About Us
Introduction
Founded in 1867, Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution (STCMI) adhered to its founding principle of “providing free Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment to all regardless of race, religion and nationality” till today. Besides providing free TCM treatments, STCMI has also placed great emphasis on TCM research and clinical practice education. This led to the establishment of Thong Chai Institute of Medical Research (TCIMR) in 2003. Over 2 million dollars was raised during STCMI’s 135th-anniversary dinner for the institute and this has laid the foundation for future funding of research projects, scholarships and bursaries.
Mission 1:
To provide advanced TCM courses to upgrade the professional standards of TCM practitioners in Singapore
To upgrade the professional standards of TCM practitioners, TCIMR has been collaborating with various TCM universities in China and actively inviting both international and local well-known and experienced TCM practitioners and professors to conduct lectures in Singapore. Since 2007, TCIMR has been providing internship opportunities for students from the Biomedical Sciences-TCM double degree programme by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) School of Biological Sciences. TCIMR has also been providing clinical guidance for students from the Institute of Chinese Medical Studies since 2012. To date, TCIMR has conducted numerous clinical training for thousands of TCM students and its training program has been well received by the various institutions and students in terms of its management, planning, lectures, and staff members.
In 2014, TCIMR pioneered the first-ever video conference for the Continuing Professional TCM Education (CPE) course in Singapore, this allowed physicians to learn from renowned foreign professors without having to travel abroad. In 2016, TCIMR jointly organized the “World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) 4th International TCM Internal Medicine Forum” with the Association for Promoting Chinese Medicine and attracted the participation of more than 1500 practitioners.
TCIMR has successfully applied for a total of 47 CPE courses to the TCMPB in 2024. These include in-person short-term pediatric massage training sessions, as well as the Experts Series featuring lectures on research, herbal paste preparation, and gynaecology. Additionally, we launched the China famous TCM Doctor lecture for the first time, inviting renowned TCM experts of provincial and national level from various institutions to share their professional knowledge and experience. The response from local practitioners has been overwhelmingly positive, with an average of approximately 150 participants per lecture. Looking ahead, we aspire to cover more specialized topics and offer a wider variety of remote video lectures.
Beyond hosting CPE, TCIMR has been jointly offering master’s and doctoral programs with Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine since 2013. To date, we have conducted six cohorts of master’s programs and one cohort of doctoral studies, producing 37 master’s graduates. There are currently seven master’s students and two doctoral postgraduates still understudying. This initiative provides local TCM practitioners with more opportunities for professional advancement and contributes to cultivating high-quality TCM talent in Singapore.
Our institute has a comprehensive team capable of efficiently managing all aspects of course planning, student recruitment, and administrative processes for various applications.
Mission 2:
To promote and conduct TCM clinical research
TCIMR has been actively promoting and conducting various clinical research, with the utmost support and collaborative efforts of STCMI physicians. In 2004, TCIMR created the Chinese proprietary medicinal pill “Bu Shen Yi Jing Wan” which was formulated based on the years of experience from the physicians from STCMI Fertility Clinic. Due to its clinical effectiveness, “Bu Shen Yi Jing Wan” was successfully launched to the mass market in 2015, allowing more patients with fertility issues to benefit from it nationwide.
In partnership with China Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a clinical study was conducted in 2013 with the research topic as “Chinese Modern Acupuncture Treatments in treating Osteoarthritis” which achieved successful initial results.
In 2014, the Singapore Ministry of Health initiated the TCM Research Grant to encourage TCM-related research for future developments in the hope to improve Singapore’s health system holistically. With a strong belief that research will be able to support better integration of TCM and western medicinal treatment, STCMI has been actively seeking out research opportunities and had been awarded the MOH TCM Research Grant some of the research projects.
Currently, our physicians are also actively engaged in various medical research projects in the hope to better meet the needs of Singapore’s growing population.
Thong Chai Institution of Medical Research is an approved charity organisation, recognised with Institution of a Public Character(IPC) status, whereby all donations given will have a 250% tax deduction.
