The trend and high demand of education program combining medicine and technology was very evident in this year’s university admissions in the NYCU Taiwan. For the first time, the acceptance rate of the Physician-Engineer (or Scientist) programs is much lower than the traditional Medical program by more than three-fold; they are 5% versus 17% respectively.

The aging population challenges sustainable development worldwide, particularly impacting the medical and long-term care systems. Professor Chen Liang-Kung, head of Taipei Municipal Guandu Hospital and professor at NYCU, confirms that older people embrace value-oriented holistic healthcare can improve their physical and cognitive functions and achieve a better quality of life.

Professor Wang was the first scholar in Taiwan to study abroad with an emphasis on headache treatments and was also the first doctor to establish a headache-centered clinic. The other awardee Chang-Hsien Yu is the only pediatric cardiologist in Taitung and has been devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric heart disease in Taitung for 18 years.

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.