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C. Pierce Salguero

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Education pierce salguero

Undergraduate & practical training, 1992-2001
I graduated from the University of Virginia in 1996 with majors in Anthropology and Cognitive Science and a minor in East Asian Studies. I lived in Asia between 1997 and 2001 — most of that time in Thailand, with extended stays in India, China, and Indonesia as well. During those years, I trained in Chiang Mai as a practitioner and teacher of Traditional Thai Medicine (TTM) at a traditional medical school and through apprenticeships with individual healers, and explored an interest in Buddhism through extended stays at meditation centers and monasteries in Northeast Thailand.

M.A., East Asian Studies, University of Virginia, 2005
I returned to the US in 2001 to pursue graduate studies at UVA in the East Asian Studies Department. I wrote my Master's Thesis on the cultural history of Thai medicine, focusing on the interplay between Ayurvedic ideas introduced from India and indigenous traditions of Thai folk healing. (This thesis was subsequently published as a handbook for Thai medical practitioners by Hohm Press as Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda.)

Ph.D., History of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 2010
 I subsequently attended the Ph.D. program at the Institute of the History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where I completed graduate fields in the history of medicine in China, India, and the West.


Dissertation & Researchpierce salguero

My core research interest is the investigation of Buddhism's historical role in the intercultural exchange of medical knowledge. I approach this topic using methodologies drawn from the History of Medicine, Crosscultural Studies, and Translation Studies, and emphasize equally the transnational transmission and the local reception of medical doctrines and practices. I am also fascinated by the theoretical issues raised by the interdisciplinary study of the intersection between religion and medicine.

My dissertation research focuses on the cultural and linguistic translation of Indian Buddhist medical doctrines and practices in second to ninth century China. The analysis of Buddhist medical texts in Chinese translation has important implications for understanding the role of religious healing in the crosscultural encounter between India and China in the medieval period, and, more broadly, of the integration between religion and medicine in Asian traditions.


Publications

Academic publications:

  • 2010, "Buddhist Medicine in Medieval China: Disease, Healing, and the Body in Crosscultural Translation (Second to Eighth Centuries C.E.)," Ph.D. Diss., Johns Hopkins University. [PDF]
  • 2010, “Indian Influence on Chinese Medicine through Buddhism,” in World History Encyclopedia, Oxford: ABC-CLIO.
  • 2009, “The Buddhist Medicine King in Literary Context: Reconsidering an Early Medieval Example of Indian influence on Chinese Medicine and Surgery,” History of Religions 48(3): 183-210. [PDF]

Publications for clinicians:

  • 2007, Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda, Prescott, AZ: Hohm Press. [PDF of Introduction]
  • 2007, The Encyclopedia of Thai Massage: Student Workbook, Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press.
  • 2006, The Spiritual Medicine of Traditional Thailand, Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press.
  • 2004, The Encyclopedia of Thai Massage: A Complete Guide to Traditional Thai Massage Therapy and Acupressure, Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press.
  • 2003, A Thai Herbal: Traditional Recipes for Health & Harmony, Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press.

 

Teaching

Academic Positions

  • 2010-present, Assistant Professor, Dept. of History, Penn State Abington
  • 2009-2010, Instructor, Depts. of Religious Studies and History, Le Moyne College
  • 2006-2008, Teaching assistant and Instructor, Depts. of History, History of Science, and Expository Writing, Johns Hopkins University

Teaching Experience

  • Global History of Medicine
  • History of Chinese Medicine
  • History of Modern Medicine
  • History of Religion and Medicine in India
  • Crosscultural Perspectives on the Body
  • Religion and Medicine in China
  • Religions of Asia
  • Introduction to Buddhism
  • History of Traditional East Asia
  • History of Modern East Asia
  • The Silk Roads


Clinical Teaching

  • 2002-present, Continuing education courses for healthcare professionals through Thai Institute of Healing Arts and other training centers in North America. Courses taught include Comparative Asian Medicine, History of Ayurveda, History of Yoga, Traditional Thai Medicine, Theravada Buddhism.


Honors & Awards

  • 2009-10, Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
  • 2009-10, Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship (declined)
  • 2009-10, Le Moyne College Pre-Doctoral Instructor Fellowship
  • 2008-09, Fulbright IIE (Taiwan program)
  • 2008-09, Fulbright Critical Language Extension Award
  • 2007, Dean's Teaching Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University
  • 2007-08, Expository Writing Seminar Teaching Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University
  • 2004, Ellen Bayard Weedon East Asia Travel Grant, University of Virginia
  • 1992-96, Jefferson Scholars Foundation Scholarship, University of Virginia


My complete CV is here.