Research in Chinese Medicine
RMIT Traditional and Complementary Medicine Group Research
The RMIT Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Group (RTCMRG), previously the RMIT Chinese Medicine Research Group, commenced its research activities in 1994 and was formally established in 2001 with dedicated staff and laboratories.
The RTCMRG is recognized research strength at the College of Science Engineering and Health at RMIT. It is also one of the four core research programs at the RMIT Health Innovations Research Institute.
- Goals
- People
- Research groups
- Research facilities
- Research partners
- Research opportunities
- Major collaborative projects
Goals
- To evaluate quality, efficacy and safety of acupuncture and herbal medicine;
- To illustrate mechanisms of actions for herbal medicine and acupuncture for the management of common clinical conditions; and;
- To promote public awareness of evidence-based herbal medicine and acupuncture practice.
People
The RTCMRG team includes a number of professors, associate professors, senior research fellows, postdoctoral research fellows, visiting scholars and over twenty postgraduate research students at both masters and doctoral levels.
Research staff
- Prof. Charlie Changli Xue (Director of the Research Program)
- Emeritus Prof. David Story
- Assoc. Prof. Jiming Ye
- Dr. Juan Molero
- Dr. Stanley Chan
- Dr. George Lenon
- Dr. Brian May
- Dr. Angela Yang
- Dr Tony Zhang
- Dr. Zhen Zheng
Other research staff
- Prof. Philip Marriott
- Prof. Jiyuan Tu
- Assoc. Prof. Edwin Pang
- Assoc. Prof. Helmut Hugel
Research students
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chinese Medicine
- Mira An
- Xuedong An
- Vivian Chow
- Jing Cui
- John Deare
- Yuan Ming Di
- Xinyu (Alan) Hao
- Hyou Ju (Ivy) Jin
- John Koukas
- Kang Xiao Li
- Shao-Chen (David) Lu
- Suilin Mo
- Meredith O’Loughlan
- Johannah Shergis
- Kui Wang
- Claire Shui Qing Zhang
- Xiaoyi Zeng
- Yan Li (Lily) Zhou
Master of Applied Science (Chinese Medicine)
- Guo Hui (William) Cai
- Menghua Chen
- Shiqiang (Roger) Deng
- Xuming (Sherman) Gu
- Michael Owens
- Guo An (Bill) Wu
- Gang Yu
- Xifeng (Jack) Zhai
- Xiu Zhou
- Zhiwei (George) Zhou
Research groups
Research facilities
- Clinical trial clinics
- Herbal quality control laboratory
- In Vivo and In Vitro research laboratories
- Herbal farming sites
Research partners
- Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne
- Austin Health, Australia
- Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health, China
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China
- Box Hill Hospital and Eastern Health, Australia
- Caulfield Medical Centre, Australia
- Centre for East West Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
- Centre for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China
- China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China
- Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria, Australia
- Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Epworth Hospital, Australia
- Garvan Institute, Sydney Australia
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, China
- Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, China
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China
- Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
- Kyung Hee University, Korea
- La Trobe University, Australia
- Monash University, Australia
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China
- National Institute of Complementary Medicine, Australia
- Northern Hospital and University of Melbourne, Australia
- Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
- St. Vincent's Private Hospital, Australia
- University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
- Unversity of Sydney, Australia
- World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Research opportunities
Applications are considered at any time of year for students who have an interest to undertake Masters of Applied Science and Doctor of Philosophy awards. Research programs are funded from many sources.
Approaches from prospective colleagues and research partners are also invited. For further information or enquiries please contact research group staff directly, or contact Chinese Medicine by:
- Tel: +61 3 9925 7758
- Fax: +61 3 9925 7178
- Email: healthsciences@rmit.edu.au
Major collaborative projects
The RTCMRG has expertise in randomised controlled trials to promote evidence-based Chinese medicine practice, quality control, safety evaluation and pharmacological studies in Chinese medicine.
The projects undertaken by RTCMRG focus on the following areas:
- Growing evidence-based Chinese medicine: providing rigorous laboratory and clinical scientific evidence of the quality, safety and efficacy of herbal therapies.
- Traditional herbal medicines as sources of new therapeutic drugs: bioassay-guided identification, isolation and structural modification of novel compounds in traditional herbal therapies for the treatment of intractable diseases.
- Production of traditional Chinese medicines and herbal therapeutics: providing the foundation for Australian horticulture for the development and delivery of certified herbal ingredients for Chinese herbal medicine practice.
- Addressing the public health issues associated with herbal medicine usage and promoting evidence-based herbal medicine health care.
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Project Title |
Collaborators and Funding Support |
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Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in the clinical management of allergic rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and headache |
These projects are funded by four Project Grants from The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and an International Research Grant from Guangdong, China. Collaborators:
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Laboratory studies on the pharmacological actions of Chinese herbal medicine on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and cancer |
These projects are funded by two International Research Grants from Guangdong (China), and a NHMRC Project Grant. Collaborators:
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Quality / safety evaluation of Chinese herbal medicines (eg. Dan Shen) |
This project is co-funded by the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) and RMIT Health Innovations Research Institute. Collaborators:
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Development of a Chinese Medicine database to facilitate teaching, research and clinical practice |
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Investigation of public health issues related to Chinese medicine usage |
This project is funded by the RMIT Health Innovations Research Institute. Collaborators:
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Translational research: Evaluation of acupuncture in acute pain management at an Emergency Department of a public hospital |
This project is funded by the Department of Health, Victoria and a NHMRC project grant. Collaborators:
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