2025 International Education Administrators (IEA) of Fulbright Taiwan Visits College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Promoting Bilateral International Cooperation and Exchange
The 2025 International Education Administrators (IEA) delegation of Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, Fulbright Taiwan visited the College of Chinese Medicine at China Medical University on March 18, 2025, to engage in an academic exchange on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) education, clinical practice, research, and international cooperation. The delegation, composed of international education administrators from 16 U.S. universities, held in-depth discussions and exchanges with representatives from the College.
The event began with the welcoming speeches by Vice President John S. Kuo and Vice President Lu-Hai Wang, China Medical University. In his opening remarks, Vice President John S. Kuo welcomed the IEA delegation and shared that, although he was born in Taiwan, he had lived in the United States for 45 years as an educator. He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He also shared his experiences studying at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Medical School at University of Texas at Austin. He emphasized that healthcare transcends both eastern and western cultures and is for everyone. He expressed his happiness that the delegation had visited to learn more about China Medical University, just as he had learned about Taiwan's healthcare system and its structure when he returned to Taiwan three years ago. He noted that these experiences have been extremely insightful for the U.S. as well.
Vice President Lu-Hai Wang mentioned that the United States is like a second home to him, as he spent 38 years there researching molecular biology and cancer while studying at the University of California, Berkeley. He was pleased to announce that the College of Chinese Medicine has established the International Master Program in Integrative Health in the 113th academic year. He hoped that the IEAs will promote this program to attract more students to China Medical University's College of Chinese Medicine to study traditional medicine, Chinese herbs, and acupuncture. Vice President Wang also introduced the modernization and innovative research of the Chinese Medicine Research Center, showcasing the achievements in the development of Chinese medicine science and international collaboration.
Mr. Thomas Ward, Director of Education Abroad, the University of Texas at Austin, served as the head of the visiting delegation. In his opening remarks, he mentioned that they had learned a great deal about how Taiwan's education drives the development of its economy, society, politics, and various industries. He expressed great anticipation in further exploring Taiwan's medical and health sciences fields, and hopes to continue developing opportunities to strengthen the relationship between the institutions. In her speech, Program Director Lisa Lin of Fulbright Taiwan mentioned that the visiting delegation invited international education professionals from the United States, particularly those in senior management in higher education, to visit Taiwan in order to learn about Taiwan's education system. The main goal is to encourage U.S. college students to study abroad. She expressed her great pleasure that China Medical University, as a representative of Taiwan's medical and healthcare education, could showcase its exemplary integration of TCM and Western medicine.
To provide the visiting delegation with a deeper understanding of the development of Chinese medicine at China Medical University, Dean Hung-Rong Yen of the College of Chinese Medicine introduced the university's Chinese medicine education, clinical training, and research development. He also introduced the College's participation in the Ministry of Education's "The Program on Bilingual Education for Students in College, BEST", offering courses related to TCM in full English. The College of Chinese Medicine is committed to cultivating professional Chinese medicine talent and promoting academic exchange. Additionally, Mei-Li Stevens, a second-year master's student studying at the Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine from the United States, shared her experience studying Chinese medicine in Taiwan. This allowed the delegation members to gain a more in-depth understanding of the situation for international students receiving Chinese medicine education in Taiwan.
The IEA delegation then visited the Lifu Museum of Chinese Medicine, where they gained a deeper understanding of the history and culture of TCM and the history of China Medical University through a live, English-language guided tour. At the end of the event, the College of Chinese Medicine arranged for the delegation to experience acupuncture through virtual reality (VR), allowing them to experience the innovation and integration of TCM education with modern technology. Many members of the delegation expressed a strong interest in this experience.
This visit facilitated international exchange in TCM education and further demonstrated China Medical University's efforts and contributions in promoting global academic exchanges in Chinese medicine and strengthening international cooperation. The visiting delegation members expressed high appreciation and gratitude for the warm reception and professional knowledge shared by China Medical University, and they look forward to future opportunities for deeper collaboration in Chinese medicine education and research.
