5 Point Acupuncture

05/25/2025

🚀 We just got $2M from the NIH — and I’m still in awe.

What began as a scribble in a notebook — a “what if” between me and Arthur Mandell (then my consultant, now our COO) — just became real.

With Gary Riger and the BKLYN team, we wireframed a vision. With Phase I funding, we built it.

Now… EnergyPoints has officially received a $2M+ Phase II SBIR award from the NIH/NCI to launch a national clinical trial and bring our digital self-care app to cancer survivors everywhere.

🧠 Deep thanks to Dr. Susan Beck — who planted the SBIR idea, led Phase I as PI, and designed our research framework as Chief Scientific Officer. Now joined by Dr. Melanie A. Gold, as MPI on Phase II.

We’ll be rigorously testing how daily acupressure — enhanced by aromatherapy, music, and community — can help survivors manage fatigue and sleep, thanks to our scientific team: Drs. Beck, Gold, Lisa Taylor-Swanson, Bill Dudley, and Jia-Wen Guo.

This milestone belongs to so many:

✨ To our Indiegogo backers — you believed before there was a product. See the Hero Wall: energypointsapp.com/about/ -wall
✨ To our Phase I team — Janet Mindes, Karl Beck, Leah Kim, Matthew Weitzman, Jennifer Stone, Susan Darling Veleber, Michael Fagbamigbe, Derek Merdinyan, Shannon Bass.
✨ To our Scientific Advisory Board — Richard Dickens, Katie Wolf, Ruthann Russo, Dr. Marleen Meyers, Judith Jacobson, Claire Cassidy — and the late Ann Fonfa.
✨ To everyone who wrote a letter of support — from BraveNet, City of Hope, Imerman Angels, FORCE, Weill Cornell, IU, Osher UC, The Tapping Solution, and so many others — thank you.

This isn’t just a grant. It’s fuel:
💙 Fuel for healing
💙 Fuel for accessibility
💙 Fuel for what’s next in integrative care

We’re just getting started. 🔗 www.energypointsapp.com

05/25/2025

This is what $2M of belief looks like.

When I got the email from NIH, I texted my team and then I didn’t cheer — I sat in stillness.
Gratitude. Relief. Resolve.
I felt my dad — whose cancer journey inspired this work.
Then I called my mom. I’m lucky to still have her here.

Only 10% of ~6,000 applicants receive a Phase I SBIR grant.
And of those successful Phase l studies, only a small fraction move on to win Phase II.

EnergyPoints made it. More thank you’s to come.

We’re now launching a national clinical trial to test personalized acupressure routines for cancer survivors — built on science, delivered through a digital self-care app, and enhanced by tools like music, aromatherapy, and community.

This isn’t just a grant — it’s a chance to show that integrative care can be rigorous, scalable, and real.

And it’s for every survivor who’s ever asked:
“What else can I do to feel better?”

This is for you.

Follow us

Ryan J. Smith, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer

05/22/2025

🚀 Big News! 🚀
We’re thrilled to share that EnergyPoints has officially received a Phase II SBIR Notice of Award from the NIH/NCI! 🎉

This $2M+ award fuels our mission to deliver evidence-based acupressure and cancer symptom relief tools through the EnergyPoints app — built on science, designed for scalability.

With this funding, we’ll launch a decentralized clinical trial to evaluate the EnergyPoints App — a digital self-care tool guiding cancer survivors through daily acupressure routines to help manage fatigue and sleep disturbances.

Over the next two years, we’ll study not just whether EnergyPoints improves symptoms, but how:
⏱️ Varying press times (½, 1, or 2 minutes)
🌿 Enhancements like aromatherapy, music, and social connection
📊 And which combinations work best for whom.

Participants will use the app at home for six weeks, while we track symptoms, sleep, and activity through surveys and wearables like Fitbit and Apple Watch.

Our vision is simple:
➡️ Empower cancer survivors with accessible, evidence-based self-care
➡️ Help clinicians, survivors, and cancer centers everywhere integrate these tools into daily life

And we couldn’t have done this alone. Thank YOU!

💡 To our Indiegogo contributors: you bridged us between grants when the future was uncertain. Your belief kept the mission alive.
🛠️ To our Phase I team: your dedication laid the foundation.
💥 To our Phase II team and grant collaborators: let’s build something bold.

This is more than funding — it’s fuel for impact.
Follow along — the next chapter starts now.🙏

05/05/2025

From Clinic to Cancer Center: What’s Grown, What’s Next -

After 16 years in private practice, I took a leap—into a cancer center, a new role, and a healing mission worth following. Here’s what’s grown—and what’s next. 🌱

09/16/2024

Exciting News: A New Chapter at Memorial Sloan Kettering! 🎉

After 16 incredible years at 5 Point Acupuncture, I'm excited to share that I've accepted the Clinical Program Manager of Integrative Medicine role at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this position, I'll oversee the integrative medicine team's clinical and administrative activities (excluding MDs and APPs) and manage programs for adult and pediatric patients. My focus will include enhancing patient care, supporting interdisciplinary teams, and developing integrative therapies like acupuncture, massage, and more.

This is a significant milestone for me, and I'm thrilled to join a team pioneering integrative medicine for over 25 years. MSK's Integrative Medicine Service, one of the country's oldest and largest of its kind, has been instrumental in blending evidence-based complementary therapies with cutting-edge cancer care. Our department offers a range of modalities, including acupuncture, massage therapy, music therapy, yoga, tai chi, dance, exercise and mind-body therapies. In addition to making patients feel better physically and emotionally, our service plays a critical role in conducting research that advances the field of integrative oncology.

The journey at 5 Point Acupuncture has been life-changing, filled with growth and countless meaningful connections. A special thank you to my office manager, Ashleigh, and the acupuncturists who have worked with me, Nick, Lauren, and Tim! 🙏 I'm deeply grateful for everyone who has been a part of it, and I look forward to bringing my passion for holistic healing into this new chapter at MSK.

Once again, thank you all for your support. I deeply appreciate it and can't wait to share more as this new adventure unfolds! 🌟

09/09/2024

Sixteen years ago, these photos were taken as I embarked on a journey I could never have fully imagined. At 29, fresh out of acupuncture school, I was given the incredible opportunity to serve as a faculty intern at Tri-State College of Acupuncture, beginning my teaching career. Around the same time, I opened the doors to 5 Point Acupuncture with a vision to bring the beauty of this ancient medicine to the modern world. This picture with the ivy? That was my homemade headshot attempt for my first website.

I didn’t realize then how deeply my patients would impact me—how each of them would leave an imprint on my heart and, in many ways, help shape the person and practitioner I’ve become today.

After an unforgettable 16 years of growth, learning, and connection, I am closing this chapter of my private practice. The universe has packed my final week with reminders of how special this work has been. From long-time patients who have been with me from the beginning to those I’ve met recently, the acknowledgments and shared moments have left me heartened and humbled.

As I step away from private practice, I am excited to transition my beloved patients into the care of my teacher and dear friend, Diane Rooney, whose wisdom and skill I trust wholeheartedly. It’s bittersweet, of course, but I know you are in excellent hands.

There’s more exciting news I can’t quite share just yet, but stay tuned. I’ll have more to say about this in the next chapter, which starts very soon.

To my patients, friends, family, and colleagues, thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Your trust and your stories have been my greatest gifts. I’m grateful as I take this next step, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

With deep gratitude,
Ryan

08/05/2024

🎉 We're thrilled to announce that our EnergyPoints App scored an impressive 23 on our Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Grant submission! 🎉 This score is below the usual National Cancer Institute payline of 25, making funding very likely (NCI budget issues could drop payline). 🌟 We eagerly await a Notice of Award. This score is a fantastic achievement, bringing us closer to validating our app's effectiveness in helping cancer survivors manage fatigue and sleep disturbances. Thank you for your support and good vibes! 🙌

07/31/2024

My colleagues and I just published a commentary on the evolving role of acupuncture practice-based research in the age of artificial intelligence. This paper discusses significant developments in the field, highlighting the potential of AI to shape acupuncture practice, education, and patient care. I'm excited to share my startup, EnergyPoints, is featured as an innovative tool moving from feasibility to Phase II testing.

We are eagerly awaiting news about this $2M Phase 2 SBIR Grant from the National Cancer Institute to validate the effectiveness of the EnergyPoints on clinical outcomes in a decentralized clinical trial and to identify critical features for enhancing the app's intervention capabilities. Your positive thoughts and good luck vibes for this grant award would greatly support our ongoing efforts to benefit integrative medicine and the cancer community.

Dive into the full commentary to learn more about the integration of traditional practices with modern technology.

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jicm.2024.0459

Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine

06/23/2024

It was an incredible honor to present at the 2024 STEM Quest: Discover Your Future Career event at Columbia University/New York Presbyterian! 🎉 STEM Quest brings bright and diverse high school students across NYC to explore exciting career paths in science, technology, engineering, and math. 🌟

Seeing so many young minds eager to learn and potentially pursue a future in integrative medicine and tech was truly inspiring. Our session sparked curiosity and passion in these future innovators!

My journey into integrative medicine was deeply inspired by my father's illness, which drove me to find holistic ways to enhance patient care. This led to the creation of , an app designed to support cancer patients through integrative therapies.

Sharing the stage with my dear friend and esteemed colleague, Michelle Bombacie, Program Manager of Integrative Health at Columbia, was a true joy. Michelle and I, alumni of the same acupuncture cohort, have shared a bond for over 20 years. Speaking where I once interned in pediatric integrative oncology after graduating, a program Michelle has taken to another level, felt like a beautiful full-circle moment! 💫 It was a delight to reconnect with her.

We also presented with Dr. Melanie Gold, Senior Research Scientist at EnergyPoints, Pediatrician, and Integrative Medicine Researcher, whose insights and expertise enriched all of us!

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible and to the incredible students who attended. The future is bright! 🚀✨

02/23/2024

🌟 Remembering Ann Fonfa: Champion of Integrative Oncology 🌟
At a Society for Integrative Oncology Conference, I was captivated by an attendee whose insightful questions and advocacy shone brightly. Little did I know, having not yet met in person, that this dynamo at the microphone, Ann Fonfa, had recently joined our Scientific Advisory Board. Our post-session introduction and warm hug sparked a valuable collaboration that deeply enriched . Ann's support and initiatives have been invaluable, from promoting us in newsletters to bolstering our NCI SBIR proposals.
Read our tribute to Ann's legacy and her unwavering dedication to patient advocacy: https://energypointsapp.com/ann-fonfa-champion-of-integrative-oncology/

Explore the legacy of EnergyPoints Scientific Advisory Board Member Ann Fonfa who passionately advocated for integrative oncology.

01/29/2024

🎉 Exciting News from 5 Point App! 🌟
We're thrilled to announce that our study on the EnergyPoints App has been published in Integrative Cancer Therapies! Check it out here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15347354231223965
This milestone reflects countless hours of dedicated research, innovation, and collaboration. We thank our incredible team for their hard work and perseverance. 🙏
Special shoutout to Dr. Susie Beck, our Principal Investigator, whose expertise and guidance were pivotal in making this study successful. Your leadership in this journey has been inspiring!
As the CEO of 5 Point App, I am immensely proud of what we've achieved. Our journey with the EnergyPoints App has been about improving patients' quality of life through self-acupressure and advancing cancer symptom science. Seeing our work published is a testament to our commitment to enhancing health and well-being through innovative, integrative medicine solutions.
Thank you to everyone involved – let's keep making a difference! ✨

Objective: To examine the feasibility and usability of EnergyPoints™, an innovative mobile health app that teaches and guides people with cancer to implement da...

05/11/2023

🌟 Exciting news! 🌟 Our Backer Hero Wall is now live on our website, showcasing all the amazing individuals who contributed to our EnergyPoints App campaign. You all rock! 🙌 Check it out and see your name in lights. 💫 But that's not all... We have something special in the works. Stay tuned for our upcoming "In Memory Of" section, where we'll pay tribute to those who have inspired us on this journey. Together, we're making a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families. Thank you for your incredible support! ❤️
Hero Wall 👉 https://energypointsapp.com/about/