The Seventh Beijing Forum on Evidence-Based Medicine and the 2026 eCMTA Journal Academic Symposium, held October 19–20 at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM), brought together 28 experts from 14 countries and regions to confront a central question: how can reliable evidence support the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its integration into clinical practice and public health? The gathering matters because it signals a concerted international effort to subject TCM to the same evidentiary scrutiny as conventional medicine, a shift that could reshape how traditional therapies are evaluated, regulated and adopted worldwide.
Co-hosted by BUCM’s Center for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine and the Journal Center, the forum featured keynote addresses from leading figures in evidence-based medicine, including Gordon Guyatt of McMaster University, a founder of the movement. Guyatt emphasized that evidence varies in reliability and that high-quality decisions require systematic appraisal while accounting for patients’ values and preferences. Nicola Robinson of London South Bank University challenged participants to consider “What Counts as Evidence?”, arguing that trust demands rigorous research into real effects and risks rather than individual success stories. These discussions are consequential: they push TCM research toward methodological rigor and transparency, which is essential for acceptance by global health systems and regulators.
The forum also tackled persistent challenges in evaluating TCM’s efficacy and safety, with sessions on Chinese herbal medicine trial methodology, global trends in evidence-based integrative medicine, and acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients. Young scholars presented work on clinical research, evidence evaluation and guideline development, indicating a pipeline of researchers trained to apply evidence-based standards. The focus on translating evidence into clinical practice guidelines, alongside discussions of artificial intelligence, suggests that the forum is not merely academic but aimed at producing tools that clinicians and policymakers can use.
Pan Yanshu, director of BUCM’s Journal Center, framed the endeavor as neither tradition versus modernity nor a rejection of heritage, but a way to test traditional medicine’s clinical value through modern science. That framing is important because it positions evidence-based medicine as a bridge rather than a barrier, potentially easing tensions between advocates of TCM and skeptics who demand proof. The eCMTA Journal Academic Symposium further advanced this goal by reviewing the journal’s internationalization, database indexing and academic influence, and by appointing new editorial board members. The journal, Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine and Technology Assessment, aims to promote Chinese medicine as an integrative approach by providing high-quality evidence to support its use in healthcare and improve scientific decision-making. Manuscripts can be submitted via https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/ecmta, and the journal is waiving article processing charges until December 31, 2027, with rewards for outstanding papers—an incentive that could attract more rigorous studies and accelerate the evidence base.
Coinciding with BUCM’s 70th anniversary, the forum underscored the university’s long-standing role in promoting TCM–evidence-based medicine integration. The participation of experts from Canada, the UK, the US, Australia, Norway and elsewhere highlights that this is a global conversation, not a domestic one. By strengthening international academic cooperation and focusing on priority conditions for TCM, the forum creates opportunities to align research methods and share resources across borders.
The implications extend beyond the conference hall. If the momentum generated by this forum leads to more high-quality clinical trials, better evidence synthesis and clearer guidelines, the clinical value of TCM could become more scientifically understood and more widely accepted. That, in turn, could provide greater support for improving healthcare quality and public health, particularly in regions where TCM is already used alongside conventional care. The forum’s emphasis on evidence as a tool for validation rather than exclusion offers a pragmatic path forward for integrating traditional medicine into modern health systems.
