Taiwanese students visit RU to learn about U.S. health care

Ten students and two faculty members from Taiwan's Chang Gung University are on the Radford University campus this month to study mental-health issues and behavioral health care in the United States. Their visit is being hosted by the RU Office of the Provost and the School of Nursing.

Instructor Linda Ely of the RU School of Nursing, who is directing their visit, said, "Students will see how different systems operate. We will be taking them to facilities that serve different populations with various funding sources. We are also excited about sharing experiences cross-culturally with Radford's international students."

Topics for study and discussion will include psychiatric care, therapeutic communication and Appalachian culture. Much of the conversation will center on comparisons between typical care methods in Taiwan and the United States.

RU faculty and staff members hosting classes and lectures are Dean Ken Cox of the Waldron College of Health and Human Services; Dean Kate Hawkins of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences; Assistant Professor I-Ping Fu, chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures; Director Theresa Burriss and Instructor Ricky Cox of the Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center; and Associate Professor Maggie Bassett and Instructor Sarah Gilbert of the School of Nursing.

The visiting students' itinerary includes visits to health-care facilities across Southwest Virginia, including Catawba Hospital, Salem Veterans Administration Medical Center, Carilion Clinic Saint Albans Hospital, New River Valley Community Services and the Warm Hearth and Richfield retirement communities.

Students and teachers from Chang Gung University gather before a tour of Waldron Hall, where they will be studying in the School of Nursing.

Taiwanese students

Students and teachers from Chang Gung University gather before a tour of Waldron Hall, where they will be studying in the School of Nursing.

Feb 5, 2013
Bonnie Erickson
(540) 831-5804
broberts@radford.edu