Ooi-Thye Chong

Lecturer in Integrative Medicine, Honorary Daoist Chaplain, Honorary Lecturer, NHS Lothian

  • Centre for Reproductive Health
  • University Chaplaincy
  • NHS Lothian

Contact details

Address

Street

Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR)
Edinburgh Bioquarter
4-5 Little France Drive

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH16 4UU
Street

Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, RM S7130
The University of Edinburgh

City
51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh
Post code
EH16 4SA

Availability

  • Best way to contact is via email

Biography

Background

I am a Lecturer in Integrative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. My academic and clinical career began in acute hospital practice in London, where I worked in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. These early experiences shaped a sustained interest in the psychological, emotional, and relational dimensions of illness and care, leading to formal training in social psychology.

I later held senior clinical and leadership roles within the United Nations in New York City, including Assistant Director of the United Nations Child Care Centre and nurse at the United Nations Medical Centre. Alongside this work, I completed a master’s degree specialising in women’s health, establishing the foundation for my ongoing research into women’s lived experiences of chronic illness.

My research trajectory was further developed as Director of Program Development at a free-standing Integrative Medicine Centre founded by a urologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where I designed and evaluated individualised integrative care programmes. This work catalysed eight years of formal postgraduate training in Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and movement-based therapies.

I subsequently established and led integrative medicine centres at St Vincent’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, contributing to the development of integrative oncology services and interdisciplinary models of care. These roles informed my scholarly interest in how integrative practices are translated, legitimised, and operationalised within institutional healthcare systems.

Following my return to the UK, I completed a PhD examining the impact of acupuncture on women with chronic pelvic pain, with a focus on patient-reported outcomes and embodied experience. As part of the Chronic Pelvic Pain Team, I contribute to both clinical service delivery and research involving women with and without endometriosis.

My current research interest sits at the intersection of clinical practice, patient experience, and theory. I focus on compassion and empathy as relational and clinical processes within endometriosis care, and on the dialogue between biomedical frameworks of chronic inflammation and Chinese medicine concepts such as stagnation, heat, fire, and free flow. Drawing on integrative medicine, medical humanities, and qualitative health research, my work aims to develop theoretically informed, clinically relevant, and compassionate models of integrative healthcare, with particular emphasis on women’s health and chronic pain.

 Invited Talks

  1. "The Intersection of Religion, Education and Research.  9th March, 2026, Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh, UK.
  2. “From Inflammation and Stagnation to Flow: Reimagining Endometriosis Care through Compassion and Empathy”. 2026.  Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society.  The Usher Institute.  University of Edinburgh, UK.
  3. “Acupuncture for chronic pelvic pain” British Pain Society Special Interest Group.  2025. UK.
  4. "Endometriosis: A Multi-faceted Approach to Chronic and Pelvic Pain". 2025. Webinar. Endometriosis UK. London, UK
  5. “Managing the side effects of cancer treatments with acupuncture”. 2013. Maggie’s Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland. UK
  6. “Integrative Medicine: A New Yorker’s Perspective”. 2013. Clinical Board, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh. Scotland, UK.
  7. “What is Integrative Medicine?”. 2013. Centre for Reproductive Health Outpatient. The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland. UK
  8. “Explaining Complementary and Alternative Medicine to your patients”. 2012.  New York, NY. Live Videocast Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Live Webcast.
  9. “An overview of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine”, 2012. The NYU Clinical Cancer Center, NY, NY, USA.
  10. “Integrative Health Program: Enhancing your wellbeing”, 2011. Breast Cancer Support Group, NYU Clinical Cancer Center, NY, NY, USA.
  11. “Integrative Health Program:  How your patients can benefit”, 2011. NYU Langone Cancer Institute, Black Rock, 55 East 52 Street, NY, NY, USA.
  12. “Integrative Health Program: An Overview”. 2011. The NYU Langone Cancer Institute, Black Rock, 55 East 52 Street, NY, NY, USA.
  13. “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” Keynote Speaker and Panelist, 2011. NYU Langone Medical Center, NY, NY, USA.
  14. “Enhancing Nursing Practice: Understanding Integrative Health”, 2011. NYU Clinical Cancer Center, NY, NY 10016, USA.
  15. “Enhancing Nursing Practice: Understanding Integrative Health”, 2011. NYU Langone Medical Center, NY, NY 10016, USA.
  16. “Exploring Complementary and Alternative Medicine” in “Young Women and Breast Cancer: The Empowerment Series” SHARE, 2011. NY, NY, USA.
  17. “Acupuncture: A viable option to address the adverse effects of breast cancer treatments”, 2011. The Breast Cancer Network, Japan Society, NY, NY, USA.
  18. “Chinese Medicine for Optimum Health”, 2011. Taking charge of your breast health in women of color. Club 101, NY, NY. USA.
  19. Plenary Speaker, “CAM in Oncology”, 2008. 17th Annual Radiation Oncology Conference, Fox Chase Cancer Center Philadelphia, USA.
  20. “Integrating CAM therapies into nursing practice” The New Jersey State Nursing Board Teleconferencing, 2002. New Jersey, USA.
  21. “Complementary & Alternative Medicine”, 2002. Harvard University, Boston, USA.

Up and Coming Workshop

Nurturing and Nourishing Self Series, March 19, 2026. The Buddhist Society, The Chaplaincy. University of Edinburgh, UK

Past Workshops: Nurturing and Nourishing Self Series

  1. Nurturing and Nourishing Self Series: 2025. Buddhist Society, The Chaplaincy. University of Edinburgh, UK
  2. “Nurturing and Nourishing Self Through Menopause”. 2025. The Centre for Inflammation and Regeneration. University of Edinburgh. UK
  3. Workshop “Nourishing life, Nurturing self” 2024. Kunming Institute of Botany, Kunming China.
  4. “Taking Care of Yourself: SpringTime”. 2021. The Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, The Royal Infirmary Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
  5. “Optimum Health Following The Five Seasons: Late Summer”, (2012). Self Care Series For the Community, The NYU Langone Medical Center, New York NY USA.
  6. “Nurturing The Self Following The Five Seasons: Spring”, 2012. Woodhull Hospital, Brooklyn, NY USA.
  7. “Feeling Young At Any Age: Integrative Strategies”, 2012. NYU Langone Medical Center, NY, NY, USA.
  8. “Taking care of yourself: Integrative Strategies”, 2011.  Educational series for survivors of prostate cancer.  NYU Clinical Cancer Center, NY, NY, USA.
  9. “Self-Care According To The Five Seasons: Preparing For Late Summer”, 2010. Second Annual Conference, The National Association of Hispanic Nurses, New York Chapter, Beth Israel Medical Center, 10 Union Sq, NY, NY, USA.

Awards

Barbour Watson Trust Prize, June 2019.

Beltane Sparks Public Engagement Group Project: The Highly Commended,  2013.

The Lee Foundation Travel Award, 1972.

Qualifications

Registered Nurse UK and USA 

B.A. Social Psychology  (Honours) University of Sussex. UK

MPH (Women's Health) Columbia University, NY USA

MSc Acupuncture, NY USA

Nationally Certified Chinese Medicine Herbalist, USA

Nationally Certified and New York State Licensed Acupuncturist, USA

PhD University of Edinburgh UK

Responsibilities & affiliations

Current

Honorary Daoist Chaplain, University of Edinburgh Chaplaincy

Honorary Lecturer (NHS Lothian)  Edinburgh

Research Associate, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Member  "Critical Studies on Inflammation Network"

Member of the Clinical Communication Skill Teaching Team, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh

Member of Chronic Pelvic Pain Team, Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, NHS Lothian

Member of "A New Possibility" a Healing Group, USA

Previous

Member of the Pain and Palliative Team, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh

External Advisor, Evaluation Panel for the Foundation Degree in Holistic and Integrative Health Therapies, UK

External Examiner, Honours Degree Courses, University of Staffordshire, UK

Undergraduate teaching

I teach Communication Skills to medical students, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh

Postgraduate teaching

I supervise Master's Degree Students, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Current PhD students supervised

Sodig Yaya

Past PhD students supervised

Alisa Tharia

Research summary

 My research interest focuses on endometriosis as a chronic, multi-system inflammatory condition characterised by persistent pain and significant impacts on physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. While endometriosis is traditionally framed as a gynaecological disease, it commonly affects other systems, including the gastrointestinal and genitourinary systems, with symptoms often resembling irritable bowel syndrome or painful bladder syndrome.

Current management strategies predominantly rely on hormonal treatments and surgery. However, many women report limited pain relief, significant side effects, diagnostic delay, fragmented care, and experiences of dismissal within healthcare settings. These challenges highlight important gaps in current models of care.

A central focus of my work is the relational dimension of endometriosis care—specifically, how empathy, compassion, and the quality of the clinician–patient relationship shape women’s experiences of illness and care. I am interested in examining the perceived therapeutic benefits of empathic and compassionate clinical encounters, as well as the harms associated with their absence. By foregrounding how care is delivered alongside what treatments are offered, my research aims to contribute to more humane, effective, and person-centred approaches to endometriosis care.

Inflammation in endometriosis contributes to the formation of lesions and scaring. A further strand of my research interest explores the therapeutic potential of anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring properties of medicinal plants found in the Chinese herbal pharmacopoeia, with particular attention to their relevance for integrative and person centred approaches to endometriosis care.

 

Past research interests

My earlier research focused on acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention for chronic pelvic pain in women, exploring both its clinical effects and the relational aspects of treatment delivery.

Knowledge exchange

 I have collaborated with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Institute of Botany, Yunnan, China to investigate medicinal plants relevant to women’s health, with particular attention to their anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring properties. This work strengthened my understanding of the pharmacological potential of selected plants, alongside their traditional indications and cultural contexts. Building on this foundation, I am currently in discussion with another university regarding a potential clinical collaboration to explore the feasibility, safety, and therapeutic relevance of carefully selected medicinal plants in supporting women living with endometriosis.

Project activity

1. Critical Studies on Inflammation Network

2. The COMPASS Study: A preliminary mixed methods study of compassionate-empathy care in women with endometriosis in an outpatient gynaecology clinic.

3. Exploring medicinal plants for women with endometriosis

4. The Preceived Benefits by Medical Students of The Communication Skills Course: a mixed method study

In the press

Featured in:

  1. “Compassion Salon” discussion of my book “Acupuncture for chronic pelvic pain in women”, with Dr Marti Balaam, University of Edinburgh Feb 2025.  Edinburgh. UK
  2. Dr. Radio “Acupuncture and Women’s Health with Dr. Nieca Goldberg”, 2012. New York Langone Medical Center, NY NY 10016. USA
  3. Dr. Radio “Discussions on Integrative Medicine with Drs. Silvia Formenti and Abraham Chachoua”, 2011. New York Langone Medical Center, NY NY 10016. USA
  4. The front page of “Nursing Spectrum”, 2005. Vol 17 pp 10-11. 
  5. “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine”, 2001. Vol 7, pp 122-123. USA
  6. PBS, Channel Thirteen, WLIW in Long Island and New Jersey, live broadcast “Reach out to heal” 2001. New York, NY USA.
This article was published on