Meet Dan Dominguez
A broken leg in college forever altered Dan Dominguez’s aspirations of an athletic career—but it opened the door to a professional life as an acupuncturist for the Buffalo Bills and owner of a thriving business, Buffalo Orthopedic and Sports Acupuncture (BOSA).
Family Ties
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Dominguez earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and strength and conditioning from Saginaw State University in Michigan. A four-time letter winner in football, a leg fracture led him to reconsider athletics as a profession. Dominguez talked to his aunt and uncle, Dr. Laura Chey and Ric Warren, who own and manage Balance Acupuncture & Wellness Center in Rochester, and was convinced to follow in their footsteps. He graduated from NYCC in 2013.
Buffalo Clinic
Following his graduation, Dominguez worked at Balance Acupuncture until he was asked by the University of Rochester to start an acupuncture clinic program for their Orthopedic and Sports Acupuncture Department. He managed their clinics until 2017, when he headed for Buffalo, N.Y., for a new adventure as a business owner. BOSA has only grown since then, and in late summer 2019, Dominguez will open a new clinic in the heart of downtown Buffalo.
Teaming up with the Bills
In September 2018, Dominguez was asked by the Buffalo Bills to become their first team acupuncturist. He had been treating Bills players since he arrived in Buffalo in private practice, but the team wanted to make it official. “It is very rare for a pro sports team to employ an actual acupuncturist,” he says. “Most teams will just send a trainer to become dry-needling certified.”
Acupuncture Education
Dominguez is also an educator. He currently co-teaches motor point acupuncture seminars with NYC-based acupuncturist Dr. Richard Hazel. The duo has taught around the globe, giving seminars and classes in Amsterdam, Toronto, Dublin and Sydney, as well as across America. FOCUS ON SPORTS MEDICINE Dominguez says his time at NYCC prepared him well for his current practice, which is 95 percent sports medicine. While earning his degree, he was president of the Sports Acupuncture Club. “That led me to begin my journey down a different path from many of my classmates,” he says. “I love human biomechanics and figuring out the cause of musculoskeletal problems. That is what I know and it's the lane I stay in.”
Future Vision
Acupuncture is the “past and future” of pain management in health care, says Dominguez. He counsels current NYCC students to find what they are good at, and focus there. Having a specialty—like sports medicine—is a way to differentiate yourself in the field and build a robust clientele. With his own time at the College still relatively fresh in his mind, he understands what is important in succeeding after you graduate. “To the students that are finishing their last year at NYCC, you are exactly where you are meant to be,” he says. “Keep pushing.”
