Shih Chun-jen (; 2 December 1923 – 18 June 2017) was a Taiwanese neurosurgeon who led the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

from 1986 to 1990. Born in Taichung in 1923, he studied medicine at

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

. Upon earning his degree in 1947, Shih began working for the

National Defense Medical Center National Defense Medical Center (NDMC; ) is a ROC military affiliated medical school in Taipei, Taiwan. The NDMC is responsible for the training of military doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. History The former institute of the Nat ...

. He completed his residency at

Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital The Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (MNI), also known as Montreal Neuro or The Neuro, is a research and medical centre dedicated to neuroscience, training and clinical care, located in the city's downtown core of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

in Canada from 1956 to 1958 and returned to Taiwan. That year, Shih began a cancer registry among three Taiwanese healthcare systems:

National Taiwan University Hospital The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH; ) is a medical facility located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. It started operations under Japanese rule in Daitōtei (today's Dadaocheng) on 18 June 1895, and moved to its present ...

Tri-Service General Hospital The Tri-Service General Hospital (TSGH; ) is a medical center in Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is the teaching hospital of the National Defense Medical Center. History The hospital was originally established in 1946 as 801 Army General Ho ...

, and the Veterans' General Hospitals. A larger registry overseen by the Department of Health was started in 1979. Shih was appointed the head surgeon at Tri-Service General Hospital, a medical institution affiliated with the National Defense Medical Center, in 1975. Two years later, he co-founded the Taiwan Neurological Society. Shih left Tri-Service General Hospital and the National Defense Medical Center to lead the Department of Health and stepped down from the DOH in 1990. He died of a heart attack in 2017 at

Taipei Veterans General Hospital Taipei Veterans General Hospital () is a national first-class medical center and a teaching hospital that provides tertiary patient care, undergraduate medical education programs and residency programs in Taiwan. It was founded in 1958 and admin ...

, aged 93.Alt URL
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shih, Chun-jen 1923 births 2017 deaths Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Taichung National Taiwan University alumni Taiwanese neurosurgeons Taiwanese Ministers of Health and Welfare 20th-century surgeons