National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (hereinafter referred to as NYCU) has had a deep relationship with the University of Illinois for over a decade; the colleges of engineering from both sides have held projects in the past, such as exchange visits of faculty and students, exchange student programs and joint degree programs. This week, the University of Illinois led a delegation to NYCU, opening discussions with medical students. Based on the foundation of physical engineering programs, the universities will make their preliminary collaboration, with seven medical students of NYCU going to the U.S. this year, becoming the first to participate in the summer exchange program, while the University of Illinois will also have students joining the laboratories at NYCU next year at the earliest.
The University of Illinois System comprises three universities in the State of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign, Springfield, and Chicago, with Carle Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign being the world’s first technology-oriented medical school that also trains physician-engineers. Last year, Chi-Hung Lin, NYCU President, visited the University of Illinois to sign a letter of intent for further cooperation. Afterward, fourteen University of Illinois System members visited NYCU and NYCU-related hospitals and technology companies this year. The members of delegates from the University of Illinois include President Timothy Killeen and Dean of the College of Medicine Mark Cohen.
During their visit, the University of Illinois was particularly interested in the innovative healthcare and physical engineering program. On March 13th, 2023, their first day in Taiwan, Janet Jokela, Associate Dean of the Carl Illinois College of Medicine, and others made their first stop at the Digital Medicine Center at NYCU, as well as the and the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, which has recently established the group of medical electrical engineering.
Upon their visit to the Smart Ward Demonstration Center that integrates Taiwan’s local information industry and NYCU technological development, these medical representatives from the U.S. conducted hands-on exercises on several medical artificial intelligence platforms developed by NYCU. These platforms include a magnetic resonance image platform for diagnosing mental diseases, a computed tomography encephalorrhagia artificial intelligence platform, a chest X-ray artificial intelligence platform, and a wearable medical device that can be applied to smartphone devices. Meanwhile, they also experienced the light field autostereoscopic 3D holographic projection and overhead interaction technology developed by NYCU university-industry cooperation and startup companies in Taiwan.
The delegation also discussed with Albert C. Yang, Director of the Digital Medicine Center, focusing on utilizing digital technology and artificial intelligence to improve clinical processes. Furthermore, Prof. Li-Wei Ko, Deputy Director of the Center, demonstrated how to remotely control drones with brain-computer interface devices and use brainwave-controlled exoskeleton robots to help disabled people stand and walk. The delegation members expressed their deep impressions of the visit, especially the innovative aspect of biomedical engineering at NYCU that matches the mission of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, which is to integrate engineering and medicine.
This visit demonstrates the close communication and cooperation between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Medicine and NYCU and highlights the importance of digital medical care and artificial intelligence in medical education and clinical practice. “This visit is a significant event of international exchange, which will promote the cooperation between the two universities in terms of education and intelligent medicine in the future and will make more outstanding contributions to the education of biomedical engineering and digital medical care,” said Albert C. Yang, Director of the Digital Medicine Center at NYCU.
On March 16, 2023, before the delegation returned to the U.S., Olivia Campos-Coiado, Director of Student Research and Discovery Learning, spared some time mainly to talk with six physician-engineer groups and two general medical students from the Department of Medicine at NYCU to learn more about the cultivation of medical talents in Taiwan. The medical departments of both universities will establish exchange projects focusing on problem-based learning (PBL) innovations, student visits, and industrial internships in the future. Both universities also confirmed that there would be further cooperation in neuroscience, cardiovascular diseases, smart wards, and cancer research.
There are also many faculty members from the University of Illinois, including the new Dean of the Industry-Academia Innovation School Jack Sun, Secretary General Yi-Ru Chen, Hao-Chung Kuo from the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Jen-Hui Chuang from the College of Computer Science, Jiuan-Jiuan Hwang from the College of Medicine, Shu-Chun Lin from the College of Dentistry, and Ken-Zen Chen from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Chief Strategy Officer of NYCU, Haydn H.D. Chen is a long-time University of Illinois faculty member and is currently a professor emeritus in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Through the delegation’s visit led by President Timothy Killeen, both universities have focused on two NYCU departments that integrate medical and information research – the Medical Engineering Group of the Department of Medicine and the Medical Electrical Engineering Group of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Both sides also exchanged views on the development of the Industry-Academia Innovation School in semiconductors and quantum computers. In the summer, seven NYCU students will visit the U.S. to build collaboration between the two universities, specifically in the medicine and electro-information areas.
