for Contribution to Chinese Medicine
Professor TC Lin has arguably been the person who has shaped the history of Chinese medicine in modern Australia. Trained in traditional Chinese medicine, he is accomplished in Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. In 1975 Professor Lin began lecturing on Chinese Medicine and Acupunture Studies at the Chi Thien Chinese Medicine College in Vietnam. He was later awarded an honorary PhD in Medicine (with Honours) at the Yimaneli University, British Commonwealth.
Professor TC Lin completed his PhD degree of Medical Science, in the study of Hepatitis B at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. In completing his PhD, Professor TC Lin wrote a thesis on the clinical experience and approaches of Professor Jin Shi in the management of Hepatitis B. Professor Jin developed 'Longshe Decoction', a new Chinese herbal formula that was used as the base formula for the clinical evaluation on the effects of Chinese herbal medicines on hepatitis B. The study compared the clinical results of the formula against a control of Silibinin, the major active constituent of silymarin, the mixture of flavonolignans extracted from blessed milk thistle. Eighty (80) patients with chronic hepatitis B were involved in this study and monitored for a period of 6 months. At the end of the study period the group that was taking the chinese herbal treatment had a better response (90.00% of the patients) to the treatment than the group that was taking Silibinin (60.00% of the patients). This was the first time systemically to use modern laboratory investigation methods to assess or evaluate the treatment result in hepatitist B with Chinese herbal medicines.
Professor Lin originally emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, in 1979 where he developed two successful Chinese medicine clinics. He began lecturing as a senior lecturer at the Clinical Acupunture of the Australian Acupunture College Melbourne in 1981. It was then that he began to make his mark on the history of Chinese medicine development in Australia.
Professor Lin founded the Federation of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Societies of Australia Inc. (FCMA) in 1990 and that is now one of the largest professional bodies representing Chinese medicine practitioners in Australia. The FCMA became a consulting body for the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Australian Government about issues relating to Chinese medicine (1991-1992).
Professor Lin realised that if the profession of Chinese medicine was to develop in Australia and become effectively regulated, the educational standard had to be high. Working in conjunction with Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, he developed a five-year undergraduate course in Chinese medicine at RMIT University in Melbourne, the first comprehensive degree course in Chinese medicine providing training in both Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, and a two-year Masters degree in acupuncture. Professor Lin chaired the Chinese Medicine Development Committee and Chinese Medicine Management Committee at RMIT University. The first student in take was in 1993. The creation of these courses laid the foundation for the regulation of Chinese medicine in Victoria.
He has been active in Chinese medicine research undertaking clinical trials on the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of various diseases. He has lectured extensively on Chinese medicine and has chaired numerous conferences in both China and Australia. He has published widely in medical journals and is the author of several books on Chinese medicine.
In 1995, Professor Lin headed the delegation to the Department of Human Services, Victoria, that led to the review of the practice of Chinese medicine in Australia. Legislation was subsequently developed in the state of Victoria for the regulation of Chinese medicine.
During this time, he served as a Committee member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Chinese Medicine to the Victorian Health Minister and lobbied both sides of the Government to support the regulation of Chinese medicine. The Chinese Medicine Registration Act 2000 was passed in Victorian Parliament in May 2000. Professor Lin was appointed to the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria in December 2000.
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