Prof. LAO Lixing, Professor and President of the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM), USA, delivered the 11th PAIR Distinguished Lecture, titled “Acupuncture in the United States: From Exploration to Accessibility”, on 8 December 2023. The hybrid lecture attracted over 140 participants joining in person and online from more than 18 countries and regions across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. It was also broadcast live on multiple social media platforms to a combined online audience of over 12,500.
The lecture commenced with a warm welcome address and brief speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR. Prof. Lao’s presentation then followed. He outlined the differences in acupuncture between the past and present, and between the East and West. Next, he described the rapid development of acupuncture in the United States, explaining how acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention gained acceptance by the public and mainstream healthcare systems. Additionally, he underscored the significance of research endeavours that encompass clinical studies, collaboration and dissemination and are driving evidence-based acupuncture. In concluding his presentation, Prof. Lao shared his insights on the future direction of acupuncture research, citing a number of research priority areas as set forth by a national complementary and integrative health centre in the United States.
A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Daniel MOK Kam-wah, Associate Director of the Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI), followed the lecture. The panel discussion was joined by Dr ZHANG Shi Ping, Associate Professor, Teaching and Research Division of Hong Kong Baptist University, and Dr LIN Wai Ling, Professional Consultant, School of Chinese Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prof. Lao and the panellists engaged in a productive discussion with the audience on various crucial topics in acupuncture practice, including quality assurance, research challenges and funding opportunities.
