Partnership built between Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan and Meharry Medical College, USA
On December 18, 2023, Mr. Terry Olsen, the immigration attorney of Meharry Medical College (MMC) in Tennessee, USA, visited Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) as a delegate to build a partnership between two institutions. Both Prof. Po-Liang Lu, the Dean of KMU College of Medicine, and Prof. Sonja Harris-Haywood, the Dean of MMC College of Medicine, affixed their signatures to the Memorandum of Understanding for Academic Cooperation and Exchange (MoU) as well as an Agreement for Exchange of Students to start this exciting partnership.
Meharry Medical College is located in Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. It was established in 1876 and is the first medical school in the United States to admit African Americans. It is also the largest and oldest private medical health academic center for blacks in the United States. Well-known in the field of health disparities. The school admits about 1,000 freshmen yearly, with an admission rate of only 1.61%. The competition is fierce, and it is difficult for non-excellent students to be admitted. The founding mission of MMC is to educate African Americans and provide medical services to underserved groups. This coincides with one of KMU’s missions to provide medical and educational services to underserved people.
By signing MoU and Student Exchange Agreement, KMU and MMC could develop a partnership in healthcare research and education based on mutual benefits, including teaching cooperation, research exchanges, talent cultivation, etc. In addition to research and talent cultivation, both KMU and MMC can also promote mutual exchanges among teachers, students and researchers to understand the similarities and differences in each other's medical healthcare and policies. We believe that it is helpful to establish a better medical healthcare system for the people.
We would also like to express our gratitude to Mr. Martin Chen, the Director of the Economic Division of the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Atlanta. Due to his recommendation, KMU and MMC bring about this academic cooperation. Take advantage of visiting relatives in Taiwan, Mr. Olsen and his wife, Mrs. Miao-Ju Olsen (who is from Pingtung, Taiwan), come to visit KMU and have the MoU signed. We look forward to prosperous academic cooperation and student exchange in the coming future.
