Pei-Shan Tsai, PhD, RN, BCIA is the Executive Vice President of Taipei Medical University, as well as the Dean of the College of Nursing and a Distinguished Professor at Taipei Medical University. Dr. Tsai’s research focuses on the complex interactions among stress-response systems, chronic illnesses, nursing care outcomes in stress-related conditions, and chronic disease management. Her work integrates physiological and behavioral measures to elucidate the psychophysiological mechanisms underlying disease symptoms and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions such as chronobiology-guided approaches, self-management programs, pain neuroscience education, digital sleep interventions, and stress management strategies.

Dr. Tsai investigates how psychological stress interacts with physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors to influence chronic pain, sleep disturbances, psychological distress, and functional outcomes across diverse populations, including university students, patients with chronic conditions, and older adults.

Her methodological approach is highly interdisciplinary, employing randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and analyses of large-scale national health databases. She also integrates digital health tools, wearable devices, and biofeedback monitoring to evaluate interventions in real-world and clinical settings. Interventions developed in her lab include chronobiology-guided strategies, self-management programs, pain neuroscience education, digital sleep therapeutics, and stress management programs demonstrated improvements in symptom burden, sleep quality, psychological distress, functional outcomes, and health-related quality of life, while advancing mechanism-informed and patient-centered approaches to chronic disease care.

With over 200 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical, psychology, and nursing journals, Dr. Tsai has made substantial and influential contributions to the field. Her highly cited work has shaped both academic research and clinical practice, underscoring the value of a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to health science. By bridging multiple disciplines, her research not only advances understanding of stress and its health impacts but also informs more effective, patient-centered strategies for managing chronic stress and improving quality of life.

The Tsai's Lab (Mind-Body Research Team) is dedicated to biobehavioral science, focusing on the interactions among psychological stress, chronic illnesses, and health outcomes. Led by Dr. Pei-Shan Tsai, the lab integrates physiological, behavioral, and digital approaches to advance understanding of stress-related conditions and to develop mechanism-informed, evidence-based nursing and behavioral interventions. Students have the chance to learn hands-on research skills, including experimental design, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, biofeedback monitoring, wearable device assessments, data analysis, and scientific writing. Students are encouraged to actively engage in research discussions, manuscript preparation, and intervention development, developing independent research competence and contributing to peer-reviewed publications.

The lab provides a structured and supportive training environment for international graduate students. Emphasis is placed on research methodology, academic writing, and critical thinking, with regular meetings and individualized mentoring. Students are encouraged to actively engage in research discussions and to develop independent research skills throughout their graduate training.