History and Development
中文- Publish Date：2025-05-19
- Update Date：2025-05-19
- Units：Department of Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology
The Yang Ming Campus of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) was formerly National Yang-Ming Medical College, founded in 1975. From its inception, the institution has upheld the school motto: “Knowledge through action; compassion through practice”, with the mission of cultivating outstanding and compassionate professionals in clinical medicine and biomedical science.
To foster the next generation of medical professionals and cutting-edge researchers, the college gradually expanded its focus in the biomedical sciences. In 1994, it was officially renamed National Yang-Ming University, becoming the first comprehensive university in Taiwan with a core focus on medicine.
Subsequently, the university established the College of Medical Science and Engineering, College of Life Sciences, General Education Center, College of Nursing, and College of Dentistry. In 2007, it received approval to establish the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Starting from January 1, 2008, the former Department of Health’s Yilan Hospital was reorganized as the university’s affiliated hospital.
In February 2021, National Yang-Ming University merged with National Chiao Tung University and was renamed National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU). This merger brought together Taiwan’s leading universities in biomedical sciences and electrical and computer engineering. NYCU now operates across nine campuses in five counties, with 21 colleges and a student body of approximately 20,000.
The Department of Physical Therapy was established in 1988, initially offering a Bachelor’s program in Physical Therapy. At its founding, it was part of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, with Dr. Tao-Chang Hsu, then Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, appointed as the part-time chair. With his extensive experience and outstanding contributions in teaching, research, and clinical practice, Dr. Hsu successfully led the department through its formative and challenging early years.
In 2000, the Master’s program in Physical Therapy was added. In 2007, following a merger with the university’s Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Technology and Assistive Devices, the department was officially renamed the Department of Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology. It subsequently established Master’s and Ph.D. programs in Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology, becoming a pioneering department globally by integrating physical therapy with assistive technology. The department now offers comprehensive Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programs.
Beginning in August 2016, the undergraduate program transitioned from a four-year curriculum to a six-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. This change was made to meet future societal demands and challenges, and to enhance the international competitiveness of physical therapy education in Taiwan.
The chronological development of our department is outlined as follows:
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1988The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was established at National Yang-Ming University. At its inception, Dr. Tao-Chang Hsu, then Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, was appointed as the part-time Chair of the department. Dr. Hsu delegated the practical coordination, planning, and implementation responsibilities to Dr. Tso-Jen Liu, Director of the Division of General Rehabilitation, and Ms. Mei-Lan Chang, a senior physical therapy specialist, both from the same hospital.
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1990Dr. Wen Ling, Associate Professor at New York University, was invited to return to Taiwan as a visiting professor for one year. During this period, he collaborated with Ms. Ray-Yau Wang and Ms. Mei-Wun Tsai to design the department’s curriculum and establish a clinical education model.
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1992According to the approval of the Ministry of Education, the official name of the department has been changed to the "Department of Physical Therapy." Starting from August 1 of the same year, Mr. Chung-Ming Chang, the Dean of Academic Affairs at our university, concurrently serves as the department chair. To promote the internationalization and development of the department, Dean Chang, in his capacity as acting chair, signed an academic-industry cooperation agreement with New York University in May 1993. The agreement focuses on mutual invitations for faculty to participate in lectures, research, and continuing education.
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1994On July 1, National Yang-Ming Medical College was reorganized as National Yang-Ming University, and this department became part of the College of Medical Technology. In August of the same year, Professor Jin-Jong Chen, an alumnus of our university and then Director of the Graduate Institute of Sports Science at the College of Physical Education, was invited to return to serve as a full-time professor and department chair. Professor Chen expanded the department’s research fields and sources of research funding.
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1997Associate Professor Ray-Yau Wang was selected to serve as the department chair. Professor Wang has many years of outstanding experience in teaching, research, and clinical practice, leading the department to develop steadily.
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2000With the approval of the Ministry of Education, the Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy was established, with Professor Ray-Yau Wang serving as both the department chair and institute director. The main objectives of the institute are to strengthen the theoretical foundation and mechanisms of physical therapy through scientific validation, to enhance physical therapists’ abilities to solve patients’ problems, and to expand their roles and competencies within society.
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2005In consideration of the needs arising from social development and the effective utilization of the university’s resources in teaching, research, and service, our department began discussions with the Institute of Rehabilitation Technology and Assistive Devices regarding departmental integration. A working team was formed, jointly led by Professor Ray-Yau Wang, who serves as both department chair and professor of our department, and Professor Shun-Hua Wei, who serves as both director and professor of the Institute of Rehabilitation Technology and Assistive Devices, to carry out the “Merger Plan of the Department of Physical Therapy and the Institute of Rehabilitation Technology and Assistive Devices”.
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2006On April 1, Professor Shun-Hua Wei was selected to serve as the department chair.
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2007On August 1, the Department of Physical Therapy and the Institute of Rehabilitation Technology and Assistive Devices were officially merged to form the Department of Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology, with Professor Shun-Hua Wei serving as the department chair. In the same year, the doctoral program in Physical Therapy and Assistive Technology was established.
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2009On July 1, Professor Yea-Ru Yang was selected to serve as the department chair. On December 11, the department successfully passed the university department evaluation organized by the Higher Education Center.。
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2013To cultivate advanced professionals in physical therapy with both clinical expertise and administrative leadership, promote the substantive development of the physical therapy profession in Taiwan, and enhance the international competitiveness of our university’s physical therapy education, our department, after discussion in the departmental affairs meeting, has applied to transition the undergraduate program to a “six-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree program.” Ms. Tzyy-Jiuan Wang has been appointed to assist in planning related matters.
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2014On November 5, the proposal for the six-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree program was approved by the university’s Academic Affairs Council, with admissions scheduled to begin in the 2016 academic year.
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2015On April 23, Associate Professor Mei-Wun Tsai was selected to serve as the department chair.
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2016National Yang-Ming University has begun admissions for the six-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree program, while enrollment for the four-year bachelor’s program has been discontinued.
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2018Due to major renovations in the research building of the College of Biomedical Engineering, and following more than a year of planning and construction during the summer break, the department’s locations, previously split between the mountain area (6th floor of the research building) and the lower campus (3rd floor of Zhihe Building), have now been consolidated to the 4th through 6th floors of the research building. At the same time, various specialized practical classrooms have been added, such as a strength training room, mat exercise room, Pilates studio, makerspace workshop, professional demonstration room, and several discussion rooms of various sizes, to meet the needs of the curriculum.
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2019年On June 9, the final cohort of the four-year bachelor’s program (Class of 2019) graduated from the department.
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2021On February 1, National Yang Ming University and National Chiao Tung University merged and were renamed "National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University." Following a selection process, Professor Yi-Fen Shih was appointed as the department chair starting August 1.
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2023According to 2023 data, the department had 236 undergraduate students, 92 master’s students, and 36 doctoral students. In terms of faculty, there were 7 full professors, 7 associate professors, and 3 assistant professors.
