TMU joins hands with Elementary Schools in Pioneering Project to Promote Knowledge of Dementia

Led by Professor Yi-Hsin Hsu (許怡欣) as the Principal Investigator , Taipei Medical University worked with a group of elementary schools to improve students’ understanding of aging and dementia.

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Asking the students to compile a book on the life stories of their grandparents, the program enhanced the grandparent-grandchild relationship while promoting neuroscience and disseminating current scientific knowledge on dementia, a major neurological brain disease.

Through the partnerships with Ruifang Elementary School and Yifang Elementary School in New Taipei City and Zhongxiao Elementary School in Taipei City, over 200 students and their families participated. A total of 50 students were selected to present their outstanding work at TMU in May 2021.

Principal Chuan-Chuan Lu (盧娟娟) of Ruifang Elementary School pointed out that the life story book project was very meaningful. In the writing of the storybook, the dialogue with grandparents has enhanced family interaction and deepened relationships.

Dean Li-Juing Wu (吳麗君) of the College of Education at the National Taipei University of Education, who participated in the review, said that history is not only found in textbooks; it is also the living history spoken from the mouths of grandparents, and this type of historical exploration is warm and can be touching.

Professor Hsu and associate professor Yang have been teaching the humanities course in TMU since 2014. The course integrated assignment “Life book writing for our grandparents (LB4OG)” where young people write storybooks on the life story of their elders so that the students can develop a deeper understanding of a future aging society. Over the past seven years, 400 books of family history have been created by college students. The publication of innovative assignment was accepted by the international medical education journal, Medical Education (Impact Factor 4.570, Ranking 4.8%).

This project aims to train a group of seed teachers to promote popular medical science and will continue to be jointly rolled out in more schools in the future. It is hoped that these partner elementary schools will integrate this activity into their future curriculum, facilitating the continuous dissemination of medical popular science and health knowledge.

TMU’s dedication to social responsibility continues to win the first place for Best University in Taiwan in the medical institution category

TMU is once again ranked as the Best University in Taiwan by Global Views Monthly for the fourth consecutive time, ranking top nationwide in both the medical institution category and the private university category.

TMU places strong emphasis in fulfilling the social responsibility in the university’s strategic development, integrating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fully put into practice. Furthermore, TMU has established the Office of University Social Responsibility to lead its organizational efforts. The focus of the Office is on local community care, innovative contribution to regional development, collaboration promoting local sustainable development, and resource integration on campus to improve sustainable development across the institution.

Today’s universities cannot limit themselves to transmitting knowledge and training talents. They must also actively seek ways to provide resources and assistance to local community, their country, and the world. With this premises, TMU will continue to invest in education and learning, research development, industrial collaboration, and healthcare provision of the TMU system to serve our societies and continue to make a positive social impact.