Professor Thubten Phuntsok

Thubten Phuntsok was a Distinguished International Fellow and Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia in 2009. He is a senior professor of Tibetology at Central Nationalities University in Beijing and a leading scholar of Tibetan medicine and Tibetan history. Trained as a medical doctor in the Tibetan tradition, he has published numerous books in a range of disciplines. Among his publications are a Grammar of Tibetan Language (1987) Chengdu, a two-volume History of Tibet (1994) Chengdu, Elements for the Study of the Physical Condition (1999) Beijing, Therapeutic Principles in Tibetan Medicine (2000) Beijing, The Relationship Between Mind and Body (2003) Lhasa, and Elements for the Study of Tibetan Medicine (2009) Beijing.

Professor Thubten Phuntsok is the founder and president of TAPA (Tibet Association for the Prevention of AIDS), the first non-governmental organization on the Tibetan Plateau focused on advancing AIDS awareness and medical training. He also serves on the advisory board of the non-profit Machik.