Chang Po-ya (; born 5 October 1942) is a Taiwanese politician and physician who is the founder of the

Non-Partisan Solidarity Union The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union is a political party in Taiwan. It was established on 16 June 2004, led by founding Chairwoman Chang Po-ya and emerged a major player in the national political scene during the 2004 Taiwan legislative electio ...

, a political party in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Early life and education

Chang was born in what is now Chiayi City to Hsu Shih-hsien and Chang Chin-tung, both physicians. After graduating with a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

(M.D.) from Kaohsiung Medical University in 1968, Chang earned a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) in 1970 from the Institute of Public Health of

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

and a Bachelor of Medicine (B.M.). She then completed graduate studies in the United States at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, where she earned a second M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1974. Chang then pursued doctoral studies in Japan and earned her Ph.D. in

medical science Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pra ...

from Kyorin University in 1994.

Academic career

From 1980 to 1983, Chang was a professor at Kaohsiung Medical University, where she directed the medical college's Department of Public Health.

Political career

She was the mayor of her home city, serving three terms (1983–89, 1997–2000), the first time succeeding her mother, Hsu; the last time succeeding her sister, . The Chang daughters and mother are known as the Hsü Family of Chiayi (許家班). During her first term, martial law was lifted and she led the creation of The First 228 Peace Memorial Monument in Taiwan. She was the Minister of Health from June 2, 1990 to September 10, 1997 and led the creation of Taiwan's national health insurance system. Under President

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...

, she was the Minister of Interior from May 20, 2000 to February 1, 2002 and also served as Governor of the Taiwan Provincial Government. On 7 December 2002, she came in 4th as an independent candidate in the Kaohsiung City mayoral election. From 2014 to 2020, she served as the 5th President and first female President of Taiwan's Control Yuan.

Personal life

She was married to Chi Chan-nan (紀展南) from 1971 to his death in 2023, with a son and a daughter.

Notes

References

External links

Profile of Minister of the Interior Chang Po-ya from Taiwan Panorama (2000)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Po-ya 1942 births Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Living people National Taiwan University alumni Mayors of Chiayi Female interior ministers Ministers of the interior of Taiwan Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent Chiayi City Members of the Legislative Yuan Chairpersons of the Taiwan Provincial Government Kaohsiung Medical University alumni Women mayors of places in Taiwan Taiwanese presidents of the Control Yuan Ministers of health and welfare of Taiwan Leaders of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Women government ministers of Taiwan Taiwanese women physicians 20th-century women physicians Taiwanese political party founders 21st-century Taiwanese women politicians 20th-century Taiwanese women politicians 21st-century Taiwanese politicians 20th-century Taiwanese politicians Women governors and heads of sub-national entities Taiwanese women founders