Steve Chan Explained

Steve Chan
Native Name:Chan Chi-shean
Native Name Lang:zh-tw
Order1:First Vice Chairman of the Kuomintang
Term Start1:15 June 2016
Term End1:7 January 2017
1Blankname1:Chairperson
1Namedata1:Hung Hsiu-chu
Predecessor1:Wu Den-yih
Order2:Minister of Department of Health of the Republic of China
Term Start2:1 September 1997
Term End2:19 May 2000
Predecessor2:Chang Po-ya
Successor2:Lee Ming-liang
Birth Date:9 July 1948
Birth Place:Yuanlin, Taichung County, Taiwan
Party:Kuomintang
Nationality:Taiwanese
Alma Mater:Physician
Occupation:Politician

Steve Chan (; born 9 July 1948) is a Taiwanese physician and politician. He served as health minister from 1997 to 2000, and as vice chairman of the Kuomintang from 2016 to 2017.

Early life

Born in Yuanlin Township, Changhua County in 1948,[1] Chan attended high school alongside Jason Hu and graduated from Chungshan Medical and Dental College in 1972.[2]

Career

Chan left Taiwan for the United States to begin his medical career. He was surgical resident at the Hospital of Saint Raphael from 1975 to 1977, when he moved to Mercy Catholic Medical Center, which was affiliated with Jefferson Medical College. In 1980, Chan began working at the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, returning to Taiwan in 1989 for a position at Feng Chia Hospital. After one year, Chan joined Chi Mei Medical Center until he was named the minister of the Department of Health in 1997.[3] Though a member of the Kuomintang, Chan took the position as an independent.[1] As health minister, Chan repeatedly addressed the World Health Assembly and asked for Taiwan to be granted observer status.[4] Chan stepped down three years later, and returned to Chi Mei.[5] During Chan's second stint at Chi Mei, President Chen Shui-bian was shot and taken there for treatment.[6] [7] In 2007, Chan was named Ma Ying-jeou's campaign manager,[8] taking him out of consideration for election to the Legislative Yuan via party-list proportional representation.[9] [10] Ma won the 2008 presidential election, and named Chan an adviser.[11] [12]

While a presidential adviser, Chan was also a Kuomintang deputy secretary-general and president of Adimmune Corporation.[13] [14] Chan stepped down from his party position in December 2009.[15] Under Chan's leadership since 2008,[16] Adimmune secured a government contract to produce an H1N1 vaccination,[17] was listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange,[18] and expanded vaccination distribution to mainland China.[19]

Chan was appointed a Kuomintang vice chairman in June 2016,[20] and resigned the post in January 2017.[21] Later that month, Chan announced his candidacy for the top party position.[22] He placed fifth in the election held on 20 May.

2017 Kuomintang chairmanship election
No.CandidatePartyVotesPercentage
1 144,40852.24%
2 Hung Hsiu-chu53,06319.20%
3 44,30116.03%
4 16,1415.84%
5 Steve Chan 12,3324.46%
6 2,4370.88%
Eligible voters 476,147
Total votes 276,423
Valid votes 272,682
Invalid votes 3,741
Turnout 58.05%

Notes and References

  1. News: 程. 嘉文. 詹啟賢:我辭職才參選 郝龍斌還在位子上. United Daily News. 23 February 2017.
  2. News: Shaw changes hospitals. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 14 December 2006.
  3. News: New premier, Cabinet ready to continue reform agenda. 17 January 2017. Taiwan Today. 5 September 1997.
  4. News: Chan. Chi-shean. An island not to be forgotten. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 24 May 2000.
  5. News: Who's Who in the ROC. 16 January 2017. Executive Yuan.
  6. News: Su. Joy. Chi Mei administration dismisses conspiracy theories. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 21 March 2004.
  7. News: Su. Joy. Chiu. Yu-tzu. Doctors give the gory details on Chen. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 20 March 2004.
  8. News: Mo. Yan-chih. Shih. Hsiu-chuan. Chan Chi-hsien to join Ma's team. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 6 July 2007.
  9. News: Mo. Yan-chih. KMT unveils list of candidates. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 8 November 2007.
  10. News: Mo. Yan-chih. Wang. Flora. Ko. Shu-ling. DPP says KMT traded seats for cash. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 9 November 2007.
  11. News: Mo. Yan-chih. Ma embarks on 12-day trip to Africa. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 8 April 2012.
  12. News: Chung. Jake. Taiwan cool to China's offer of organ donations. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 20 December 2014.
  13. News: Wang. Flora. Ko. Shu-ling. Government to obstruct US ground beef. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 3 November 2009.
  14. News: Shih. Hsiu-chuan. KMT deputy denies Siew knew he had cancer last year. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 7 June 2009.
  15. News: King Pu-tsung named KMT secretary-general. 17 January 2017. Taiwan Today. 10 December 2009.
  16. News: Hau. Hsueh-ching. Hsu. Elizabeth. KMT chairmanship aspirant: person needed in crisis. 29 January 2017. Central News Agency. 29 January 2017.
  17. News: Cole. J. Michael. Adimmune vaccine: Saving or risking lives?. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 16 January 2010.
  18. News: Vaccine maker Adimmune to list on TWSE. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 5 April 2012.
  19. News: Kao. Camaron. Adimmune to begin flu vaccine trials in China. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 23 October 2013.
  20. News: Hsu. Stacy. Chinese spouses should be afforded equal rights: KMT. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 16 June 2016.
  21. News: Hsiao. Alison. KMT's Steve Chan quits, said over assets contract. 16 January 2017. Taipei Times. 8 January 2017.
  22. News: Hsu. Stacy. Steve Chan enters race for KMT chair. 24 January 2017. Taipei Times. 24 January 2017.