The Aesculap Academy—Lee Liang-Shong Asia-Pacific Surgical Education Memorial Center was officially unveiled today (19th) at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU). Affiliated with the B. Braun Group in Germany, the Aesculap Academy is a globally renowned institution for continued surgical education. The cerebrovascular and skull base surgical anatomy training program jointly hosted by Taipei Veterans General Hospital (VGH) and NYCU is the Academy’s only officially certified course in the Asia-Pacific region, signifying the leadership of the VGH-NYCU team in neurosurgery.
Dr. Sanford PC Hsu, a leading authority in neurosurgery at Taipei VGH, highlighted that the neurosurgical anatomy training program, co-hosted by NYCU and Taipei VGH, has a 16-year history. By importing genuine human skull specimens, the program allows neurosurgeons to refine their skills in brain and skull base surgeries. The course attracts foreign physicians annually, alongside enthusiastic participation from domestic surgeons, even garnering media attention.
This achievement drew the Aesculap Academy of the B. Braun Group to seek collaboration proactively. In 2015, both parties signed a formal agreement, making the neurosurgical anatomy training courses at Taipei VGH the Academy’s sole officially recognized neurosurgical training program in the Asia-Pacific region.
NYCU President Chi-Hung Lin expressed gratitude for the late Dr. Lee Liang-Shong, former Superintendent of Taipei VGH and Vice President of Yang Ming University, for his outstanding contributions to neurosurgery. Donations from various contributors led to the establishment of the Lee Liang-Shong Neurosurgery Foundation, which, in collaboration with the Aesculap Academy, supported upgrades to the Shu-Tien Surgical Training Center at NYCU College of Medicine. After over years of renovations, the Academy’s training programs were relocated to this enhanced facility. This year alone, the center has successfully hosted 12 animal surgical workshops and various neurosurgical microsurgery training sessions focused on the brain and skull base. By mid-next year, additional training programs, including thyroid surgery, laparoscopic total intestinal anastomosis, and spinal microsurgery, are expected to be introduced.
Today, Dean Shuu-Jiun Wang of the NYCU College of Medicine invited Dr. Lee’s widow and children to witness the unveiling of the memorial center. Dean Wang stated that through this center, the VGH-NYCU team honors Dr. Lee’s dedication to neurosurgery while striving to contribute more to surgical education and medical training in the Asia-Pacific region. He emphasized that the Shu-Tien Surgical Training Center, initially a training facility for NYCU School of Medicine’s students, is now further enhanced with the establishment of the Aesculap Academy—Lee Liang-Shong Asia-Pacific Surgical Education Memorial Center, elevating NYCU’s surgical education to new heights.
Source: College of Medicine (Chinese Page) / some pictures by NYCU website
