TWiST Newsletter Issue No. 201 Is Out!

TWiST Newsletter Issue No. 201

From the Editorial Office

This issue’s guest editor, Ya-Wen Chiu, is one of Taiwan’s few specialists in the World Health Organization (WHO). Her research interests include global health policy, health diplomacy, and health security.

Chiu graduated from the Department of Plant Pathology and Entomology at National Taiwan University. She later earned a master’s degree in environmental management from Yale University and a Ph.D. in agricultural and environmental chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

After completing her doctorate, she returned to Taiwan at the invitation of the Environmental Protection Administration and served as a senior environmental specialist. She later joined the Department of Health’s Office of International Cooperation as a researcher, beginning her work on international health organizations.

Chiu has actively participated in international public health organizations and Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. She currently serves as Vice President and Taiwan Regional Chair of the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH), as well as Executive Director of its Collaborating Centres for Health Promotion, an alliance spanning 23 Asia-Pacific countries.

After 12 years of teaching at Taipei Medical University and Kaohsiung Medical University, Chiu returned to research this year. In August, she joined the Institute of Population Health Sciences at the National Health Research Institutes as a researcher. Through this national policy think tank, she hopes to strengthen Taiwan’s medical and public health capabilities and enhance its international standing.

The TWiST Newsletter has rarely explored public health in the past. However, the global pandemic demonstrated the importance of public health and the need for Taiwanese society to better understand its professional value. Women working in this field are also women in science and technology—and important allies who should not be overlooked. Through Chiu’s introduction, we hope to bring greater visibility to Taiwan’s women professionals in public health.

Editor-in-Chief

Ming-Hsiu Chen

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Guest Editor’s Note

Ya-Wen Chiu｜Researcher, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes; Vice President and Taiwan Regional Chair, Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed our world and highlighted the contributions of women in medicine and biotechnology. Nobel laureate Professor Katalin Karikó, whose work helped bring the pandemic under control, is one inspiring example. I was honored to write a recommendation for the Taiwanese edition of her memoir. Her unwavering faith in science, despite decades of adversity, is particularly encouraging to women pursuing research outside the mainstream.

The pandemic also renewed recognition of public health. After 20 years of advocacy, Taiwan’s Public Health Specialists Act was finally passed in 2020.

I once worked with Academician Chen Chien-jen, a former vice president, premier, and minister of health. During the 2003 SARS outbreak, when Taiwan sought to establish a health task force within APEC, he told me:

“Efforts to secure Taiwan’s participation in international organizations may not always succeed, but without trying, success is impossible.”

I have never forgotten those words—and that time, we succeeded. The same principle applies to advancing Taiwan’s international participation, public health, and gender equality.

This issue features three women scholars from different generations. Professor Chiu-Ying Chen discusses reforming the “unhealthy” structure of higher education. Associate Professor Chia-Jung Chuang explores public health’s pursuit of justice and equity, while Dr. Yi-Ching Liaw introduces precision health and precision public health.

Precision health combines personalized approaches with big-data analysis, biomedical informatics, and AI. It can support innovations such as telemedicine and smart healthcare while drawing on Taiwan’s strengths in healthcare and information technology.

Ultimately, we seek a fair opportunity to participate and contribute. The World Health Organization was founded to reduce global health inequalities and now emphasizes the principle of “Leave no one behind.” Health is a fundamental human right, and the WHO’s mission extends far beyond clinical medicine.

As women working in public and global health, we must continue moving forward—for ourselves, our colleagues, Taiwan, and people everywhere who need support. We hope our efforts will once again be recognized by the world. We deserve it. Taiwan deserves it!

Feature Report

From Academia to Social Practice: The Second Half of My Public Health Journey Begins with Reforming an “Unhealthy” Higher-Education System

Chiu-Ying Chen｜Professor, Department of Public Health, China Medical University

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health through organized community efforts. From the perspective of “Health in All Policies,” reforming higher education has become one of Taiwan’s most urgent public health issues. I am determined to make the second half of my journey meaningful and rewarding. Let us keep moving forward together!

Career

A Career Journey Exploring Health Inequalities Through Complex Human Behaviors

Chia-Jung Chuang｜Associate Professor, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University

Throughout my research career, I have sought not only to produce consistent academic results but also to remain grounded in my training as a behavioral scientist. The origins of this work lie in people’s health needs. Every research question should begin with people, and research should improve the quality of life of the communities we care about.

Life

A Gleaner in the Garden of Precision Nutrition

Yi-Ching Liaw｜Ph.D. in Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

My work is to carry a basket filled with needs and aspirations through an endless field of knowledge, bending down to gather the overlooked grains of precision nutrition.