Top: Longtime CEWM supporters Gail Oppenheimer, Gerald Oppenheimer and Shirley Hui in 2005. Second: (From left) CEWM cofounders Wing N. Pang and Elaine C. Pang and Dr. Hui. Third: Beryl Weiner (left) and Dr. Hui. Fourth: Joan Prestine (left) and Dr. Hui. Bottom: Robert Teselle (left) and Joyce Abbott. Photos: Max Lin and Courtesy of CEWM
On December 15, 2018, alumni, friends and faculty gathered at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine (CEWM). The event highlighted the center’s history by honoring the 40-plus years of CEWM founder and director Dr. Ka-Kit Hui (MD ’75, RES ’78), Wallis Annenberg Endowed Chair in Integrative East-West Medicine, as a UCLA physician. Distinguished guests, supporters, leadership and team members who played diverse and pivotal roles in the center’s success were recognized, and milestones were highlighted.
Dr. Hui presented the history of the CEWM and thanked UCLA leadership who mentored him and supported his efforts to launch the center in 1993. “My dream during medical school was to create a new medical model by blending the best of both modern Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine to make health care more effective, safer, affordable and accessible to all,” Dr. Hui said. “I am greatly indebted to many of my patients, who have entrusted their lives to me and helped teach not only me, but also our trainees, and to those who provided philanthropic support.”
Other UCLA CEWM team members spoke about their programs, including Drs. Edward Hui, director of the CEWM Santa Monica Clinic; Andrew Shubov, of the CEWM Inpatient Hospitalist Program; Lawrence Taw, director of the CEWM Torrance and Palos Verdes clinics; and Annie Zhang, who spoke on behalf of Dr. Malcolm Taw, director of the CEWM Westlake Village clinic.
Honored for their philanthropy and continued support were Wing N. Pang and Elaine C. Pang, CEWM co-founders; Beryl Weiner; Cathleen Mitchell; and Joyce S. Abbott. Dr. Ming-Dong Li, CEWM clinician and director of Chinese Medicine Education, was recognized for 15 years of distinguished leadership. Other honorees who have supported the center but who were unable to attend included Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer, Peggy and Andrew Cherng and Louise Sylvia Danelian. Testimonials also were shared by those who have benefited from the center’s work through the years.
Since its inception, the CEWM has been at the forefront of what has become a global movement toward the development of a patient- and society-centered model that emphasizes preventive health care. In the next decade, the CEWM aims to continue improving access to its health care model within UCLA and through collaborations with international nonprofit organizations.
For more information, Ellen Haddigan-Durgun at: 310-206-3878
