The story of the development of integrative medicine is a captivating tale with its ambitious and revolutionary origin set in the 1950’s China. The Chinese government issued an unprecedented mandate that their top graduates trained in Western medicine undergo rigorous clinical and research training in traditioanl Chinese medicine to create a new medicine by integrating the best of both healing systems.

The primary goals of this Visual History Project are: (1) to enrich the education of scholars and teachers of integrative medicine and CAM about how key ideas and concepts arose; (2) to promote full integration and use of this intellectual heritage to advance current work; and (3) to preserve accurate accounts of the history of integrative medicine, including important anecdotal information that would otherwise be lost. The project also aims to enhance awareness of how to recognize and nurture human potential by leaders in academia, government, and private industry, and create more prepared minds within this field to meet future challenges. It is our vision that this series will become a precious archival asset for anyone interested in the evolution of scientific ideas, and in particular for those who want to understand in depth the influences and pathways leading to the astonishing breakthroughs currently occurring in this field.

The impact of this Visual History Project is far-reaching. Partnered with Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, in this project we are developing a unique collection of videotaped interviews with prominent scientists and policy makers in China who have made major contributions to the conceptual foundation of modern integrative medicine. The knowledge derived from the Visual History Project will advance the understanding and the utilization of the integrative East-West health paradigm as a solution to the current healthcare crisis in the United States.

We have developed a Project Protocol for the video collection of the visual histories. We are utilizing the following criteria to select our interviewees:

• those involved in major developments of the integrative medicine field
• those who have made significant contributions to the profession
• priority will be given to older interviewees
• those who worked closely with the pioneers and can provide additional insights about the pioneers and the process of discovery
• current leaders of integrative medicine hospitals as well as the academic leaders of academic medical subspecialties

Our long-term goal is to make this material available to the broadest possible audiences. Consequently, we will edit and organize the footage in four formats: (1) a complete set of all interviews; (2) a collection edited according to specific medical specialties; (3) a version edited as a documentary for the public; and (4) this will be made available via video streaming on a dedicated website linked to our website.

The Center hosted a satellite conference to announce the formal launching of our Visual History Project during the Third World Integrative Medicine Congress in Guangzhou, China on September 23, 2007. We also interviewed a number of the pioneers of integrative East-West medicine and their protégés who attended the Congress.