An influential figure in modern Chinese medicine, Prof. Zanyu Chen’s journey with the discipline started before he’d even been born. With a long family line of Chinese medicine practitioners, it seems he was always destined to embark on a professional career in the vocation chosen by many of his forebears.

He graduated from the Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BUTCM) in 1992 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Western Medicine and Chinese Medicine. He spent some time working in one of BUTCM’s affiliated hospitals before becoming a Lecturer of Chinese Herbal Medicine at the university, while engaging in further studies to complete his masters.

After an eight year tenure at BUTCM, he started his successful clinic in the UK at the start of the millennium. He currently holds the following positions: Member of Council of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS), Chief Editor of Journal of Chinese Medicine in the UK, and President of the Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (FTCMP).

He is a staunch advocate for the continued synergy between Chinese medicine and acupuncture; indeed, he believes that without the overarching, guiding hand of Chinese medicine, acupuncture may lose its power to nourish, heal and transform altogether. Professor Chen’s style is influenced as much by his personal ideologies as his considerable education. He believes Chinese medicine extends far past the remit of healthcare, offering potential solutions to worldly problems both environmental and cultural.

Peter Deadman is a Chinese medicine practitioner, the founder of one of the most influential journals in the industry, and co-author of one of its most important books. His storied life has involved heated rows with David Bowie, the creation of an organic food store, and multiple endeavours that have left a significant mark on the world of western Chinese medicine. 

One of his most notable contributions to the industry and discipline itself is the Journal of Chinese Medicine. First published in 1979, the journal has consistently helped maintain and advance the standard of Chinese medicine in the western world.

In 1971 he founded a natural, organic food store which specialised in macrobiotics, born out of a desire to offer an alternative to over-processed, additive-laden supermarket offerings. It was an enterprise made with love and specifically not driven by the usual purpose of making money. 

He has written and co-authored a number of books, with the most celebrated of those being the seminal A Manual of Acupuncture, published in 1998. It remains a methodological touchstone for acupuncturists throughout the western world. He is very active as a practitioner today, offering a variety of different courses at in-person events and online. 

He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Distinguished Professor of Northwest University, Xi’an, China. Tai-Ping Fan is a retired Associate Professor and Head of Angiogenesis & Natural Products Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology at the  University of Cambridge.

In his early career, he developed a simple, rapid and reproducible method for quantitative studies of the vascular events (angiogenesis/neovascularisation, vasodilation and vascular shutdown) in skin graft healing and rejection using 133Xe injection.

Tai-Ping Fan continues to use multi-disciplinary approaches (pharmacology, botany, bioinformatics, bioengineering, synthetic biology, standardisation and regulation) to discover and optimise natural products aiming to elucidate their molecular targets and develop novel chemical drugs and/or botanical drugs with biotech or pharmaceutical companies.

In April 2023, he was invited by Academician Yang Huanming (the founder of Beijing
Genomics Institute) to chair “Omics and TCM” session of the 18th International Genomics Conference (Zhangjiajie, Beijing, Nanjing, Wenzhou), presenting a lecture “Advances in TCM Research and Development in the Big Data Era”, Tai-Ping Fan has also proposed the establishment of a Sino-European Centre for Phytopharmaceutical Research.

Dr Rui Fang is the Natural Product Chemist and Research Leader of the Commercial Innovation Unit at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Tasked with analysing the biological activities of various plants and fungi, he is also partly responsible for assessing the quality of any naturally-derived products that enter a number of different industries.  

One of his main focuses is isolating active compounds guided by in-vitro bioassays, a method which allows him to formulate/support theories on the scientific basis for their uses within Chinese medicine. The structures of each compound are determined using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy.  

An exceedingly important aspect of his role is evaluating the quality of natural products entering various markets (food, cosmetics, healthcare and more). By collaborating with colleagues, utilising data and drawing on his own steadily-increasing wealth of knowledge, he helps to maintain the overall standard of natural products used, within herbal Chinese medicine and many other sectors. 

Dr. Andrew Flower has been practising acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine since 1992. On graduating he gained a wide range of experience working in private practice, within the UK National Health Service and voluntary sector working with people with HIV/AIDS and with drug and alcohol addictions.

He is a past President of the UK Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine and has advised the European Herbal Traditional Practitioners Association on developing research strategies in Europe. In 2009, he completed his PhD at The University of Southampton exploring the role of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of endometriosis. He has published a number of peer-reviewed papers relating to Chinese medicine research, including two Cochrane systematic reviews.

He co-ordinated an EU project that prepared guidelines to improve the quality of clinical trials into Chinese medicine. In 2011 he was awarded a 5 year NIHR Post doctoral Fellowship to investigate Chinese herbs for the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs) that has resulted in the RUTI trial that started recruiting in Feb 2016. He has a special interest in providing supportive treatment for people with cancer.

Dr. Xiao-Yang Hu is a Senior Research Fellow of the Primary Care, Population Sciences, Medical Education and the Faculty of Medicine units at the University of Southampton. She specialises in research topics such as Evidence-Based Integrative and Complementary Medicine, Mixed Methods Research, and Antimicrobial Stewardship. She is also a Senior Enterprise Fellow at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Design Service. 

Drawing on her background in evidence-based integrative medicine, she has coordinated multiple research activities over the past 10 years, with many of her 40 publications centering around the integration of Chinese medicine in primary care settings. She displays a strong academic interest in research pertaining to herbal medicine in antimicrobial stewardship and self-care of long-term conditions.  

She has received a number of national and international grants over the past decade, including the NIHR School for Primary Care Research Launching Fellowship in 2016, which provided funding and facilitated the exchange of ideas between her and colleagues in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM). She is keen on securing additional funding from commercial and governmental sectors, which will allow her to (among other pursuits) continue to explore the integration of Chinese medicine in conventional healthcare settings. 

Prof. Dan Jiang is an accomplished practitioner who specialises in acupuncture, herbal medicine and natural therapies. In 1978 she embarked on an undergraduate course at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine; it was there that she studied the systematic training of conventional western medicine, learning and practising Chinese medicine until she achieved her postgraduate degree in 1982, and then her masters in 1987. She is a visiting professor of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

She began applying her craft in the UK, treating tens of thousands of patients as an Acupuncture Supervisor in Middlesex University’s Whittington Hospital and operating in private clinics in London and Sheffield. A valued member of the British Acupuncture Council, she has published an impressive 30+ papers on the various ways in which Chinese medicine can be used to treat common western diseases. She has also assisted multiple gynaecological research teams undertaking clinical studies on the role of Chinese medicine within the context of fertility issues and other problems of that nature.

She has a number of different specialities within the realm of acupuncture: female fertility and IVF, IBS, diarrhoea and constipation, chronic fatigue syndrome, menstrual disorders and cramp pain. She also has experience dealing with a variety of mental illnesses, such as stress, depression and anxiety. As with many of her fellow board members, she operates as a reassuring alternative to patients that have felt abandoned by the conventional medical system.

Dr. Michael McIntyre is a Chinese medicine practitioner with a rich history of scholarly endeavours and commercial success. His journey began in the 1970s, where he devoted many hours to the study of herbal medicine and acupuncture. His training at the National Institute of Medical Herbalists afforded him a level of knowledge that would serve as the foundation for his career as a herbalist.  

His time studying acupuncture was similarly influential; under tutelage from the late Giovanni Maciocia, he completed the Nanjing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine PRC International Course in Acupuncture in 1982. He launched the first UK school of Chinese herbal medicine in 1987 with his former tutor Maciocia, and remained co-principal with Mazin Al-Khafaji (a leading expert in Chinese medicine) until 2000.  

Over the last twenty years, he has shared his wisdom both at home and internationally, finding particular acclaim working with couples suffering from infertility issues. He holds a visiting professorship at Middlesex University, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.

He’s a lifetime member and former president of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, also holding lifetime membership at the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine. He has a degree in Modern History at Oxford University, and has written several books and articles on the subject of herbal medicine, even appearing in multiple documentaries.  

Fanyi Meng has been the programme leader of BSc (Hons) Acupuncture at Lincoln College and the University of Lincoln since 2004, one of the only state-sponsored academic and professional university degree courses in the UK.

He started his Chinese medicine education in 1978 at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and continued his training to become a Chinese medicine doctor. In 1992, he was promoted as an associate professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine at the age of 32, one of the youngest to reach the rank of senior academics. He received 2 national awards from the researches he carried out during these years.

From 2000, he took the role of Clinic Director of Teaching Clinic of Middlesex University’s Chinese Medicine Programme in the UK. And in 2004, he moved to Lincoln to take the role of programme leader of BSc (Hons) Acupuncture. During the past 15 years, he had worked for the University of Derby (BA Complementary Medicine), University of Wales (MSc Chinese Medicine), and University of Salford (BSc Chinese Medicine) as their External Examiner (independent quality controller), and gained extensive knowledge and experience in Chinese medicine education and research.

He is an active member of many professional bodies, such as the Chair of the Educational Committee of Chinese medicine and was a Board Member of both Chinese Medicine Accreditation Board and British Acupuncture Accreditation Board. In teaching practice, Fanyi has been teaching Chinese medicine theory, Chinese medicine pulse study, acupuncture theory and practice, clinical subjects, and Chinese medical Tuina for the past 20 years.

Saumeel Patel is a distinguished Chinese medicine practitioner with a huge amount of experience practising and teaching high-level Chinese medicine. He currently runs a private clinic that offers quality acupuncture treatment options for a range of different medical concerns.  

After graduating from the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM) in 1998, he became the Director of Studies in 1999 for five years. He was on the Board of Governors between 2005-2010, before assuming the role of Joint Principal and Director of Clinic from 2013 to 2018, eventually refocusing his efforts onto private clinical practice and the international lecture/conference circuit.

Over the years he has engaged in further study and assumed teaching roles at a number of different prestigious institutions: Sussex Medical School, University of Middlesex, International School of Acupuncture, Yunnan University China, and more. He has taught CPD courses and given postgraduate lectures in Classical Acupuncture and Gynaecology to acupuncturists, physiotherapists and doctors.

He also has extensive experience overseeing a high standard of Chinese medicine through an assortment of regulatory positions. He was a member of the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB) and the Paediatric Policy Committee of The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC), and is also the former Vice-President of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies. 

Amanda Shayle is a renowned acupuncturist and Vice President of The Acupuncture Society. Building on over two decades of clinical experience, she has long been channeling her drive and passion for the industry to engage in a number of successful pursuits, academically and professionally.  

She has worked on multiple projects designed to promote the research and integration of complementary Chinese medicine within the NHS. She holds a number of positions: Senior Lecturer for the College of Chinese Medicine (London), Vice Chairman of the Acupuncture Society, Advisory Board member for the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), is an approved USA Education provider for California Board and the Natural Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).  

Clinically, her areas of expertise over those 20 years have been women’s health, dermatology and facial rejuvenation. She also dedicated time to innovate during those enriching years as a practitioner, creating the now-patented intradermal needle Thrive in 2012, and pioneering LED light therapy integration with acupuncture a year later.  

Utilising her knowledge and experience, she created a company which specialises in cosmetic facial acupuncture. It offers a range of premium products, an academy for acupuncturists who wish to advance their skillset, and a clinic for treatments that use cutting-edge acupuncture technologies that she introduced herself. 

With over 20 years of practising and teaching Chinese medicine in the UK and China, across his career he has taught in the Netherlands, Ireland and Portugal. He is currently a senior lecturer and clinical supervisor of the acupuncture programme at Lincoln College. He holds both a Master’s degree from the Beijing University of TCM and a Bachelor’s degree from the Shanghai University of TCM.

He has held positions as the President of The Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in the UK, and as Chief Editor at the Journal of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. He conducts his work through his acupuncture clinic based in Birmingham.

Dr. Tiejun Tang has been engaged in TCM practice, education and research since 1984. He qualified from Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Military Medical University, and Guangzhou Chinese Medicine University with BSc, MSc and PhD degrees. His PhD tutor was Professor Deng Tietao. He used to practice and teach at the Fourth Military Medical University and did post-doctoral research at Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Science.

He came to the UK in 2005 and has been teaching Chinese medicine and acupuncture in Middlesex University for 12 years. Currently, he practises TCM in Harley Street, London and teaches TCM and acupuncture in multiple colleges across the UK and Europe.

He is the executive council member of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Society (WFCMS) and Vice-Chairman of the Special Committee of Clinical Cases Study of WFCMS and the Special Committee of Epidemic Disease of WFCMS.

Dr. Merlin Willcox is a clinical lecturer and researcher at the University of Southampton. His research interests include primary health care for disadvantaged populations, traditional medicine, and clinical trials of herbal medicine.

He qualified in medicine from the University of Oxford in 1998 and completed training as a General Practitioner in 2004. Since then he has combined clinical work as a GP with research. He has been involved in several clinical trials of herbal medicines for malaria and helped to set up a network of people involved in this field called “RITAM” (Research Initiative on Traditional Antimalarial Methods).

He has won the Michael Arthur Prize (2019), Academy of Medical Sciences Prize for the best published research 2018 (2019) and the Prize for best oral presentation in session 4 at Faculty of Medicine Conference (2020).

Since becoming a qualified Chinese medicine doctor in 1985, Prof. Mei Xing has established herself as one of the leading minds on women’s health, specifically fertility issues. After gaining her masters from Chengdu TCM university, she went on to practise integrated western and Chinese medicine for fifteen years, and now applies the vast wealth of knowledge she has accrued so far in her role as a practitioner and president of the Manchester Academy of TCM.

A year after emigrating to the UK in 2000, she was appointed the role of senior lecturer in TCM at Salford University. She was the programme leader for BSc Hons TCM Acupuncture, running the course until 2004. She went on to teach Traditional Acupuncture at Manchester Metropolitan University for five years, working as an accreditation officer, academic assessor and external academies for a number of universities across the globe.

She founded an academy in Manchester in 2016, which grants her greater control than ever over how she shares her wisdom. She also holds the positions of visiting professor of GuiZhou TCM University in China, visiting senior lecturer of ShenZhou Open University in Holland and the College of TCM Foundation in Ireland.

Dr. Qihe Xu is Director of King’s Centre for Integrative Chinese Medicine and Senior Lecturer in Renal Medicine & Pharmacology, King’s College London. He is also a Guest Professor of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital.

Built on 10 years of clinical experience in China and 30 years of laboratory experience in China, the USA and the UK, Dr Xu’s research interests focus on understanding how the kidney defends against acute and chronic insults, how these defence mechanisms are overcome in disease, and how the defence mechanisms can be mobilised or rescued for disease prevention and treatment.

In particular, he has more than 20 years of continued track record in studying the role of the vitamin A signalling in kidney health and disease, and R&D of botanicals as novel therapeutics against chronic inflammation and scarring of the kidney. As a Principal Investigator, his research has been funded by the European Commission, Kidney Research UK, Polycystic Kidney Disease Charity, British Heart Foundation, Innovation China UK, Royal Society, National Natural Science Foundation of China, etc.

Dapeng Zhang is a highly skilled TCM specialist with expertise in acupuncture and classic Chinese herbal medicine. He currently serves as Vice President of the European Association of Jingfang TCM and Vice president of the Professional Alliance of Chinese Acupuncturists UK.

Dapeng Zhang started his professional journey at Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in 1990, followed by a Master of Science (MSc) in the same subject three years later. He worked as a senior physician in the acupuncture department of the Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine until he moved to the UK in 2002.

Since then, Dapeng Zhang has applied his extensive experience and knowledge in various roles and settings. He worked as a Pain Management Supervisor at the University of Chicago and a Lecturer in the Acupuncture program at the University of East London. He regularly conducts seminars, workshops, and private tutorial classes in the UK, Asia, and European countries.

In 2009, Dapeng Zhang established the Dapeng Clinic, which was the culmination of his education and professional experience. Besides his clinical work, Dapeng Zhang is also committed to expanding the presence and scope of Chinese medicine in the western world.

With over 35 years experience, Prof. Ye Zhang is one of the UK’s foremost knowledgeable teachers and is an experienced practitioner of Chinese medicine.

She graduated from Shanghai University of TCM with a medical masters degree. Before coming to the UK, she worked at Shanghai University of TCM and affiliated hospitals as a professor and a qualified doctor, in both Chinese and Western medicine. She has published 4 books and more than 10 articles on TCM.

She has been practicing acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in the UK since 1997. She worked as a lecturer of TCM at the University of Westminster, Middlesex University, and at the Acupuncture College in Ireland as well. At present, she is a lecturer at the University of East London and a supervisor of the university’s affiliated clinic. She runs her own practice in Romford and in Central London near Islington, specialising in: gynaecological problems, chronic deficiency syndrome, emotional disorders, skin problems, pain syndrome and cancer health care etc.

She was a member of the executive committee of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) and member of British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB). Furthermore, in 2009, she set up a private Apprenticeship and supervision group of TCM.

Dr. Kaicun Zhao graduated with a Medical Bachelor degree in traditional Chinese herbal medicine from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in 1982. Then, he gained a Master of Medicine degree following a further training at Peking Union Medical College. In 1994, he was awarded a PhD degree at Royal Postgraduate Medical School of London University and specialised in clinical pharmacology.

He also serves as a member of the Expert Advisory Groups on herbal medicines for British Pharmacopoeia Commission and a member of the Herbal Medicine Advisory Committee of MHRA. He worked for many years as a council member and then as the president of the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, the largest professional body in Chinese medicine and acupuncture in the UK.

He has a long-term interest in the research in clinical Pharmacology and clinical trials of natural products and medicines developed from Chinese medicinal herbs. He worked as a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Imperial College and King’s College London respectively. His research works involved in the phase I clinical trial of artemisinin (Qinghaosu) and its derivatives was awarded the Prize for Scientific Progression by the Ministry of Public Health of China. While working on research, he attends clinical practice in Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture.