BAD ZURZACH, Switzerland — The 2026 international gathering on acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine concluded on August 16 in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, bringing together clinicians, educators, researchers, and practitioners from around the world for four days of international exchange.

Among the conference highlights was keynote speaker Dr. Mazin Al-Khafaji, an internationally recognized clinician and educator whose work has helped advance the specialized field of Chinese medicine dermatology.

For more than three decades, Dr. Al-Khafaji has developed and taught a distinctive clinical approach integrating traditional Chinese herbal medicine with the diagnosis and treatment of dermatological conditions. Through his clinical practice and teaching, he has shared his experience with thousands of practitioners internationally.

His presentation was particularly relevant to one of the conference’s central areas of discussion: the expanding relationship between Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, dermatology, and contemporary aesthetic medicine.

Chinese medicine dermatology provides a meaningful example of how traditional medical knowledge can continue to develop within highly specialized areas of modern clinical practice. Dr. Al-Khafaji’s decades of clinical experience demonstrate how classical Chinese medicine principles can be applied, studied, refined, and shared within an international professional community.

The conference took place August 13–16, 2026, in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, with Five Branches University serving as one of the co-organizing institutions.

For Five Branches University, participation in international academic gatherings such as this extends beyond a single conference. It creates opportunities for faculty, alumni, students, researchers, and practitioners to exchange ideas across countries and disciplines while strengthening the global presence of Traditional Chinese Medicine education.

The gathering in Switzerland provided another example of how Chinese medicine continues to cross borders—connecting traditional knowledge with new clinical applications, international research, and an increasingly global community of practitioners.

Five Branches University is proud to participate in this international exchange and to support the continued development and worldwide advancement of Traditional Chinese Medicine.