Retrospective history and prospective visions: from the Nutrition Society of Taiwan to global collaborations

抄録

【Introduction of speakers】

　Dr. Jane C.-J. Chao obtained her Ph.D. degree from the Department of Human Nutrition and Food Management at the Ohio State University in 1993. Subsequently, she had the post-doctoral training in the Division of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1993 to 1994, and returned to her alma mater Taipei Medical University (TMU) since 1995. She is currently in the position of Dean in the Office of Global Engagement, Professor in the School of Nutrition and Health Sciences at TMU, and in the position of President in the Nutrition Society of Taiwan since 2021.

The Nutrition Society of Taiwan was established in 1974 (the 63rd year of the Republic of China), and is now for 51 years. The Society was founded by a group of professionals from various fields including nutrition, food science, agriculture, public health, and medicine, and all founders shared a noble vision. The passion and dedication of our pioneers focus on promoting public nutrition and health not only for establishing the foundation of the society but also for inspiring younger generations to carry on their missions. Over the past five decades, the society has grown steadily, and experienced twelve presidents. Membership continues to increase each year with a current total of 6,662 members including 1,580 lifetime members, 3,978 professional members, 1,080 student members, and 24 corporate group members. With the belief that “the nutritional health of the national people is an indicator of national strength, and a reflection of cultural standards”, the society is committed to cultivating the professionals in preventive healthcare and nutritional care with humanistic concern as well as global and interdisciplinary visions via the work tasks of 9 committees. Additionally, the important mission of the society is to strengthen international academic collaborations in the fields of nutrition and food science. In this spirit, we propose to enhance our engagement with the Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology through a range of academic exchange activities which include co-hosted symposium/conference on emerging topics in food science and nutrition, scholar exchanges between both societies, and joint student exchange programs to foster mutual learning and development.

By promoting such interactions, we aim to create an environment that supports the exchange of knowledge, research innovation, and educational opportunities between Japan and Taiwan. Furthermore, we believe that the initiation through these collaborations can further contribute to the development and promotion of public health nutrition policies in both countries. We are looking forward to future opportunities for the partnership that will benefit academic communities and promote better health outcomes across borders.