PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series: Acupuncture in the United States: From Exploration to Accessibility

Biography

Prof. LAO Lixing, Ph.D., Professor and President, Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM), Fairfax, Virginia, USA. Prior to his position at VUIM, he was a Professor and the Director of the School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong holding Vivian Taam Wong Endowed Professorship in Integrative Medicine during 2013–2019. He was elected Vice President of the World Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies (WFAS). Graduated from the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in 1983 and obtained a Ph.D. in physiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) in 1992. Prof. Lao has been conducting research, practicing and teaching acupuncture and TCM for 40 years. He also published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief in the Journal of Integrative Medicine.

Abstract

Since the 1970s, acupuncture has rapidly developed and received acceptance by the public and mainstream healthcare system in the United States. Evidence-based acupuncture played a major role in acupuncture development. Despite challenges and difficulties in acupuncture clinical research, sufficient evidence demonstrated the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of acupuncture. Prof. Lao will introduce his 30 years of experience in acupuncture research and share his witness in the United States from exploration in early years to the accessibility in the current healthcare system. Prof. Lao will also share his opinion on the challenges and difficulties in acupuncture clinical research.