Abstract
‘Mixed Medicine: Plural Healing Cultures’ is an interdisciplinary symposium that will be held over one and a half days from 28-29 May, 2026 at the University of Hong Kong. This event is co-organised by the Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit (MEHU) and the Department of History, with the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (CMEL) as a supporting organisation. The symposium will feature a keynote session, individual and panel presentations and a roundtable discussion to close the event.
The symposium will examine the cultural, historical and practical intersections between diverse healing philosophies and explore the dynamics of medical pluralism, the challenges of integrating different medical systems and the complex forces shaping the outcomes, from the parallel development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine frameworks in Hong Kong to their extensive intersecting networks with other healing systems regionally and globally.
Wide-ranging presentations from history, anthropology, social sciences, ethics and the medical humanities to medicine, public health and allied health disciplines will explore how different medical systems have complemented, co-existed and clashed within various geopolitical contexts and timeframes and ask how the narratives of healing have influenced cultural identities and shaped the ethics surrounding healthcare. The presentations will contribute to the discourse on medical pluralism and transcultural healthcare exchanges in an era of globalisation. We welcome scholars, teachers, healthcare professionals and students to join this timely and ongoing conversation.
Keynote Speaker:
Professor Clara Bik-San LAU, The University of Hong Kong
Speakers/ Moderators (In alphabetical order of surnames):
- Dr Kelvin CHAN, Hong Kong Baptist University
- Professor Emmanuel CHEUNG, The University of Hong Kong
- Mr Ivan FAN, The University of Hong Kong
- Prof Carl HILDEBRAND, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Pauline Po-Ling LUK, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Andrew Thomas PARK, The University of Hong Kong
- Ms Zhaohe SHI, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Ria SINHA, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Md. Sanwar SIRAJ, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Alison SO, The University of Hong Kong
- Ms Xiaofan SUN, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Bobby TAM, The University of Hong Kong
- Ms Cecilia TAM, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Carol TSANG, The University of Hong Kong
- Ms Lory Shiu Tze WONG, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Danqing YIN, The University of Hong Kong
- Dr Jingjing ZHOU, The University of Hong Kong
Co-organisers:
Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit (MEHU), The University of Hong Kong
Department of History, The University of Hong Kong
Supporting Organisation:
Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, The University of Hong Kong
For more details, please visit the page at https://mehu.hku.hk/25-26-mixed-medicine/
For general inquiries, please contact Mr Edison Cheng at mehu@hku.hk.
