The World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) has announced that its 6th World Conference on Acupuncture will be held this October at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gold Coast, Australia. The theme of the conference will be "Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in the Modern Age," and is expected to draw hundreds of practitioners from the United States, Asia and elsewhere.
"We have every reason to believe that the conference will be a grand event for international academic exchange and examination of the worldwide progress of acupuncture," said WFAS President Deng Liangyue in a welcoming letter to attendees. "Acupuncture is an important resource of health care and is playing an active role in the economy and development of health care systems of all countries, and this conference will assist in its further development."
The WFAS is the official nongovernmental organization advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO). It was established in 1987, with support from the WHO, government agencies, and interested acupuncturists and acupuncture organizations. The last World Conference on Acupuncture was held in 2000 in Seoul, South Korea.
The 6th World Conference on Acupuncture will open Friday, Oct. 29 and runs through Oct. 31. In addition to the workshops and presentations, the federation will host a Gala Dinner at the Dreamworld Theme Park on Oct. 30, and a special post-conference workshop will be held Nov. 1.
More than two dozen speakers have been invited to the conference to deliver papers and presentations on a wide range of topics, ranging from the future of acupuncture research, to drug withdrawal and rehabilitation, to evidence-based acupuncture practices. Among those scheduled to speak is Dr. Richard Hammerschlag, the director of research at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, and Professor Cedric Kam Tat Cheung, president of the Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Society of Canada. Presentations will be delivered in both English and Chinese.
The Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA) has set up a website designed to provide information on the upcoming conference, including details on registration, accommodations and abstract submittals. For more information on the conference, visit www.acupuncture.org.au/wfas_2004.cfm.
