How Taipei Medical University builds sustainability into healthcare
Taipei Medical University integrates sustainability into governance, medical education and clinical operations, creating a scalable model for low-carbon, equitable healthcare in Asia
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Sustainability underpins institutional governance, education and clinical operations at Taipei Medical University (TMU), according to Ling-Chu Chien, the university’s chief sustainability officer.
“TMU does not treat sustainability as a peripheral or short-term initiative,” Chien says. “Instead, sustainability is positioned as a core guiding principle, shaping institutional governance, medical education and clinical operations.
TMU has been a leading medical institution in Taiwan for more than 60 years. It has more than 6,600 students enrolled in its 11 colleges, with seven affiliated hospitals and institutions. The university is careful to ensure that all of its institutions take a coherent approach to sustainability in their operations, curricula and leadership. “By aligning governance structures and resource allocation across the university and its affiliated hospitals and institutions, TMU ensures that sustainability strategies are implemented consistently across academic units, administrative systems and clinical settings,” she says.
TMU also ensures that its initiatives are benchmarked against international best practices and mechanisms published by the International Organization for Standardization. These standards guide its greenhouse gas inventory verification, energy management systems and circular economy programmes.
The university has established a comprehensive sustainability governance framework, which includes a dedicated Office of Sustainability Development, a university sustainability committee and designated sustainability personnel and monitoring mechanisms within each college and administrative unit. “This structure ensures that sustainability considerations are substantively integrated into curriculum design, research planning, infrastructure investment and daily operational management,” Chien says.
However, education remains the main driver of TMU’s sustainability transformation, Chien says. In 2024, it offered more than 1,900 sustainability-related courses that covered the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “Through issue-based learning, interdisciplinary curricula, microcredential programmes and MOOCs, TMU cultivates students’ systems thinking and practical problem-solving capability,” she says.
The university is also raising sustainability awareness and skills among senior administrators and academic leaders, with more than 230 executives completing formal sustainability leadership training.
At the same time, the university is addressing disparities in healthcare access. Its outreach medical teams, social responsibility initiatives and student service programmes focus on underserved and rural communities. In 2023, 22 student service teams and 950 participants were involved in medical services, health promotion and preventative care.
TMU’s success in sustainability relies on extensive collaboration with other partners, Chien says. “By integrating resources from government, industry and international partners, TMU advances sustainability actions that are both systemic and scalable.”
At a government-level, the university collaborates with several ministries and the National Science and Technology Council, engaging in policy research, talent development and technology commercialisation. With industry, TMU has built a biomedical innovation ecosystem that integrates academic research, clinical environments and entrepreneurship. This ecosystem has supported the establishment of 28 start-up companies, with a combined capital of NTD 2.35 billion (£55 million), she says. “These collaborations translate sustainable healthcare, health technologies and innovative applications into real-world solutions, expanding the scale and impact of sustainability outcomes.”
Similarly, the university’s extensive international collaborations allow it to promote sustainable capacity building and health system resilience, among other issues. Looking to the future, the institution is leading by example to showcase its model for health-related sustainability.
“By advancing smart, low-carbon healthcare and clinical practices, TMU seeks to develop a demonstrative sustainable healthcare system that can serve as a key reference for healthcare transformation in Asia,” Chein says. “TMU’s future role will extend beyond being a sustainable medical university to becoming a key Asian hub that integrates education, healthcare, technology and policy.”