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IPCEA History

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IPCEA Over the Years…

The concept of the IPCEA was born out of an approach in 2006 by the American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF) to Heart To Heart International (HHI), a global humanitarian organization, to investigate opportunities for DOs who wanted to volunteer for humanitarian efforts domestically and internationally.  This led Dr. Royce Keilers, a member of the AOF Board of Directors, to travel to the Sichuan Province with HHI to learn more about their healthcare training efforts in the province.  Later, HHI invited Chinese educators from Sichuan Province to the United States to observe and consult with American osteopathic physicians about how to retrain specialists as generalists.

In May 2007, an AOF team consisting of six primary members, Dr. Keilers (chair), Teresa Hubka, DO, FACOOG; Steve Downey, former AOF Executive Director; Kenneth J. Veit, DO, MBA; William J. Burke, DO, FACOFP; and Ronnie B. Martin, DO, FACOFP, traveled to Chengdu to share how osteopathic family physicians are trained, to learn more about the Chinese healthcare system, and to identify opportunities for partnership.

These initial efforts were a collaboration between HHI, AOF, the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, the Health Department of Sichuan Province, the International Exchange Center, Sichuan University West China School of Medicine and West China Hospital, the Sichuan Provincial Hospital, and Welch Allyn.  What started with a single visit between practitioners has grown into a significant family medicine train-the-trainer program across the country with multiple cohorts of learners throughout the Sichuan Province, the city of Shenzhen and Beijing under the auspices of the IPCEA.

China 2007 Delegation

Above:  2007 China Delegation

The IPCEA Board is grateful for the vision and friendship of Gary Morsch, Larry He and Sue Mangicaro for their tireless support of the China programs.

Larry He and Dr. William Burke US Capitol Rotunda 2009

Above:  Larry He and Bill Burke at US Capitol Rotunda

Below:  Bill Burke, Ronnie Martin and Gary Morsch in Shenzhen

Bill Burke, Ronnie Martin & Gary Morsch in Shezhen
Dr. Royce Keilers and Sue Mangicaro at HHI Awards Ceremony

Above:  Royce Keiler and Sue Mangicaro at HHI Awards Ceremony.

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IPCEA History Timeline

May 2007
Chengdu, China trip to evaluate the current state of primary care medicine in China and to share the U.S. perspective
October 2007
Chengdu, China trip to provide formal and informal education on common primary care conditions and family practice residency training.
April 2008
Visit to the U.S. by a group of 20 Chinese physicians and administrators for faculty development program including direct teaching and residency training site visits.
May 2008
Chengdu, China trip to provide medical assistance in the aftermath of a 7.9 earthquake.

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July 2008
Dr. Burke presented a lecture entitled “Introduction to Family Practice Residency Training in the United States” at the Chinese Medical Doctors Association’s Conference on Postgraduate Medical Education on July 8, 2008, in Nanjing, China.
November 2009
Chengdu, China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice residency training.
May 2010
Chengdu and Nanchong, China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice residency training.
April 2011
Chengdu, Leshan, and Luzhou, China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice residency training.
June 2011
Shenzhen, China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice residency training.
May 2012
Chengdu and Deyang. China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice residency training.
January 2013
Shenzhen, China trip to initiate a three-year primary care train-the-trainer program focusing on the approach to common chronic and acute diseases managed by primary care physicians.
May 2013
Chengdu and Guan'An, China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice retraining.
June 2014
Chengdu and Dazhou, China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice retraining.
December 2014
Shenzhen, China trip to assess the primary care retraining program participants at the end of their second year.
August 2015
Macau, China; Dr. Burke was a participant at the WHO Interregional Research Conference on TM/CAM.
September 2015
Chengdu, Yibin County, and Mianyang, China trip to provide formal and informal education on the outpatient approach to common primary care conditions and family practice retraining.
December 2015
Shenzhen, China to assess and graduate the primary care train-the-trainer program participants in cohort #1 at the end of their three-year program.
June 2016
Chengdu, China to begin a new, two-year train-the-trainer program.
October 2016
Beijing, China to begin a one-year, train-the-trainer program at Capital Medical University.
June 2017
Beijing, China – completion of the Capital Medical University program and start of a new family medicine train-the-trainer program in Chaoyang District.
April 2018
Shenzhen, China to assess and graduate the primary care retraining participants in cohort #2 at the end of their two-year program.
June 2018
Shenzhen, China to start a new training program for cohort #3, and Chengdu, China to start a new family medicine train-the-trainer program.
April 2019
Beijing, China to assess and graduate the primary care retraining program participants in Chaoyang at the end of their two-year program
September 2019
A team of three to Chengdu, Sichuan, China for the 12th Annual Sino-American General Medical Faculty Training program
December 2019
Last in-person visit to Shenzhen, China for the third cohort's train-the-trainer program prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
January 2021
Virtual graduation ceremony for the third Shenzhen cohort after the completion of a formal written assessment at the end of their two-year program.
November 2021
Dr. Burke was invited to present live, virtually at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine's Xing-lin International Week celebrating the 65th anniversary of the university's founding. He presented on osteopathic medicine and the IPCEA's journey in retraining specialists primary care physicians.