Katy’s report at World Journal (世界日報): Dr. Wen-Ta Chiu (邱文達署長) visits University of Pittsburgh

Katy’s dispatch to World Journal, 世界日報 (published on August 30) reporting Dr. Wen-Ta Chiu’s (邱文達) visit to his alma mater (Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh).  Visiting Pitt as the Minister of Health of Taiwan, Dr. Chiu is seeking the exchange of medical info and policy making.

You may read the online version,

http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/15264442/article-%E9%82%B1%E6%96%87%E9%81%94%E9%87%8D%E8%BF%94%E6%AF%8D%E6%A0%A1%E5%B0%8B%E6%B1%82%E9%86%AB%E5%AD%B8%E4%BA%A4%E6%B5%81?instance=nj2

Minister Chiu began his USA visit at Washington, DC on August 22.  He met the Secretary of Health and Human Service, Kathleen Sebelius, at Geneva, Switzerland in May and again this time, visiting food safety agency, healthcare reform and medical information institution.  He arrived at Pittsburgh on August 25, seeking opportunity of exchange and cooperation in medical affair between Taiwan and University of Pittsburgh.  He also invited the President of University of Pittsburgh to visit Taiwan next year.  He returned to Taiwan ahead of schedule to manage an unexpected medical crisis.

Dr. Chiu took time out of his busy schedule to talk to Taiwanese students who are studying at the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), encouraging them to set the goals in life, keep up to date in innovative research, and publish paper in collaborating with the professor.  This will help advance their career in the future.

邱文達署長 (the third from left)

Minister Chiu comes from a family of doctors.  Three generations in his family all matriculated at the Graduate School of Public Health of University of Pittsburgh.  His father (邱永聰) graduated in 1954.  Dr. Chiu received the master degree in 1987 and Ph.D. in 1989.  His son was also awarded a master degree this year.

A well known neurosurgeon, Dr. Chiu developed a head injury registry in Taiwan that led to his tireless campaign for a helmet law for motorcyclists, culminating its legislation.  The law has saved thousands of life among the motorcyclists.  While serving as the president of Taipei Medical University (TMU), he was selected as the prestigious GSPH 2009 Legacy Laureate—the highest honor bestowed to the alumni of the GSPH.

University of Pittsburgh has an excellent faculty with enormous resource.  Over the years physicians from various hospitals in Taiwan (長庚、臺大、榮總、恩主公、亞東) come here as research fellows for a year or two or study for a Ph.D.

Rarely has any physician excelled in so many diverse fields of medicine. Dr. Chiu is a neurosurgeon by training; he also has expertise in epidemiology, trauma prevention, and quality control management, etc.  He became a faculty at TMU in 1985 and became the president of TMU and its teaching hospital (雙和醫院) in July 2008 and took up the position of the Minister of Health in February 2011.

In his interview with the news reporter of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dr. Chiu discussed his six-month whirlwind job as the minister of health, saying the most amazing accomplishment might be the fact that he still holds the position.  His training at University of Pittsburgh helped him to manage a series of crises including H1N1 flu epidemic, a bribery scandal in the national hospital system, concern about the potential radiation contamination in food from Japan resulting from the nuclear accident.  Above all the most challenging was the food contamination involving plasticizers.

He lost three kilograms in weight while tackling the plasticizers crisis.  He said it is much easier a job in teaching or as the president of TMU.  Being the minister of health, he is a bit more involved in public health, medicine, and politics.   Giving up the position as the president of TMU, he felt it is time for him to serve his country.   There is no job more challenging and fulfilling than the minister of health in Taiwan—a traditionally controversial position.

To inspect 50,000 stores nationwide is a formidable task.  Dr. Chiu ordered the seizure and destruction of products laced with the addictive contaminant, leading the effort to ban its use.

What Dr. Chiu learned about the crisis management at University of Pittsburgh helped him tremendously.  He used a Pitt program to disseminate a new hepatitis B vaccine that reduced its infection rates from 20% to 1%.   He is also using Pitt’s online Super Course to educate Taiwanese about H1N1 and other health issues.

University of Pittsburgh takes pride in having Dr. Chiu as their alumnus; he is the first alumnus to become the minister of health of a country.  Pitt also provides research opportunity and resource to support Dr. Chiu’s effort in serving his country.  Dr. Chiu considers himself fortunate to have Dr. Ronald LaPorte (a Pitt epidemiologist who holds a Ph.D.) as his mentor who now considers Dr. Chiu his “best friend”.

Dr. Chiu met some of the TMU graduates in greater Pittsburgh area in the evening of August 27.  Upon hearing the major healthcare crisis of organ transplants involving a HIV patient at the Taiwan National University Hospital, Dr. Chiu expressed his sadness and great concern.  He immediately called the Department of Health giving instructions.  He canceled all other schedules and took the flight back to Taiwan in the evening of August 28.  A crisis will be waiting for him upon the landing.  (Katy Tsai, 張瓊月)

(The following is Katy’s dispatch)

邱文達重返母校尋求醫學交流

世界新聞網 北美華文新聞、華商資訊

August 30, 2011 06:00 AM 

邱文達署長(右三)在匹茲堡與部分來自台灣的研究所學生合影。(圖：黃奕翰提供) 

台灣衛生署署長邱文達，8月22日率團抵美，先在華府進行三天的訪問，25日轉赴匹茲堡，尋求與母校匹茲堡大學醫學院交流合作的機會。他並邀請匹大校長明年訪台。28日晚上因台灣發生重大醫療失誤事故，提前離美返臺。

在匹茲堡期間，邱文達26日抽空接見目前正在匹茲堡大學公衛系攻讀碩士或博士學位的台灣學生，鼓勵他們先訂好自己人生目標，努力以赴做跟上潮流的創新研究，多與教授聯名發表研究，有助日後求職履歷。

邱署長出身於醫生世家，他表示，他家三代都唸過匹茲堡大學公衛系。父親邱永聰1954年畢業，他是1986年畢業，兒子今年也畢業了。

邱文達是知名的腦神經外科醫師。他推動騎機車戴安全帽之立法，拯救無數的機車騎士。2009年任台北醫學大學校長時，曾接受匹大校長頒贈特別傑出校友獎，並發表桂冠學者演說。

他認為匹茲堡大學師資優良、設備又佳。目前台灣長庚、臺大、榮總、恩主公、亞東等等醫院，都派有醫師到匹茲堡教學醫院來做為期一、兩年的交流研究。他勉勵這些進修中的醫師，儘速拿到學位，回國報效，造福人群。

專長是神經外科、流行病學、傷害防治、品質管理的邱文達，在1985年進入北醫醫學系任教。2008年7月，同時接下北醫大校長及雙和醫院院長。2011年2月10日接掌衛生署署長。

他謙稱，經過半年驚淘駭浪，還能坐在署長位子半已屬幸運。這期間包括國際間H5N1流感疫情頻傳日本進口漁獲食品核子污染、徹查28家署立醫院人員因採購貪瀆，最大危機則是食品污染涉及塑化劑 。

 

當他忙於處理起雲劑含塑化劑危機時，消瘦了三公斤。他直說：還是當教授或校長比當衛生署長容易。他說，目前職務必須參與許多公共健康、醫藥與政治。但放棄北醫校長一職，是因為覺得是自己為國服務的時候了。

他認為自己用上在匹茲堡大學所學的危機管理與危機處理。他利用匹茲堡大學計畫，用新的乙肝疫苗，使感染率從20％降低到1％。他也利用匹茲堡大學遠距教學計畫，教育台灣民眾H1N1禽流感等健康資訊。

匹茲堡大學與醫學院對邱文達署長這位傑出校友引以為榮，提供他研究機會與全力的支持。邱署長也慶幸匹茲堡有Ronald LaPorte恩師與很多朋友對他的厚愛。

27日晚上邱署長正會見一些匹茲堡北醫校友，席間獲悉臺大醫院爆發重大醫療疏失，便匆匆散會。他當時表示極為痛心與關切，並立即電話指示衛生署危機應變。同時緊急改變原來行程，取消一切訪問計畫，28日晚上就搭機離美。(張瓊月)

Glory to Shakespeare Gate

To have a Shakespeare Gate (West Gate) in the Poetry Garden (詩園) is not entirely inappropriate, as no one would argue the Bard has poetic plays.

On reading Muir one cannot go a few pages without coming across ‘glorious’—his favorite word. This is not too surprising as the grandeur and beauty of the Nature evoked his exalted feeling. Glory to God! It was a religious experience for him. Upon climbing a giant Ponderosa pine in the Yosemite Valley, he wrote,

“Climbing these grand trees, especially when they are waving and singing in worship in wind storms, is a glorious experience. Ascending from the lowest branch to the topmost is like stepping up stairs through a blaze of white light, every needle thrilling and shining as if with religious ecstasy.”

Diverse garden

This post is not for beauty, but for variety.  I am in the process of doing ‘inventory’ of our garden.  This photo is taken outside the Greenlee’s Gate (South Gate).  Deer-resistant flowers or veggies are planted outside the fence.  One can see zinnias, green onion, and day lily (after the bloom), and baby petunia is on the hanging basket.  Now this is an open book quiz; can you name these flowers and veggies?

The garden designs itself

The garden turns out to be the one not that I initially perceive; it is originally designed to have a central square that houses the elites—the most beautiful flowers that distinguish themselves.  However, this photo shows its neighborhood is as attractive and exuberant.  I am not complaining.

Trinity in the garden

This post has two purposes: one is to confirm Linda Mosier’s post of “ZINNIAS….everyone likes Emily’s flowers!” and the other is using Emily’s poem to show the “trinity” of the garden.

Last September in my “The passing of summer” post I did use Emily’s Dickinson’s poem that ends with,

In the name of the Bee –
And of the Butterfly –
And of the Breeze – Amen!

In Helen Vender’s “Dickinson: Selected poems and Commentaries” (published last year), this is the first poem she commented. This is a lighthearted parody of the Trinitarian formula of baptism: “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). Strict or 'technical' religious persons may even say it is a “blasphemous’ parody.

There is also an alliteration (Bee, Butterfly, and Breeze) that she capitalizes to go along with “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”. Being an original and imaginative poet, Emily is baptizing in the garden, calling authority of the Nature and to match the Christian Trinity, as Vendler commented.  No wonder Emily Dickinson said that we are “closer to God in a garden than any place on this earth.”

bee on bee balm

Maripose Grove sequoias or Glacier Point?

While planning the short visit to Yosemite with Eric & Sophie’s help, I know we have to go Yosemite Valley like everyone else, and with the limited time we have, we can only go to Maripose Grove sequoias (redwood) or Glacier Point?  I chose the latter, as did Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir did in 1903.

Some of the giant sequoias might have seen the Decline and Fall of Roman Empire.  I therefore miss the chance to ask the old, nay, ancient giant sequoias about the furious love of Antony and Cleopatra.  I am not talking about the Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the marriage of the century (by Sam Kashner—will be a movie one of these days), but, then again Liz and Dick might have thought or acted as if they were Antony and Cleopatra.

In 1864 when the Civil War was raging, President Lincoln signed a bill giving Yosemite Valley and Maripose Grove of sequoias (about 40,000 acres) to the state of California to preserve for public use and recreation.  This is a few years before John Muir visited Yosemite.  This is Lincoln’s little known contribution to the conservation of the national treasure of Nature.

Next I will post our visit to Glacier Point.

Trinity: “Pittsburgh Tsai Ah-Ma is coming for a visit”

Thanks to an invitation to attend a beautiful wedding at the famous Napa Valley winery, we also took a quick trip to Yosemite.  After coming down from the Mountain, we spent a night with our California grand daughters—Trinity and Betty.

It was during the peak of SAS flu epidemic in Taiwan when Eric was awarded a Ph.D. from CMU.  The school requested the parents from the epidemic area not to come to attend the Commencement.  Katy and H.P. Loh attended the ceremony representing Eric’s parents.  And Trinity and Betty began to call Katy “Tsai Ah-Ma”.  Days before our visit Trinity began to ‘boast’ of her Pittsburgh Tsai Ah-Ma coming for a visit to her friends.

Sophie and Eric took us to a Chinese restaurant for a scrumptious meal.  We haven’t seen our California grand daughters for nearly four years and the affection does not lessen as time went by.  The overnight visit was too brief.

Shakespeare is to blame for the name of the War of the Roses

Our Rose Garden was virtually taken over by the brilliant zinnias for a while; they are trying to make a come back, realizing the zinnias have passed their prime and some began to wither (see photo below)

Today (August 22) in 1485, England King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, effectively ending the War of the Roses.

Rose, the queen of flowers, either “O, rose of May!” (Hamlet, Act 4 Scene 5) or the last one in summer, inspires poets to produce beautiful verses and lyrics throughout the ages.  Shakespeare is no exception; he mentioned the rose at least 70 times in his plays and sonnets.

How could such an exquisitely beautiful rose, emblematic of being fair and lovely be linked with a war? Shakespeare is the one to blame. The 30-year War of Roses was actually the Civil War of England fought between the two branches of the same family 1455-1485:  House of York and House of Lancaster.  It ended with the Battle of Bosworth, in which Shakespeare’s great grandfather might have fought, as John Shakespeare (the Bard’s father) claimed; of note, Bosworth was only 30 miles away from Stratford-upon-Avon—the Bard’s hometown.

There are always certain more memorable scenes in each of Shakespeare’s plays, such as King Lear wandering in the storm; the love scene at [Juliet] Capulet’s orchard, or the Temple Garden in Part 1 Henry VI, in which Shakespeare gave the name of the War of Roses.

In Part 1 Henry VI Act 2 Scene 4, the contending factions gather at the Temple Garden, plucking red or white roses to choose sides.  The king maker, Earl of Warwick, dominates this conflict, and fittingly has the last lines of this famous scene.

Will I upon thy party wear this rose.

And here I prophesy: this brawl to-day,

Grown to this faction in the Temple Garden,

Shall send between the red rose and the white

A thousand souls to death and deadly night.

You wonder why we do not have white roses in our garden; ours is a peaceful garden.

The spirit of Yosemite

We went to California to attend a wedding at a famous Napa winery last week and then took a quick trip to Yosemite National Park for a brief one-day visit (actually two half days).

John Muir is synonymous to Yosemite. I’ll try to use his words to describe the scenery and the spirit of Yosemite. It will take time to find his words to match our photos. Here are just a few of his writings.

“The Mountains are calling me and I must go.” so did we.

“I often wonder what men will do with the mountains . . . will human destructions like those of Nature—fire and flood and avalanche—work out a higher good , a finer beauty?”—I personally doubt it.

“The Dome . . . would hardly be more ‘conquered’ or spoiled should man be added to her list of visitors. His louder scream and heavier scrambling would not stir a line of her countenance.” (John Muir spoke of the Half Dome)  Steve Jobs got married in Yosemite; his wedding cake came in the shape of Half Dome.

“Doubly happy . . . is the man to whom lofty mountain tops are within reach, for the lights that shine there illumine all that lies below.”

Garden photo diary: August 11, 2011

These photos were taken on August 11, just to keep you updated.