An Open Letter to The Alumni Regarding CMU’s Name Change, by Jung Tsai, MD

Dear Fellow Esteemed Alumni;

It is with profound excitement that US magazine Newsweek has, for the first time, ranked China Medical University (CMU) of Taiwan amongst the World’s Best Hospitals 2023 list after evaluating more than 2500 hospitals across 28 countries. However, there is also great sorrow associated with this acknowledgement, as it seems to showcase China, rather than Taiwan.

A decade ago, I, and many other CMU alumni, in Taiwan, Japan, and the USA, were engaged in the grassroots movement to change the name from China Medical University (CMU) to Taichung Medical University (TMU), when CMU was ranked in the Top 500 World University and in the Top 200 in Global Clinical Medicine. During that era CMU’s unfeasible was also as indicated to be . Thus, to

that bittersweet feeling from ten years ago no longer exists, as a majority of the population in Taiwan now identify as Taiwanese. 

In 2015, 90% of the population viewed themselves to be Taiwanese, and by 2020, 96 % of the population viewed themselves to be Taiwanese. As such, the time has come for us to fight for change and to give credit where credit is due. While Taiwan might sometimes be added on top of CMU to distinguish it from China’s CMU (which was located in Shenyang ,China and was the first medical school established by Chinese Communist Party in 1931), this is not enough. I am not trying to stimulate a political debate. I am merely trying to right a wrong. Besides,Name change is not unprecedented. In 2004 China Medical College was officially changed to China Medical University.

Since the school board of Trustee has done nothing regarding this matter, we must take matters into our own hands. Therefore, this is a “Call to Action!”

From now on, we should fight to be recognized as alumni of Taichung Medical University rather than as alumni of CMU, refuse to join CMU activities, no further donations until the administration meets our demands!

We must stand together to advocate for change!

Sincerely,
Jung Tsai, M.D., F.A.C.S.

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 致校友的一封關於CMU更名的公開信，作者：Jung Tsai，醫學博士

An Open Letter to The Alumni Regarding CMU’s Name Change, by Jung Tsai, MD

尊敬的校友們;

美國雜誌《新聞週刊》在評估了2023個國家的2500多家醫院後，首次將臺灣中國醫科大學 （CMU） 列為28年世界最佳醫院之一。然而，這種承認也伴隨著巨大的悲傷，因為它似乎展示了中國，而不是臺灣。

十年前，我和臺灣、日本和美國的許多其他清邁大學校友參與了將中國醫科大學（CMU）更名為台中醫科大學（TMU）的草根運動，當時CMU躋身世界大學500強和全球臨床醫學200強。在那個時代，CMU的不可行性也如所表明的那樣。因此，到

十年前的苦樂參半的感覺已經不復存在，因為臺灣的大多數人現在都認為自己是臺灣人。

2015年，90%的人口認為自己是臺灣人，到2020年，96%的人口認為自己是臺灣人。因此，現在是我們為變革而鬥爭並在應得的功勞上給予讚揚的時候了。雖然臺灣有時可能會被添加到CMU之上，以區別於中國的CMU（位於中國瀋陽，是中國共產黨於1931年建立的第一所醫學院），但這還不夠。我不是想激發一場政治辯論。我只是試圖糾正一個錯誤。此外，更名並非史無前例。2004年，中國醫學院正式更名為中國醫科大學。

由於學校董事會對此事沒有採取任何行動，我們必須自己動手。因此，這是一個「號召性用語！

從現在開始，我們要爭取被承認為台中醫科大學的校友，而不是清邁大學的校友，拒絕參加清邁大學的活動，在政府滿足我們的要求之前，不要再捐款！

我們必須站在一起，倡導變革！

真誠地，蔡榮聰 醫學博士，F.A.C.S.

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