Alexandre Chan and Ding Quan (Quinton) Ng Visit Kyung Hee University in South Korea for Collaboration on Integrative Medicine Research and Practice
In early December of 2022, Alexandre Chan, UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences professor of clinical pharmacy and founding chair, and Ding Quan (Quinton) Ng, 3rd year PhD student and graduate student researcher, visited Kyung Hee University (KHU) in South Korea as part of an ongoing collaboration on research, education, and best practices in integrative medicine research between the two universities.
“We are very honored to promote the exchange between UCI and KHU by conducting a campus visit. KHU has a long history in traditional Korean medicine, and they are continuing to integrate these treatment modalities together within evidence-based medicine practice,” says Chan.
The visit included a campus tour of the KHU campus and its University Medical Center, the KHU Hospital at Gangdong and the National Institute for Korean Medicine Development. The visit has also included a joint research seminar between UCI and KHU.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas with like-minded researchers at KHU regarding hypothesis-driven studies into integrative therapies for our patients,” says Ng.
Chan and Ng are currently collaborating with Dr. Sanghoon Lee, MD, PhD, from KHU on a clinical trial involving cancer patients and survivors.
“Dr. Lee’s expertise in the design and administration of acupuncture studies has been immensely helpful in the initiation of our very own acupuncture trial at UCI,” says Ng. “The goal of this study is to investigate if electroacupuncture, a variation of acupuncture that uses weak electricity to enhance underlying benefits, can reduce co-occurring symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and cognitive impairment among cancer patients and survivors.”
Evidence from the study, which is funded by the California Breast Cancer Research Program Innovative Developmental and Exploratory Award (IDEA) and the 2022 UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge, will inform the implementation and prescription of electroacupuncture in cancer survivorship care.
Lee recently visited various departments and schools at UCI for potential partnerships and collaborations between the two universities.
An expert in acupuncture, Lee facilitated a seminar, “Successful Examples of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine and Practice,” for UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty, and met with founding dean, Jan Hirsch.
“We are excited for future collaborations with Dr. Lee and Kyung Hee University,” says Dean Hirsch. “What a great opportunity for our faculty to share research and best practices for integrative health.”
“Our strategic partnership and collaboration with KHU have elevated our school’s status to the global stage of integrative health. This is certainly a unique feature within our pharmacy education and research program here at UCI,” says Chan.
