NYC Health + Hospitals Hosts Clinical Delegation from National Taiwan University Hospital for Special Pathogens Educational Exchange
Seven-member delegation toured facilities to learn about the public health care system’s special pathogen preparedness and treatment, observe infection prevention practices, and emergency management operations
Sep 24, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the completion of a recent week-long educational exchange with a seven-member delegation of clinical and administrative leaders from National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH). Organized by the NYC Health + Hospitals Office of Biopreparedness and Emergency Management, the visit brought the delegation to five of the public health care system’s hospitals and Central Office to learn more about the system’s coordinated approach to preparing for and responding to high-consequence infectious diseases and other health emergencies. The delegation visited facilities at every level of the National Special Pathogen System. The itinerary included NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, the Level 1 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region 2; NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem and NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, two of the system’s three recently designated Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Centers; and NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County and NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, Level 4 frontline facilities for special pathogens, and potentially the first point of contact for a patient requiring isolation.
“Our teams spent the week showing our colleagues from Taiwan exactly how this critical work is done, in the units where it happens,” said Dr. Ted Long, System Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Services and Population Health. “I am grateful to host international exchanges like this that strengthen both of our health systems and, most importantly, the patients, and communities we serve.”
“Preparedness is strongest when it is built as a connected system and strengthened through trusted partnerships,” said Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP, CHEP, Chief Biopreparedness Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. “Global learning translates directly into stronger local protection for our patients, health care workforce, and communities.”
“Conducting meaningful, unannounced drills amidst the heavy daily workload of frontline ED staff is always a critical challenge, and seeing your practical execution offered invaluable lessons,” said Sung-Ching Pan, MD, MPH, PhD, Attending Physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at National Taiwan University Hospital and Associate Professor at the National Taiwan University College of Medicine. “Experiencing your Command Center operations reinforced that whether in New York or Taiwan, building rapid-response teams and managing isolation workflows face identical realities. We are truly grateful for this transparent, collaborative exchange and look forward to deepening our partnership.”
The program was designed to move beyond presentations and into hands-on clinical settings. At each site, NYC Health + Hospitals staff led hospital, emergency department, and command center walkthroughs and demonstrated the operational practices that underpin special pathogens readiness, including personal protective equipment fit testing and donning and doffing protocols, sterilization and high-level disinfection workflows, and the configuration and airflow design of negative pressure isolation rooms.
The week began at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem with an overview of the facility’s infection prevention program, its health care-associated infection initiatives, and its emerging pathogen preparedness, followed by a hospital walkthrough and an infection prevention exchange with the visiting team.
“The educational exchange provided an invaluable opportunity to share knowledge, examine best practices and further strengthen our collaboration and collective preparedness,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem Chief Executive Officer Georges H. Leconte, MPA, FAB. “As we continue to build global partnerships, we enhance our ability to respond to emerging threats and advance the health and well-being of all humanity.”
The delegation traveled to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue where Justin Chan, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist and Hospital Epidemiologist, led a presentation on infection control and outbreak investigation, followed by discussion and Q&A. The visit provided an opportunity for the two academic medical institutions to exchange knowledge and share approaches to infection prevention and preparedness.
“Opportunities like this allow us to learn from one another and better understand both the similarities and differences in how we approach our work,” said Dr. Chan. “Sharing our experiences and perspectives helps strengthen how we prepare for and respond to infectious disease threats.”
At NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, hospital leadership presented a case study tracing a recent real-world infectious disease case from discovery to recovery, including identification in the emergency department, post-admission management, and the hospital-wide infection control response. The session also covered pandemic preparedness, outbreak investigation and management, infection prevention education including in a psychiatric setting, staff PPE training and fit testing programs, negative pressure isolation room workflow, and staff health monitoring and vaccination initiatives.
“We were happy to host the delegation from National Taiwan University Hospital to share information about protecting communities from high consequence pathogens such as Ebola and measles and healthcare infections like urinary catheter infections. Public health threats know no borders,” said Julian John, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. “When we go beyond borders to build global partnerships and share expertise and lessons learned, we advance health care excellence.”
The delegation spent a full day at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst reviewing the structure and reporting lines of the facility’s infection prevention and control program, touring the hospital, emergency department, and ambulatory areas, and visiting the facility’s command center with the emergency management team. Additional sessions addressed occupational health services, fit testing and vaccination, and central sterile processing, including sterilization, high-level disinfection, reprocessing, environmental controls, and auditing practices.
At NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, the delegation reviewed the facility’s emergency management and emergency room programs and its infection prevention and control program, concluding with a joint discussion of shared challenges and opportunities.
“We were honored to welcome the Taiwanese delegation and share our experience in infection prevention and control, special pathogens preparedness, emergency management, and emergency response,” said Dr. Rajesh Verma, Chief Medical Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. “The visit provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and highlight the multidisciplinary approach we have developed through the years of preparing for and responding to emerging and high-consequence infectious diseases. It was particularly helpful to us to hear their perspective and challenges they face in their country. These partnerships and shared lessons are essential to strengthening preparedness and protecting patients, staff and our community.”
The exchange concluded at NYC Health + Hospitals Central Office, where system leaders presented on the health system’s special pathogens program, biosurveillance across the system, emergency management, drills and exercises, and clinical operations. NYC Health + Hospitals leaders also shared lessons learned and best practices from the system’s COVID-19 response, and preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Finally, the biosurveillance team showcased resources for situational awareness on international pathogen threats and led in-depth conversations with the delegation on tools like the Biopreparedness Map.
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NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.