IASTAM - History

The International Association for the
Study of Traditional Asian Medicine

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History

President	Dr. Volker Scheid, University of Westminster, UK
Vice-President	Dr. Judith Farquhar, University of Chicago, USA Dr. Geoffrey Samuel, Cardiff University, UK
Secretary General	Dr. Marta Hanson, Johns Hopkins University, USA
Treasurer	Dr. Joseph S. Alter, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Council Members	Dr. Vivienne Lo, University College, London
	Dr. Maarten Bode, University of Amsterdam
	Dr. Narendra Bhatt, Zandu Pharmaceuticals
	Dr. Martha Ann Selby, University of Texas, Austin, USA
	Dr Waltraud Ernst, Southampton University
	Ms. Emma Griffin, University College, London

Honorary Members	Dr. Charles Leslie,
	Dr. Paul Unschuld,
	Dr. Kenneth Zysk

The International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (IASTAM) was founded in 1977, when student called Ken Zysk, at the ANU, convinced his professor, the late A. L. Basham, that a conference on Asian medicine would be a good idea. The story of the planning of the first International Conference on Traditional Asian Medicine (ICTAM) held in Canberra in 1979 was told by the late Prof. Basham in the sixth issue of the IASTAM Newsletter. At the 1979 conference, Prof. Charles Leslie accepted the post of Secretary to IASTAM.

For the following decade, under the sure and energetic guidance of Basham and Leslie, historian and medical anthopologist respectively, IASTAM flourished. It was, and perhaps remains, the only international organisation in the field of Asian medicine making a serious attempt to embrace both academics and practitioners. IASTAM has always sought to give each of these communities a platform for the expression of their views, respecting the integrity of each group while nevertheless privileging the free exchange of knowledge over involvement in any particular commercial interest or therapeutic regime.

By 1989, IASTAM had produced thirteen issues of a news-packed Newsletter, had organized large international conferences in Surabaya (1984) and Bombay (1990), a number of local meetings in different countries, as well as founding several national chapters of the international IASTAM. The leadership of IASTAM passed from Basham to a succession scholars of international repute, Paul U. Unschuld, Francis Zimmermann and, more recently, Lawrence I. Conrad. The fourth ICTAM was held in Tokyo in 1994. At that point, IASTAM's activities moved into a more devolved phase, with the North American, European, and Indian chapters of the organization holding separate, highly successful local conferences. IASTAM's newsletter, edited by Charles Leslie (1982-84), and Francis Zimmermann (1984-89), was re-named "Asian Medicine Newsletter" in 1989. Its frequency dropped off in the early 1990s, although the issues which did appear, edited by Charles W. Nuckolls (1992-94) and Lawrence Cohen (1996) were as packed and stimulating as ever.

Under the able editorship of Waltraud Ernst, IASTAM's newsletter has been put back on a regular schedule, with two lively and informative issues appearing in 1998. A local London meeting of IASTAM has been announced for October 1999 and an international ICTAM for 2002 is in the early stages of planning (see the Newsletter for more information).

IASTAM's constitution governs the running of the organisation.

For membership enquiries, please see the details at the IASTAM membership web page.

Download Flyer: Information on IASTAM Membership and ICTAM VII-Bhutan, September 2009