Traditional Chinese medicine administrators visit SCU

July 28, 2012 — In an effort to strengthen their scholarly collaboration, Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) welcomed a delegation of traditional Chinese medicine administrators from the People’s Republic of China to its campus Thursday.

One of the reasons for the strong ties between SCU and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine is the quality of SCU’s Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Program, Dr. John Scaringe said.

“A testament to that is the fact that the Chinese government, through the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, has awarded full-ride PhD scholarships to graduates from SCU,” he said.

One of those students was Donna Winges, who just completed her first year at Beijing University. “It’s quite an opportunity,” she said. Winges, who is a licensed acupuncturist, found herself as the only non-Chinese speaking student in her classes. But she immersed herself in the language, and is looking forward to putting her new skill to use in the fall. “I had a great education here, and I am now taking it to another level,” Winges said.

Founded in 1911, SCU is recognized in China as a leading institution for traditional Chinese medicine. In the last decade, its College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is the only regionally accredited acupuncture oriental medicine program by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in California.

Winges hopes partnerships like this will help bolster the use of traditional Chinese medicine in the West. “It can be acclimated in Western medicine,” she said.

“There is some resistance in the integration of the two practices,” Scaringe said. “It is challenging for traditional Chinese medicine to be accepted.”

Source: Southern California University of Health Sciences, scuhs.edu