IASTAM

The Institute of Traditional Medicine Services hosted the Seventh International Congress on Traditional Asian Medicine (ICTAM VII) in Thimphu Bhutan from September 7 – 11, 2009. The Theme of the Congress was “Asian Medicine: Cultivating Traditions and the Challenges of Globalization. It was organized and funded by the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (IASTAM).

 His Excellency Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, Hon’ble Minister of Trade and Industries in his capacity as Chairman of the Governing Council of the Royal University of Bhutan and Acting Prime Minister of Bhutan graced the opening ceremony as the Chief Guest. More than 200 participants from 31 countries have attended the Congress and 150 papers were presented during the Congress on varieties of topics related to Traditional Asian Medicine in different panel groups. The congress brought about unique communications between scholars, scientists, policymakers and practitioners of traditional Asian Medicine.

 The Director, Institute of Traditional Medicine Services has been appointed as one of the Vice Presidents of the Governing Council of the IASTAM following the successful completion of the Congress.

The new IASTAM Council Members

From left to right: Paul Kadetz, Wung Seok Cha, Elisabeth Hsu, Sienna Craig, Alex McKay, Joseph Alter, Michael Stanley-Baker, Theresia Hofer, Narendra Bhatt, Geoffrey Samuel, Volker Scheid, Nancy Holroyde-Downing, Vincanne Adams, Dorji Wangchuk, Judith Farquhar, Dominik Wujastyk

 Missing from the Photograph: James Flowers, Vivienne Lo, Mona Schrempf

President	Volker Scheid, University of Westminster, UK
Vice-President	Narendra Bhatt, Ayurvedic Practitioner, India Sienna Craig, Dartmouth University, US Judith Farquhar, University of Chicago, US Paul Kadetz, University College London, UK Dorji Wangchuk, Institute for Traditional Medicine Services, Bhutan
Secretary General	James Flowers, Johns Hopkins University, US
Associate Secretary General	Theresia Hofer, University of Oslo, Norway
Publications Director	Marta Hanson, Johns Hopkins University, US
Treasurer	Michael Stanley-Baker, University College London, UK
Council Members	Vincanne Adams, University of California San Francisco, US Joseph Alter, Pittsburgh University, US Wung Seok Cha, Kyunghee University, Korea Nancy Holroyde-Downing, University College London, UK Elisabeth Hsu, University of Oxford, UK Alex McKay, Independent Scholar, Australia Mona Schrempf, University of Westminster, UK
Honorary Members	Paul Unschuld, Charité Medical University, Germany Dominik Wujastyk, Institute for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Austria Ken Zysk, Copenhagen University, Denmark

 Founded in 1979, IASTAM is the only international organization in the field of Asian Medicine making a serious attempt to embrace both academics and practitioners. It publishes peer reviewed academic Journal titled “Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity”.