Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is my great pleasure to announce the 11th Mind-Body Interface (MBI) International Symposium is to be held physically in Taichung, as well as going virtual on Oct. 30-31, 2021.

Organized annually by Mind-Body Interface Research Center (MBI-lab) and Taiwanese Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research (TSNPR), we are delighted to co-chair this 2-day international conference with the PNIRSAsia-Pacific Symposium for four consecutive years in a row.

The main theme this year is "Tune into the Mind & Body: Finding the Melody to Promote Mental Health Wellbeing". A growing body of evidences has shown that arts as a tool for enhancing mental health wellbeing are well-documented, such as to manage stress, express feelings, enhance memory, improve communication and to promote physical wellness. Findings of the present meta-analysis also indicated that music therapy provides short-term beneficial effects for people with depression, which also shows efficacy in decreasing anxiety levels and improving functioning of depressed individuals. Researches with methodological rigors, novelty of study design and outcome measures as well as, elucidating biological mechanisms underlying these interventions could encourage the advancement of creative art therapy in mental illness, and to promote non-medical intervention for public health and mental wellbeing in a wide variety of healthcare and educational settings. 

The MBI International Symposium has been vigorously promoting a global agenda of translational neuroscience by encouraging interdisciplinary research, and integrating biomedical discovery and development focused on patients, to provide better care and service in the field of mental health. The symposium is featured with a broad range of topics, including immunology, metabolic processes and molecular science, psychopharmacology, psychology, the brain-gut-microbe axis as well as biological processes and factors underlying the links between diet, nutrition and mental health from the perspective of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, there will be a strong focus on the use of brave approach and novel technology, artificial intelligence, big data, neuroimaging, personalized medicine, lifestyle intervention, health promotion and disease management, and epidemiology and population studies in brain disorders. Our programme includes keynote speeches, state of the art symposia, oral and poster presentations, as well as Mind-Body Workshop. Early-career researchers are encouraged to join us and bursaries are provided to apply.

MBI Symposium is insightful and inspiring with active discussion among participants. With the great Taiwanese hospitality and richness of cultural and natural heritage of Formosa, the 11th MBI Symposium is guaranteed to be another wonderful event like it has been in the previous years. We look forward to greeting our biomedical researchers, psychiatrists and other health professionals worldwide in Taichung.

Sincerely yours,

Kuan-Pin Su, M.D., Ph.D. 

Chairman, 11^th MBI International Symposium

Director, Mind-Body Interface Research Center (MBI-Lab), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

President, Taiwanese Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research (TSNPR)
Deputy Superintendent, An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Taiwan