Contemporary Tibetan Cultural Library in New York and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

Since his return to Qinghai in 2006, he has been working for the Trace Foundation in Xining. He will begin his PhD candidacy in East Asian Studies at the University of Helsinki in Fall 2007.

Ms. Julia Famularo earned her M.A. in East Asian Studies at Columbia University, where she focused on Modern Chinese, Tibetan, and Taiwanese politics and history. She completed her undergraduate degree at Haverford College, graduating with a B.A. in East Asian Studies and Spanish. Ms. Famularo has also studied at Yale University (East Asian politics), Beijing University (political science) and Tibet University (Tibetan language).

While traveling extensively throughout the region, she has lived in China, Taiwan, and Tibet. Ms. Famularo will be based in Taipei, Taiwan from September 2007 until June 2008, where she will be conducting Fulbright research.