The annual IMU Chinese Medicine (CM) Week finally resumed physically at the IMU Bukit Jalil campus on 7 to 10 June 2022 after been temporarily put on hold during the two years of COVID-19 pandemic.
Held in conjunction with IMU’s 30th Anniversary: Nurturing Leaders Today, the organising committee set the theme of ‘Leaping of White Tigers: Unravelling the Beauty in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)’ for this year’s event. The theme was set in such a way that it reflects on the Chinese lunar year of white tiger as an interpretation on the bravery and courage spirit of healthcare personnel. The entire event was solely planned and organised by the CM students.
This one-week event provided an opportunity to raise awareness to the public on proper understanding of CM. It also allowed students the opportunity to express their talents and demonstrate their event organising skills. Additionally, during the preparation week, this event acted as a bridge connecting the senior and junior students with the lecturers, especially after such a long time of studying online virtually and disconnecting from campus life.
On 7 June, IMU’s Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof Dr Zabidi Azhar Mohd Hussin officiated the opening of IMU CM Week with an enthusiastic speech, showing his hope and support towards the IMU CM programme.
The ceremony was then followed by a speech given by the Head of Chinese Medicine Department, Dr Wong Zhi Hang, on behalf the Director of Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CCAM), A/Prof Ranjit De Alwis. Dr Wong also elaborated on the significance of white tiger in CM.
After that, there was a Chinese musical performance to showcase the inter-connection between illness and mental well-being in CM. This event had been sponsored by IMU industry partner, Xi Fertility TCM Centre.
For the event, there were 6 booths, namely the Tuina and cupping booth, exhibition booth, diagnosis booth, ear acupressure booth, food and beverage booth as well as the newly launched tea booth. There were also demonstrations of Gua Sha and fire cupping by the CM students. During the event, students applied their learned knowledge and skills to sharpen their Tuina, cupping, ear acupressure and diagnosis skills.
For the event, there were 6 booths, namely the Tuina and cupping booth, exhibition booth, diagnosis booth, ear acupressure booth, food and beverage booth as well as the newly launched tea booth. There were also demonstrations of Gua Sha and fire cupping by the CM students. During the event, students applied their learned knowledge and skills to sharpen their Tuina, cupping, ear acupressure and diagnosis skills.
They expanded their Chinese Medicine knowledge in health preservation by way of tea and food. They even worked and learned together to cook food and beverages by themselves with CM ingredients. In addition, students were able to practise their public speaking skills by introducing proper use of Chinese Medicine herbs and acupuncture with the public.
This round, IMU CM had also collaborated with IMU Nutrition and Dietetics (N&D) Department and our own CM alumna to conduct 2 virtual public talks. Alina Ita Azhar from N&D and Dr Tan Wen Tien from CM had worked together in an interprofessional talk on ‘Post Covid Recovery and Care’, while Uzma Aishah, IMU CM alumna had given a talk titled ‘TCM on Acne Care and Prevention’. All these activities are aimed to contribute to better understanding of Chinese Medicine in contemporary society and prepare students for their future practice.
The event was a successful one as large crowds visited IMU this event every day, creating such a lively scene which we have missed so much. Additionally, it was considered successful because it demonstrated IMU CM as a well-rounded programme that focuses on training students not only in Chinese Medicine-related knowledge and skills, but also soft skills which are much sought after by today’s employers. With the spirit of white tiger, IMU Chinese Medicine nurtures students to become today’s leaders, and these leaders would bring CM further with bravery and courage!
