Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1999

Introducing a Degree Programme in Chinese Medicine A School of Chinese Medicine was established under the Faculty of Science in December 1998 to offer a Bachelor of Chinese Medicine Programme starting from the 1999-2000 academic year. It will train generalists in Chinese medicine who are knowledgeable in basic life science and the medical sciences, and who are equipped with humanitarian insight to provide primary health care as general practitioners. Western medicine has been the mainstream of treatment in Hong Kong for some 50 years. Although Chinese medicine is also popular among the local populace, there has been no formal training for the discipline, and no official system for the registration of practitioners of Chinese medicine. The reversion of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty has brought about changes. The HKSAR government has decided that full-time degree programmes be launched to encourage and support the scientific research and development of Chinese medicine, and that Chinese medicine and its practitioners be incorporated into the health care system of Hong Kong. The Chinese medicine programme newly launched at The Chinese University adopts a holistic approach and integrates the teaching of the humanities, classics in Chinese medicine, modern biomedical sciences, and clinical practice. Students w i l l concentrate on medical theories in the first three years, after which they w i ll go through one year of clinical training and one year of supervised practice to ensure that they know how to apply their knowledge and skills to treat patients. The Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine has pledged to second its senior teaching staff to CUHK and provide hospital placement for CU students. The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions have also been approached to provide clinical training opportunities for the students. The Bachelor of Chinese medicine programme sets a model for the practical teaching of this ancient art of healing. It offers courses in basic biological sciences which are lacking in the traditional approach; it emphasizes clinical teaching and practice which are not offered by conventional Chinese medicine programmes; the participation of the Faculty of Medicine in programme planning and clinical teaching further enables the amalgamation of Chinese and Western medicines, giving new perspectives and dimensions to the art of healing. With an 18-year old Faculty of Medicine and a newly founded School of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University aspires to promote healthy dialogue between Western and Eastern healers, and facilitate medical education and research on a higher plane. • Medical Teaching and Research at CUHK 2S