Renowned Chinese medicine scholar discourses on acupuncture development at PAIR Distinguished Lecture

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, captivating a viewing 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 sharing then followed. He outlined the differences in acupuncture between the past and present, and the East and West. He then expounded on the rapid development of acupuncture in the United States, highlighting how acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention gained acceptance by the public and mainstream healthcare system. Additionally, he underscored the significance of research endeavors in acupuncture, encompassing  clinical studies, collaboration, and dissemination in driving evidence-based acupuncture. In concluding his presentation, Prof. Lao shared his insights on the future direction for acupuncture research by citing a number of research priority areas 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), was followed. The panel discussion was joined by Dr ZHANG Shi Ping, Associate Professor, Teaching and Research Division of the Hong Kong Baptist University and Dr LIN Wai Ling, Professional Consultant, School of Chinese Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prof. Lao and the panelists engaged in a productive discussion with the audience on various crucial topics in acupuncture practice, including quality assurance, research challenges and funding opportunities.

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