Hualien Tzu Chi General Hospital, established in 1986,  was the only medical center here in the rural  eastern coast of Taiwan. The hospital was founded by Dharma Master Cheng Yen, with the aim to “relieve the suffering of those in need, and create a better world for all”.

        In order to generate knowledge from research to alleviate human suffering through treatment and prevention of disease, a research task force was first established in 1990, and  became  “Tzu Chi Medical Research Center” in 1992. In 1995, the research center was promoted to become “Department of Medical Research”. The Tzu Chi Department of Medical Research are now equipped with sufficient personnels, laboratories and research facilities to support all sorts of research.