USC, Peking University partnership to fill a void in China
The Pacific Rim collaboration will create one of China’s first graduate programs in occupational therapy, a treatment that helps people recuperate from physical or mental illness
Contact: Zen Vuong at (213) 300-1381 or zvuong@usc.edu; John Hobbs at (323) 599-3412 or johnnyho@usc.edu
USC and Peking University, China’s premier college, have partnered to develop one of China’s first graduate programs in occupational therapy, a rehabilitation field with growing demand because of a massive, aging Chinese population.
The alliance between the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and the Peking University Health Science Center is the result of USC’s China Initiative, which began in 2014 as part of a $20 million naming gift from USC Trustee Ronnie C. Chan and his wife, Barbara.
“Occupational therapy enables people throughout the world to lead healthier, happier, fuller lives,” said Michael Quick, USC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “By advancing occupational therapy education, research and clinical care in China, this new partnership with Peking University has the potential to transform the quality of life for millions of people.”
USC’s occupational therapy division is among the top-ranked in the nation. Health care professionals use occupational therapy to help those with physical and mental illness rehabilitate by practicing activities required in daily life. The goal is to facilitate management of chronic disease and disability.
Under the leadership of Qimin Zhan, president of the Peking University Health Science Center, Chinese faculty members will spend two years learning and sharing ideas at USC Chan. The partnership will result in the development of an occupational therapy curriculum that is relevant to people in China.
After a couple of years, the Chinese professors will head home and launch a master’s in rehabilitation program with an emphasis in occupational therapy at the Peking University Health Science Center. The graduate program will train an inaugural cohort of Chinese occupational therapists to provide high-quality clinical services to a pool of more than 85 million Chinese who live with a disability.
Additionally, select Peking University Health Science Center students will have the option to come to USC for one year. This model will empower students in China to transplant learning experiences from USC directly to clinical programs and sites back in China.
“This historic partnership with Peking University will dramatically influence rehabilitation practice and research, creating innovative ways to improve quality of life in China,” said Florence Clark, associate dean and chair of USC Chan. “By collaborating to establish a state-of-the-art curriculum for educating Chinese clinicians and by fostering the development of scientists, USC continues to demonstrate its investment in professional excellence throughout the world.”
Compared to Western medical systems, occupational therapy in China is still nascent with fewer than 2,500 practicing therapists in the entire country. Only three programs in mainland China have been accredited by the World Federation for Occupational Therapists, according to a 2015 Occupational Therapy International report.
In 1978, USC was the first American university to send a delegation to China following the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Today USC has strategic partnerships and long-standing alliances with top Chinese universities across a wide range of disciplines. Additionally, six of USC’s eight international offices are located in the Asia-Pacific region, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
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