EN-US 
ZH 
Yuan Ze University continued to expand its international collaboration in healthcare education while advancing smart healthcare and interdisciplinary talent development. A delegation of senior executives from University of Utah Health visited Yuan Ze University and was welcomed by President Ching-Jong Liao, Yun Chen, Dean of the College of Medicine and Nursing, Ying-Hua Su, Chair of the Department of Nursing, and members of the faculty. The two sides exchanged views on nursing education, international academic exchange, and smart healthcare, with the aim of combining their respective strengths and creating new opportunities for future faculty and student exchanges and research collaboration.
Yuan Ze University and the University of Utah signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2024 and had since continued to promote academic exchanges. The visiting delegation included Dr. Sam Finlayson, Chief Clinical Officer of University of Utah Health; Dr. Fiemu Nwariaku, Chair of the Department of Surgery; and Mr. Juan Carlos Negrette, Director of Global Health. The visit by the three senior healthcare executives demonstrated the importance both institutions placed on deepening collaboration in healthcare education and international exchange, while laying the groundwork for further substantive cooperation.
President Ching-Jong Liao said that internationalization was an important direction for Yuan Ze University’s development. He noted that exchanges with internationally renowned healthcare institutions not only facilitated the sharing of experience in nursing education and clinical practice but also helped broaden students’ international perspectives. He expressed hope that the two institutions would continue to explore diverse forms of collaboration based on their existing partnership, create opportunities for students to study and gain practical experience overseas, and build a long-term and sustainable partnership.
Yun Chen, Dean of the College of Medicine and Nursing, noted that Yuan Ze University established the College of Medicine and Nursing in 2025, integrating nursing expertise, medical research, and interdisciplinary technology resources. Drawing on the University’s strengths in artificial intelligence, information technology, and engineering, the College actively developed smart healthcare and innovative healthcare education to cultivate professionals equipped to meet future healthcare needs. The Department of Nursing admitted its first cohort of students in 2024. In addition to emphasizing professional nursing knowledge and clinical skills, the Department incorporated AI technologies and interdisciplinary learning to prepare students for the development of smart healthcare. Chen expressed hope that Yuan Ze University and the University of Utah would further explore faculty and student exchanges, short-term overseas study opportunities, mutual recognition of academic credits, and collaborative research in smart healthcare, providing students with more diverse international learning opportunities.
During the visit, Ying-Hua Su, Chair of the Department of Nursing, introduced the Department’s development, curriculum planning, and international collaboration initiatives to the U.S. delegation. The visitors also toured nursing teaching facilities and clinical simulation equipment, highlighting Yuan Ze University’s emphasis on professional practice and innovative teaching in nursing education.
Chen added that Yuan Ze University’s Department of Nursing would continue to deepen collaboration with international healthcare and academic institutions by integrating clinical practice, smart technologies, and interdisciplinary educational resources. Through these efforts, the Department aimed to cultivate a new generation of healthcare professionals equipped with nursing expertise, compassion, technological literacy, and an international perspective. It also sought to contribute new momentum to the development of smart healthcare in Taiwan.
