Prof. Shan-Chwen Chang, Executive Vice President, National Taiwan University.
(Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan. Dr. Chang was awarded the "Third Class Order of Brilliant Star" in 2023.)
"Do what you need to do, and spare no effort in doing so." Dr. Chang has dedicated himself to epidemic prevention on three different occasions. From SARS in 2003, H1N1 influenza in 2009, to COVID-19 in 2020, Dr. Chang served as Director of the Division of Infectious Disease at NTU Hospital, Dean of the NTU College of Medicine, and finally the Executive Vice President of NTU, respectively. Confronted with highly dire situations, he did not hesitate to take on the role of the Convenor of the advisory panel to the CECC, contributing whatever he could to fight the pandemic.
Three years after COVID-19 hit the globe, it was eventually reclassified as a Category 4 notifiable communicable disease on May 1, 2023. Six months after, life returned to normal, with all Taiwanese citizens adopting prevention measures as a daily habit. The success of pandemic prevention would not have been possible without the citizens' cooperation, including adherence to government policies and the cultivation of good personal hygiene habits, such as wearing masks and regular handwashing.
In the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, NTU proactively initiated a series of projects concerning COVID-19 prevention and research. NTU secured eight government projects and participated in over 20 industry-academia collaboration projects. Moreover, the University acquired licenses for 17 technologies, including rapid screening, vaccine development and medication treatment. NTU published 139 related papers, accounting for 19.8% of nationwide publications. Through the "COVID-19 Special Visiting Student Program," the University admitted over 400 Taiwanese students studying abroad to continue their studies by taking courses at NTU. These achievements are the result of the joint efforts of the entire NTU community and demonstrate the University’s steadfast commitment to fulfilling its social responsibilities.