Last year, I attended the “Science of Tai Chi & Qigong as Whole-Person Health” conference hosted by the Osher Center for Integrative Health. The sheer breadth of groundbreaking scientific studies presented was nothing short of inspiring. Every attendee I spoke with shared the same sentiment: hope that this remarkable gathering would continue.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Gloria Yeh and Dr. Peter Wayne about the next conference, scheduled for April 30 – May 1, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts. From the planning progress, the upcoming symposium promises to be a showcase of innovation, bringing together top scientists from around the world. For practitioners passionate about Tai Chi and Qigong, this is shaping up to be nothing less than a rock concert for the healing arts.
Meet the Visionaries: Steady Eddie and Nervous Nelly
Dr. Gloria Yeh was drawn to medicine by her mother’s poor health. After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, she became a leading physician-scientist at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. While Western medicine saved her mother’s life, Gloria recognized the need to integrate healing practices like Tai Chi into whole-person health. Her research focuses on the physiological benefits of Tai Chi, particularly in cardiovascular function, metabolism, and promoting positive health behaviors.
Dr. Peter Wayne, author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, discovered Tai Chi and Asian philosophy as a teenager in New York. Before specializing in Tai Chi research, he studied evolutionary biology. Today, he is Bernard Osher Associate Professor of Medicine in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard Medical School and Director of Research for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.
“It is very stressful to conduct scientific studies,” Peter admits. “Gloria is a Steady Eddie, while I am a Nervous Nelly.”
Together, they have collaborated for over 25 years, starting with research on heart failure and Tai Chi. Gloria focuses on cardiovascular and metabolic health, while Peter examines movement, balance, cognition, and the links between tissue health and brain function. Their combined expertise has shaped decades of pioneering research.
The Birth of a Symposium
Two years ago, they realized the global research community had reached a critical mass. The inaugural symposium in September 2024 became a resounding success, reviewing progress, identifying research gaps, and exploring how Tai Chi and Qigong can be integrated into healthcare and extended to the broader public.
“The first symposium provided a roadmap,” Dr. Wayne notes. “Now, the second meeting will drill deeper into the physiological mechanisms behind these practices.”
The Osher Center: A Foundation for Integration
The success of the Osher Center stems from the vision of Mr. and Mrs. Osher, who championed East Asian arts, culture, and medicine. The Center, now part of an 11-center global collaborative network, advances integrative medicine through research, clinical care, and education.
Dr. Wayne attributes much of the Center’s achievements to pioneering scholars Dr. Ted Kaptchuk and Dr. David Eisenberg, whose foundational work created a platform for clinical innovation, fellowships, and operational integrative clinics that blend Eastern and Western approaches. The symposium exemplifies the Center’s mission to enhance health, resilience, and quality of life.
2026 Symposium Highlights: Pushing the Frontier
The upcoming conference will explore four major themes:
- Aging Brains, Aging Bodies
Tai Chi and Qigong’s effects on balance, cognition, and overall well-being across the lifespan. - Leveraging Technology
Innovative remote delivery methods, wearable sensors, telehealth, and biotechnology applications. - Research at the Frontier: Fascia, Fluids, and Biofields
Examining connective tissue, interstitium, meridians, and Qi. At the 2024 conference, Dr. Helene Langevin, Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, energized the audience:
“Tai Chi may help maintain or restore mobility within individual myofascial units… Even small positive increments distributed across the body could significantly benefit function over a lifetime.” She will return in 2026 to present updates on connective tissue, motion, and fluid dynamics relevant to Tai Chi. In addition, Dr. Martin Picard of Columbia University, who pioneered Mitochondrial Psychology, will present research on how mitochondrial health influences cognition, stress resilience, and brain-body communication. - TCQ and Integrative Oncology
Exploring how Tai Chi and Qigong can support cancer care and survivorship.
Leap of Faith: Making it Happen
Hosting a symposium of this scale requires enormous dedication, funding, and vision. Both Dr. Wayne and Dr. Yeh view it as an unparalleled opportunity for practitioners, teachers, and policymakers to learn from scientists and engage in meaningful dialogue. There will also be workshop to discuss how Tai Chi/Qigong practitioners can participate in scientific studies. They are working to secure funds to provide scholarships for young professionals, ensuring the next generation can benefit from this knowledge.
“Scientific studies are advancing at an unprecedented pace,” says Dr. Yeh. “In 25 years, whole-person health will be embraced universally, and Tai Chi and Qigong will play a central role. Conferences like this help us understand these practices from the molecular level to the whole-person perspective.”
Dr. Wayne highlights the vision of Bill Douglas, co-founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, whose Global Transformation Project aims to introduce Tai Chi and Qigong to elementary schools worldwide. Peter also hopes for wearable devices to facilitate Tai Chi practice.
“Ultimately,” he says, “we want to integrate Tai Chi and Qigong principles into daily life, making the practice effortless, natural, and accessible to everyone.”
Conclusion: A Rock Concert for the Healing Arts
The 2026 symposium promises to be a landmark event—a convergence of science, tradition, and innovation. For anyone passionate about the healing power of Tai Chi and Qigong, it will not only inform and inspire but also energize the entire global community, much like a rock concert celebrates music: loud, exciting, and unforgettable.
Extra: The Call for Research Abstracts and Call for Symposia Sessions is open until September 30, 2025, so get your proposal(s) in today!
Measurable and positive Scientific and Financial evidence is required.
The newly created Global Expert Advisory Group objectives focus on specific Medical Challenges for the western world to accept that Tai Chi and Qigong for Health and Wellbeing will save lives through prevention and aftercare as well as saving $billions.
I hope our submission will be approved .
Keith Sharp
Facilitator- Global Expert Advisory Group (GEAG)