November 18, 2024
Tzu Chi University’s ‘Silent Mentor’ program in Taiwan
By Tzu Chi Foundation
“While we live, our bodies are of use to us. After we pass away, they can be of even greater use for educating doctors to save lives.”
— Master Cheng Yen
Professor Guo-Fang Tseng has dedicated over 30 years to redefining medical education through Tzu Chi University’s ‘Silent Mentor’ program. These Silent Mentors—generous individuals who donated their bodies to science—are honored not as mere specimens but as invaluable teachers, each with a life story that students learn and respect.
Under Professor Tseng’s guidance, medical students gain not only technical skills but also a deep empathy and gratitude for their mentors, making each lesson a reminder of the compassion and humanity at the heart of medicine.
#TzuChi #SilentMentor #MedicalEducation #CadaverDonation #TzuChiUniversity
For over 30 years, Professor Guo-Fang Tseng has been pioneering an extraordinary approach to medical education at Tzu Chi University through the Silent Mentor program.
Unlike traditional methods that view cadavers as merely anatomical specimens, this unique program honors the humanity and lives of each donor, respectfully calling them “Silent Mentors.”
Before each session, students and surgeons will meet the families of the silent mentors, learning about the donors' lives and composing brief biographies.
Bodies are kept frozen and then thawed to retain qualities similar to those of a living patient, providing realistic surgical training in a fully simulated hospital setting.
They are known as ‘Silent Mentors’ because, although they can no longer teach with words, they provide invaluable lessons to future doctors. Beyond anatomy and surgical skills, they teach respect, gratitude, and compassion.
