February 26, 2026 3:00PM, eastern
Zoom link: https://ncsu.zoom.us/j/91760373093?pwd=wtdUeQXWhJ9Fso6TAsNBebgg05dzL8.1
Developing and implementing the Wheelchair Tai Chi Chuan program in China and the US
Dr. Zibin Guo (University of Tennessee, Chattanooga)
Talk Summary: Dr. Zibin Guo is a Tai Chi Chuan master. Combining his experience in Tai-Chi with his work as a medical anthropologist, Dr. Guo worked with and learned from people with disabilities, rehab health-providers, and professionals of disability communities in both the U.S. and abroad. During this talk Dr. Guo, will describe his development of a wheelchair Tai-Chi-Chuan program in 2005 to make Tai-Chi-Chuan, a popular traditional martial/healing art, accessible to people with ambulatory challenges. A key feature of this program is its integration of wheelchair motion with TCC’s fluid movements, transforming the wheelchair from an assistive device into a tool for empowerment and artistic expression. He will also explain how his collaboration with disability organizations in China and with the 2008 Paralympics Committee led to the program being premiered at the 2008 Paralympics. It has since become a popular mind-body fitness program nationwide in China. Then, from 2016 to 2023, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in partnership with VA medical centers across the U.S., Dr. Guo led the project team and has delivered 107 instructional training workshops on wheelchair/adaptive Tai Chi Chuan for veterans’ programs to 1,480 healthcare providers at 85 VAMCs in 46 states, including Puerto Rico. It has become one of the most popular complementary healing modalities within the US VA Healthcare system. The main focus of this presentation will be the methodological approaches he used to develop and implement this program, also explaining why Tai-Chi-Chuan has been so successful for people with disabilities.
Bio: Dr. Zibin Guo is a professor in medical anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and a Tai Chi Chuan Master. He specializes in applied medical anthropology, applying traditional healing knowledge to develop intervention programs that promote physical and psychological well-being among vulnerable populations. Since 2016, funded by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Guo has been implementing an Inclusive/Adaptive Tai Chi Program for Veterans with disabilities, Prior to joining the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Dr. Guo served as a lecturer in the Department of Social Medicine of Harvard Medical School and as the Director of Clinical Studies at the New EnglandSchool of Acupuncture.