Professor Kuei-Min Chen has devoted her entire research career on the most challenging physical activity interventions and their translation into practice to improve the health of older adults. Professor Chen has established and led an interdisciplinary research team, including nursing, geriatric medicine, sports medicine, occupational therapy, social work, and statistics, that developed, tested, and translated the use of complementary/alternative therapies to promote the health of older population since 2000. Five innovative exercise programs tailored to older adults have been developed: (1) Simplified Tai-Chi Exercise Program (STEP); (2) Silver Yoga (SY); (3) Senior Elastic Band (SEB); (4) Wheelchair-bound Senior Elastic Band (WSEB); and (5) Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA). These programs have led to positive physical and psychological health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs in community-dwelling older adults, frail older adults in nursing homes, those in wheelchairs, and those with dementia in Taiwan. These five exercise programs have been used by researchers in Australia, England, India, and Hong Kong.
Based on her substantive and widespread impact, Professor Chen has received several academic awards nationally and internationally: (1) 2019 Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing from the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (1st recipient in Taiwan), (2) 2018 Distinguished International Alumni Leadership Award from University of Minnesota (1st nursing alumni to receive this award at University of Minnesota), (3) 2017 Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, (4) 2017 Amy J. Berman International Geriatric Nursing Leadership Award from the Sigma Theta Tau International (1st recipient in Asia), (5) 2016 Outstanding Nursing Professional Contribution from the Taiwan Nurses Association (The youngest recipient in the nursing history of Taiwan), (6) 2014 Distinguished Alumni of Fooyin University, and (7) 2000 Clinical Medicine Research Award from the Gerontological Society of America.
Professor Chen has published 108 articles in top international journals, 18 book chapters in the leading national and international textbooks on complementary/alternative therapies, and 113 presentations at international conferences. In addition, Professor Chen has been invited as a keynote or plenary speaker in more than 13 international conferences to address the use of complementary/alternative therapies in promoting the health of older adults.
Internationally, she has been consulted by the researchers and doctoral students from Australia, England, India, and Hong Kong on their projects using the five exercise programs that her research team developed.