Dr. Sarah Hammer Stevens is the acupuncturist behind the Master Dry Needling Certification for Acupuncturists (MDN-A)—a program built for licensed acupuncturists who are tired of being left out of the dry needling conversation (and tired of pretending they don’t already know what they’re doing with a needle).

With over a decade of experience and a thriving Portland clinic (To The Point PDX), Sarah has treated thousands of patients, trained acupuncturists across the country, and somehow figured out how to run a business, write course curriculum, and occasionally remember to put her kids in the car—with shoes on.

She didn’t set out to create a certification program—but after one too many “Wait, can you even do dry needling?” moments, she decided enough was enough. MDN-A is her answer: a certification that gives acupuncturists the skills, language, and confidence to say, “Yes, I do dry needling—and am better than any other provider at it.”

She can map trigger point referral patterns in her sleep, but don’t ask her to locate Du 1 without a cheat sheet. Seriously. (See below bout that one time she tried to explain Ren/Du points on Conan).