Superintendent Tzeng-Ji Chen, MD, PhD

Biography

Current Positions

• Superintendent, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Hsinchu Branch

• Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine (Post-Baccalaureate Program), College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University

Education

• MD, National Yang-Ming Medical College

• PhD in Medicine, Heidelberg University, Germany

Contact Information

• Tel: +886-3-596-2134

Professional Experience

• Internal Medicine Resident, Yongkang Veterans Hospital, Tainan County

• Resident Physician, Department of Family Medicine, Heidelberg University, Germany

• Resident Physician, Teaching Hospital of Kiel University, Germany

• Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Family Medicine, University of Göttingen, Germany

• Resident Physician, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

• Chief Resident, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

• Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

• Attending Physician, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

• Director, Hospice and Palliative Care Division, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

• Director, Community Medicine Division, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

• Director, Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

• Director, Big Data Center, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital

Academic Appointments

• Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University

• Full-time Lecturer, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University

• Full-time Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University

• Joint Appointment Associate Professor, Institute of Health Information and Decision Science, National Yang-Ming University

• Joint Appointment Associate Professor, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine / College of Life Sciences, National Yang-Ming University

• Full-time Professor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University

• Joint Appointment Professor, Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine / College of Life Sciences, National Yang-Ming University

• Department Chair, Teaching Hospital, National Yang-Ming University

• Chair, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

• Full-time Professor, Institute of Healthcare Management, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

• Joint Appointment Professor, Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

• Clinical Professor, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center

• Professor, Preparatory Office, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University

• Contract Researcher and Clinical Teaching Instructor, Taichung Veterans General Hospital

• Senior Consultant Scholar, Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital

• External Committee Member, Curriculum Committee, Post-Baccalaureate Program in Medicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, National Tsing Hua University

Board Certifications

• Specialist in Family Medicine, Germany (Facharzt für Allgemeinmedizin)

• Board-Certified Family Physician, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Professional Associations

• Taiwan Association of Family Medicine

• Chinese Medical Association

Social and Professional Service

• Since 2008: Medical Consultant (Vertrauensarzt), Austrian Office Taipei (Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

• Since 2011: Member, Joint Institutional Review Board

• Since 2019: Editor, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

• Since 2021: Board Director, Ta-Te Hospice and Palliative Care Development Foundation

• Since 2022: Member, Hsinchu County Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee

• Since 2022: Member, Physician Disciplinary Committee, Hsinchu County Government

• Since 2022: Member, Medical Review Committee, Hsinchu County Government

• Since 2023: Secretary-General, Association of Public Hospitals of the Republic of China

• Since 2023: Board Director, Chinese Medical Association

• Since 2023: Editorial Board Member, Journal of the Chinese Medical Association

• Since 2023: Member, Continuing Education and Interprofessional Development Committee, Taiwan Association of Family Medicine

• Since 2025: Board Director, Chinese Medical Research and Development Foundation

Research Interests

• Family Medicine

• Medical Informatics

• Pharmacoepidemiology

• Health Services Research

• Scientometrics

Language and Technical Skills

• Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, English, German

• Perl, SQL, R, VBA, JavaScript, Python

Publications

• CV_TJCHEN.pdf / CV_TJCHEN_en.pdf

• PubMed / Google Scholar / Scopus / Research.com (1) (2) / AD Scientific Index (1) (2)

Stories of VGH Hsinchu

Guarding Provincial Highway No. 3: The People and Stories of Taipei Veterans General Hospital Hsinchu Branch

Message from the Superintendent

[Tseng-Chi Chen’s Blog]

A Rural Hospital in the World's High-Tech Hub

(By Tseng-Chi Chen)

Taiwan is frequently struck by typhoons, but the Central Mountain Range shields the densely populated western plains. In recent decades, Taiwan's economic “guardian mountain” has been the Hsinchu Science Park and its surrounding areas, home to numerous world-class high-tech companies.

Like many professionals working in the science park, Mr. Chen came alone to Hsinchu after graduating from university. Through years of hard work, he built a successful career over three decades. Yet being unable to care for his parents in person always weighed heavily on his heart.

The phone call he feared most eventually came. His 75-year-old mother collapsed from a hemorrhagic stroke and was admitted to the intensive care unit of Tri-Service General Hospital in Neihu, Taipei. Her Glasgow Coma Scale score was six (with three being the worst and fifteen the best).

After a month with no improvement, hospital staff began discussing discharge arrangements due to National Health Insurance regulations. Home care was nearly impossible, leaving transfer to another hospital as the only option. After online searches and recommendations from friends and family, Taipei City Guandu Hospital—known for chronic care, nursing home services, convenient MRT access, and renowned neurologists—seemed the best choice. An online appointment was made, medical records copied, and the family rushed there.

The outpatient clinic was packed, with over a hundred patients waiting. Mr. Chen grew increasingly anxious. Even at three minutes per patient, it would take until afternoon to be seen—would there be time for proper explanation? A kind elderly woman in the waiting area explained that Guandu Hospital's nursing home beds were extremely scarce, often requiring years of waiting. Given his mother’s intubation, she suggested consulting an attending physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

They rushed to VGH Taipei, also located in Beitou. Dr. Wu Cheng-Hsueh was compassionate and promised to help as much as possible, but beds were in short supply. One ward building had been demolished, with a new one scheduled to open in April 2022. Additionally, more than 200 beds had been reserved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing occupancy rates to record highs. Dr. Wu also gently hinted that the prognosis was poor. A seasoned businessman, Mr. Chen understood the unspoken message and, with deep resignation, could only wait.

Driving back to Hsinchu in low spirits, he chose Provincial Highway No. 3 instead of National Freeway No. 1—longer and slower, but allowing time to reflect. Upon entering Zhudong Township, he suddenly noticed the sign for Taipei Veterans General Hospital Hsinchu Branch and immediately turned into the hospital. By chance, one last nursing home bed was available. He reserved it immediately, and his mother was transferred a few days later.

Although she no longer required a ventilator, breathing remained difficult. Doctors in Taipei had suggested a tracheostomy to facilitate care and feeding, but his mother had previously signed an advance decision refusing the procedure to preserve bodily integrity. Her children dared not go against her wishes.

Despite being a nursing facility, staff at VGH Hsinchu Branch provided meticulous care, following the National Health Insurance Post-Acute Care (PAC) integrated care model and actively assisting with rehabilitation. A miracle occurred: the tube was removed, her ability to eat improved, her complexion brightened, and her consciousness gradually returned. She no longer felt like a stranger. Mr. Chen was grateful that he had taken Highway No. 3 that day—and thankful to the silent angels working in a hospital he had previously overlooked.

Zhudong Township is a remarkable place. With nearly 100,000 residents, it is the second-largest administrative district in Hsinchu County after Zhubei City, and the second-largest township in Taiwan after Caotun. Stretching nearly 20 kilometers east to west along the Touqian River, it is home to the Industrial Technology Research Institute, the cradle of Taiwan’s high-tech industry, on its western edge near Hsinchu City. VGH Hsinchu Branch lies on the eastern side, bordering mountainous indigenous townships.

Taiwan is divided into 49 sub-medical regions, eight of which are classified as highly remote. Taitung County has three, Hualien and Pingtung Counties each have two, and the remaining one is Zhudong. The Zhudong sub-medical region includes Zhudong Township as well as Baoshan, Beipu, Emei, Qionglin, Hengshan, Guanxi, Jianshi, and Wufeng Townships—the last three being indigenous areas. The number of physicians per 10,000 residents in Zhudong is lower than in Fangliao and Hengchun in Pingtung County, and less than half that of Yuli in Taitung County. Considering the outflow of young and middle-aged adults, the situation is even more severe.

VGH Hsinchu Branch is also a remarkable hospital. With 858 beds, it has a longer history than the main VGH Taipei campus. Its predecessors include the First Army Medical Corps, Zhudong Veterans Sanatorium, and Zhudong Veterans Hospital, and it became affiliated with VGH Taipei in 2013. In earlier decades, due to poor public health and nutrition, many soldiers retired early due to tuberculosis, leading veterans hospitals to be established in remote mountainous areas as sanatoriums.

As society evolved, veterans hospitals assumed the role of community hospitals, serving both veterans and the general public. Today, VGH Hsinchu Branch is a hospital for veterans, indigenous peoples, and the general population alike. It provides acute, chronic, and long-term care, serves as the emergency response hospital and emergency care center along Provincial Highway No. 3, and stands like a frontier fortress of ancient times—protecting local residents and travelers alike. The mission is demanding, the responsibility immense, yet it is embraced with courage and unwavering commitment.