Richmond, B.C. – Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) announced yesterday the advisory committee that will help establish British Columbia’s first public school of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Dr. Tru Freeman, Dean of the university’s Faculty of Health, made the announcement alongside Richard T. Lee, Parliamentary Secretary for Traditional Chinese Medicine, in advance of the TCM program advisory committee’s (PAC) first meeting. The PAC will review the program requirements, identify potential clinical practice placements and advise on professional, workplace and market changes.
“Kwantlen Polytechnic University has assembled an exceptional team of TCM experts from health, business and education. These are leaders who bring local and international understanding and experience to the TCM industry in B.C., and who will bring that same knowledge and expertise to the first public school of traditional Chinese medicine in the province, and one of the first in the country,” said Dr. Freeman.
“This is an important next step in the development of KPU’s unique, applied and relevant program. Relevant in that it will address the needs of our communities, but also because those advising the program are current practitioners and educators, many of whom were instrumental in developing British Columbia’s TCM industry,” said KPU President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Alan Davis.
PAC chair Dr. Weidong Yu, founder of the Vancouver-based Wellspring TCM Technology Institute, will lead the group of doctors, industry practitioners, business leaders and KPU representatives. KPU’s Faculty of Health will offer a first year of Health Foundational (HF) programming in the fall of 2015, with an expected start date for the TCM curriculum in the fall of 2016.
Lee, Burnaby North MLA, will act as a Minister of Advanced Education’s special advisor to the PAC.
“Traditional Chinese medicine is growing in popularity,” said Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk. “The new School of TCM at Kwantlen Polytechnic University will offer British Columbians additional options in complementary healthcare where east meets west and new meets old.”
“We are continuing to make exciting progress in our government’s commitment to establish the first ever public school of traditional Chinese medicine with the appointment of members of the program advisory committee,” said TCM Parliamentary Secretary Richard T. Lee.
“The appointment of a program advisory committee brings us one step closer to the reality of a public school of TCM,” said Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade, and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism. “It will add to our world-renowned brand, and once open, will deliver on a promise we made to B.C.”
The commitment to create an environment for a school of traditional Chinese medicine at a British Columbian publicly funded, post-secondary institution was included in the February 2013 speech from the throne and is a B.C. provincial government platform commitment.
TCM PAC members from industry
Dr. Weidong Yu (chair)
Dr. Yu holds a Bachelor of Medicine from Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a Master of Public Health from the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at the Free University of Brussels. He has practised acupuncture and TCM in Belgium, the U.S. and Canada, and served as an assistant research fellow at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing. Dr. Yu established the Vancouver-based Wellspring TCM Technology Institute in 1997. He was also president of the B.C. QATCMA.
Dr. Lorne Brown
Dr. Brown is the founder and clinical director of Acubalance Wellness Centre, the first TCM clinic in B.C. dedicated to reproductive health and fertility. After a career as a chartered accountant, Dr. Brown received his Dr.TCM at Vancouver’s International College of TCM. Dr. Brown has extensive postgraduate training in gynaecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine, and is internationally known for his pioneering work as an educator and advocate for integrated fertility care. He also founded ProDSeminars.com and Medigogy.com that together form the largest online source for continuing education and seminars on Chinese medicine for reproductive health.
Dr. Fei Che
Dr. Che graduated from Heilongjiang Chinese Medicine University in 1984. He went on to work in a Chinese medicine research centre in Haerbin, China, as well as at a university research centre in Japan. He has practised as a TCM doctor in B.C. since 1992, and is the current president of the ATCMA of B.C.
Dr. Michael Chung
Dr. Chung received his B.Sc in Pharmacy from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, and his MSc and PhD in TCM from the Tianjin TCM University in China. He has taught in four TCM schools in Canada and the U.S., and was appointed the Chief Examiner and Academic Consultant of the CTCMA of B.C. Dr. Chung has helped to establish the standards of TCM practice, design the TCM licensing examinations and mandatory safety courses for herbology practice, and develop the core competencies for TCM practice in B.C.
Dr. Kim Graham
Dr. Graham has dedicated the majority of her practice to the treatment of addiction and mental Illness, developing and implementing TCM-based programs for various public and private agencies in B.C. Most recently, she participated as a committee member to improve the Dr.TCM competencies for the CTCMA. This March, she was appointed as a professional member to the Healthcare Practitioners Special Committee for Audit by B.C.’s Ministry of Health. Dr. Graham graduated from Vancouver’s International College of TCM in 2002.
Bill Hardman
Bill Hardman graduated with distinction from the Canadian College of Chinese Studies in Victoria, B.C. He has provided serious illness management to patients in the Vancouver General Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), and has provided palliative care at both Burnaby General and Eagle Ridge hospitals’ extended care units. He had the opportunity to receive his advanced TCM training and serve his internship with Dr. Hong Zhu, the former senior acupuncturist at the Beijing TCM hospital. Hardman is a co-founder and charter member of the Sport Acupuncturists Group of B.C., which has gained recognition from SportMed BC.
Dr. Jenny Hu
Jenny Hu trained at the Shanghai Medical University and the Chinese Medicine College of Shanghai, and has been practising in the Lower Mainland since 1989. In 1997, she opened her own clinic in New Westminster, which provides acupuncture and TCM therapies. Hu has been very active in the TCM community, serving on the board or on committees of the CTCMA since 2003.
Dr. Jeffrey Liu
Dr. Liu graduated from Beijing University of TCM and went on to work there, as well as at the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of China Academy of TCM. In China, he received a national award in TCM research and published several TCM text books. Dr. Liu has taught and practised in western medicine and TCM for over 29 years. He has been a member of the CTCMA Inquiry Committee since 2010, and has been an expert witness in a number of inquiry and discipline procedures.
Joseph Ranallo
Joseph Ranallo has served three years on the QATCMA board of directors, where he presented several workshops on TCM. He has also served on the ATCMA Transitional Board and Governance Committee, and is currently a member of the ATCMA Academic and Educational Committee. Ranallo has taught and served as department head, vice principal and principal in B.C. elementary and secondary schools for 25 years. For 18 years, he acted as associated coordinator, coordinator, instructor and adjunct professor in UBC’s West Kootenay Teacher Education Program.
Dr. John Stan
Dr. Stan earned his licence to be a doctor of TCM in B.C., and his active participation in professional TCM and acupuncture organizations has contributed to the recognition of both as health professions within the province. He is the founder of Eastern Currents Distributing, which has grown to be one of Canada's largest importers of acupuncture supplies and pre-prepared botanical medicines.
Dr. Vincent Yu
Dr. Yu holds two diplomas and a master’s degree in TCM and acupuncture from universities in China, where he also earned his doctor’s degree in a combination of Chinese and western medicine. Dr. Yu is a registered acupuncturist with over 20 years of clinical experience. He practised as an MD and acupuncturist in Chinese hospitals for 15 year before moving to Canada, where he has practised in his own successful acupuncture clinic since 2005. Dr. Yu is chair of the Academic Committee of QATCMA and ex-president of the Canada Acupuncturist & TCM Headquarters Association.
KPU representatives
Dr. Tru Freeman
Dr. Freeman is the Dean, Faculty of Health (FoH) at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). She holds a PhD in Nursing (Administration) from the University of Toronto and a Certified Executive Coach designation. Dr. Freeman has extensive international experience, living and teaching in St. Lucia and China, and is currently helping to create global teaching and learning opportunities for KPU students and faculty. She has been instrumental in KPU becoming the first public post-secondary educational institution in B.C., and one of the first in Canada, to host a School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Dr. Jean Nicolson-Church
Dr. Nicolson-Church has a PhD in Nursing Education from the University of Northern Colorado. She also holds a Post-Masters Certificate in Nursing Education from the University of Northern Colorado, as well as MSN and BSN from UBC. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the Nurse Educators Council of British Columbia and a member of the BC Lower Mainland Nursing Clinical Education Steering Committee. Her research and professional interests include preparation of health educators, multi-disciplinary learning, creativity in teaching and curriculum, and mentoring relationships for teachers and learners.
Ex-officio/Special advisors
Dr. Arden Henley
Dr. Henley is the Principal of Canadian Programs for City University of Seattle. He is also an advisor to the Provincial Counsellor Education Task Force, and the former board chair of the CTCMA of B.C. Dr. Henley has practised family therapy for over 35 years, and has been a consultant on organization development issues for community and government agencies throughout the province, including the City of Vancouver, the BC Public Housing Commission and the Fraser Health region’s Substance Use Services.
Richard T. Lee
Richard T. Lee was first elected as MLA for Burnaby North in 2001. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Traditional Chinese Medicine in December 2013. Under the direction of the Advanced Education Minister, the Parliamentary Secretary will be a special advisor to the program advisory committee and will be the liaison between the program advisory committee and the broader community.
Mason Loh
Mason Loh is a corporate and commercial lawyer, and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998. He was chair of the CTCMA of B.C. for eight years. Under his leadership, B.C. became the first jurisdiction in North America to recognize and regulate TCM. Loh received an honorary doctor of TCM in 2006 for his exceptional contributions to the profession, and to the public. Loh is the longest continuous serving chair of S.U.C.C.E.S.S., and has served as chair or as a member on the boards of many organizations, including the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of B.C. and St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation. He also received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for Community Service.
Terminology
ATCMA: The British Columbia Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Practitioners
CTCMA: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia
QATCMA: British Columbia Qualified Acupuncturists and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts, science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 19,000 students annually have a choice from over 145 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations. Learn more at www.kpu.ca.
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