To deepen international academic exchanges and foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the Department of Health Promotion and Health Education at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) hosted an academic exchange meeting on the afternoon of August 11, 2026. The meeting was chaired by Department Director Yin-Ju Lien. Professor Jörg Werner Kirchhoff from Østfold University College, Norway, was warmly welcomed to the campus. Attendees from the department included Professor Jong-Long Guo, Professor Fong-Ching Chang, Professor Yen-Jung Chang, and Ph.D. students Catherine Lin and Kevin Chang. Together, they engaged in a deep and warm academic dialogue in the department’s conference room.
Professor Jörg Werner Kirchhoff serves in the Department of Nursing, Health and Laboratory Science at Østfold University College, Norway. He has an interdisciplinary academic background in nursing, sociology, and work life science. In addition to his clinical nursing experience in emergency medicine and operating rooms, he has also served as a management consultant for Østfold Hospital in Norway, possessing rich experience in research, teaching, and clinical practice.
Professor Kirchhoff’s research expertise focuses on health care services, healthcare organization management, the application of digital technology (ICT) in health care, and the professional development of nursing staff and nursing students. His diverse and rich academic and practical experience is highly aligned with the research directions of several professors in our department. This alignment paved the way for this academic exchange, which was introduced by the College of International Studies and Social Sciences (CISS) and actively facilitated by the Department of Health Promotion and Health Education.
Following the conclusion of the meeting, accompanied by Ph.D. students from our department, Professor Kirchhoff toured the department’s facilities. He was deeply impressed by the department’s profound dedication and long-term cultivation in the fields of health promotion and health education.
Director Yin-Ju Lien stated that this exchange not only allowed both parties to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s teaching and research highlights but also built a bridge of friendship between NTNU and the Norwegian academic community. Looking ahead, the Department of Health Promotion and Health Education will continue to maintain an international perspective in education. The department looks forward to keeping in close contact with Østfold University College and hopes to achieve even more fruitful results in transnational academic cooperation in the near future.
