Who we are?

Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCI) is a unit coordinating globally to harness the potential contribution of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine to integrated health services, Universal Health Coverage and health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Qualified TCI products, practices and practitioners are an important resource for health systems and health services around the world. TCI work is guided by the WHA resolutions on traditional medicine WHA62.13 (2009) and WHA67.18 (2014) and focused on the implementation of the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 (extended to 2025).
 
The work is targeted towards promoting and supporting effective use of and equitable access to quality TCI products and services that are available, accessible, affordable, acceptable and safe, integrated and people-centred across the life course and care continuum including self-care. The emphasis is on regulation, research and appropriate integration of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine products, practices and practitioners into the health system and on contribution to health and wellbeing.

What we do?

TCI is aligning its key areas of work to the strategic shift of the Organization, by focusing on implementation of WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 (extended to 2025) mainly through producing technical products, fostering partnership, strengthening capacity building and providing leadership, to drive real impact in countries.

 

Leadership

  • Providing leadership and engaging in partnerships in implementing WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy.
  • Monitoring and assessing trends of TCI through global survey and measurement improvement.
  • Providing policy and technical guidance on the integration of TCIM into national and subnational healthcare delivery system to Member States.
  • Engaging Strategic Technical Advisory Group (STAG) to provide strategic guidance on TCI’s work in line with the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy, the Fourteenth General Program of Work (GPW14), ensuring sustainability, impact, and alignment with global health priorities.

 

Partnership

  •  International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH), WHO Collaborating Centres, non-State actors in official relations.
  • Engaging in partnerships for global network building.

Technical Products

  • Developing technical documents and tools for quality, safety and effectiveness of TCI.
  • Developing International terminologies and classifications of TCI.
  • Others including policy guidance, information tools and digital tools of TCI.

Country support

  • Providing technical support to countries and assisting their capacity building in area of TCI.
  • Shaping research agenda and stimulating knowledge dissemination for TCI in countries.
  • Articulating evidence-based policy options for TCI to bring real impact to countries.

Our team

Dr Sungchol Kim

Unit Head, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit

Dr Sungchol Kim has been serving as the Unit Head for Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit under the Integrated Health Services Department at WHO Headquarters in Geneva since February 2023.

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Dr. Sangyoung Ahn

Technical officer

Dr Aditi Bana

Technical officer

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Dua

Technical officer

Dr. Yachan Li

Technical officer

Dr. Qin Liu

Technical officer

Dr. Yunhui Shen

Technical officer

Dr. Yuk Ming Alice Wong

Technical officer

Contact

Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit

Integrated Health Services
World Health Organization
Avenue Appia 20
1211 Geneva
Switzerland

tci@who.int