{"id":139079,"date":"2018-06-26T11:02:58","date_gmt":"2018-06-26T15:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?post_type=school-college-post&p=139079"},"modified":"2018-06-26T11:02:58","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T15:02:58","slug":"uconn-and-peking-university-celebrate-10-years-of-study-in-traditional-chinese-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2018\/06\/uconn-and-peking-university-celebrate-10-years-of-study-in-traditional-chinese-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn and Peking University Celebrate 10 Years of Study in Traditional Chinese Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"

China.\u00a0 A land rich in culture, natural beauty, and exotic locales. For those students participating in UConn\u2019s study abroad program in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), traveling halfway around the globe to take courses at Peking University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PKUSPS) in the capitol city of Beijing is invariably eye opening. When academics are combined with the opportunity to visit historically important sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace, the total experience can be transformative.<\/p>\n

This year, the trip was made even more special because 2018 is the 10th<\/sup>anniversary year of the TCM study-abroad program. The ten UConn students enrolled in the five-week experience were treated to a special anniversary symposium and celebration hosted by the Dean of the PKUSPS School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Demin Zhou, Ph.D.<\/p>\n

Four of the visiting students were invited to share their thoughts about the significance of the TCM program at the symposium. Those who spoke were Yushan (Minnie) Zhang \u201920 (Pharm.D.), Julise Marsh \u201920 (Pharm.D.), Cindy Guo, \u201920 (Pharm.D.) and Derek Pang \u201920 (ENG).<\/p>\n

\"UConn
UConn 2018 Traditional Chinese Medicine students outside Peking University. Photo by Fei Wang.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were a number of other familiar faces from the UConn School of Pharmacy present, including: \u00a0Dean James Halpert; Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, C. Michael White; and Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jos\u00e9 Manautou. Also, representing UConn, were pharmacy graduate student Jai He, along with co-directors of the program, Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutics Diane Burgess, and Associate Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Fei Wang.<\/p>\n

A Partnership<\/strong><\/p>\n

The beginning of the program stems from the friendship forged between Burgess and PKU faculty member, Professor Xiaoda Yang when a sister relationship between the UConn School of Pharmacy and PKUSPS was established in 2007. The two discovered they were kindred spirits as they envisioned a study abroad program that would expose American students to the centuries old practices of traditional Chinese medicine. The first cohort from UConn was welcomed to Beijing in 2008. Subsequently, Burgess was joined by Wang, who came aboard as co-director of the program in 2011.<\/p>\n

\"Diane
Diane Burgess and\u00a0Wanliang Lu, Ph.D., Department Head of Pharmaceutics\/Vice Dean & Professor, PKUSPS at Peking U<\/strong>niversity. Photo by C. Michael White.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Open to students with backgrounds in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, the majority of participants over the past decade have come from UConn. Qualified students from other institutions may participate, as space permits.<\/p>\n

Halpert notes that among the many benefits of this study abroad program, \u201cPeking University is the number one ranked university in China in 2018. Being their partner in the TCM program is very prestigious and it definitely helps attract top Pharm.D. students to our school.\u00a0From the student perspective, participating in the TCM program provides an appreciation for another culture, language, and approach to medicine.\u00a0 It can be a life-changing experience in that it leads to a desire for even more extensive international experience. \u00a0One former TCM participant<\/a>, as an example, \u00a0went on to obtain an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience at Taipei Medical University and then to join the Peace Corps.”<\/p>\n

The TCM curriculum is taught in English and is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of traditional medicine in China. Courses include the development process of TCM from the Han dynasty {206 BC \u2013 220 AD) to the present, basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and an introduction to the 500 or so most commonly used Chinese herbs used by pharmacists and doctors in that country \u00a0— \u00a0out of the over 11,000 species available.<\/p>\n

There are 28 hours of instruction in basic Mandarin to help attendees successfully navigate their new surroundings, as well as\u00a0 a comprehensive overview of the cultural and practice differences between the US and China.<\/p>\n

Below, a clip of UConn students singing in Mandarin at the anniversary celebration:<\/p>\n