On 22 April 2023, the launch meeting of a major project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) entitled “Theory and Methodology of Intelligent Healthcare Management”, hosted by theDepartment ofManagement Sciencesof the NSFC and co-organized by the China Hospital Development Institute, was held at the Shanghai Science Hall.

Professor Fan Xianqun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, attended the meeting as the chair of the project's academic steering group. Other experts in attendance were Professor Yang Shanlin (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Hefei University of Technology), Professor Cai Xiaoqiang (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen), Professor Ding Shuai (Hefei University of Technology), Professor Douglas Rudy Vogel (Harbin Institute of Technology), Professor Hua Zhongsheng (Zhejiang University), Professor Qi Jiayin (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications), Professor Song Jie (Beijing University), Professor Wan Guohua (Shanghai Jiaotong University), Professor Zhang Jianghua (Shandong University) and Professor Zhou Wenhui (South China University of Technology), as well as Liu Zuoyi, Deputy Director of the Management Sciences Department of the NSFC, Huo Hong, Director of the Management Sciences Division I, and Zhang Wei,Adjunct Program Director of the Management Sciences Division I. Zheng Junke, Vice Chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Zeng Xiaoqin, Head of Office of Research Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shen Jie, Executive President of China Institute of Hospital Development of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Yan Xiaohang, Deputy Director of the Research Department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Wang Yanfeng, Vice President of Artificial Intelligence Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhu Lifeng,Dedicated Deputy Director of Shanghai Digital Medicine Innovation Centre of Ruijin Hospital were also present at the meeting. The launch meeting was hosted by Huo Hong, Director of the Management Sciences Division I of the NSFC.

The launch meeting began with remarks from Liu Zuoyi, Deputy Director of the Management Sciences Department of the NSFC. In his speech, he stressed that the major project ought to serve the major strategic needs of the country and forge a basic theoretical framework for intelligent healthcare management, so that its research outcomes could further drive the development of intelligent healthcare management and underpin the Healthy China Initiative.

On behalf of the project team, Academician Fan Xianqun delivered an opening presentation entitled “Theory and Methodology of Intelligent Healthcare Management”. Professor Ding Shuai, Professor Douglas Rudy Vogel, Professor Zhang Jianghua, Professor Qi Jiayin and Academician Fan Xianqun, on behalf of their respective teams, conducted opening reports on five topics -- “Data Governance and Cross-Domain Analysis of Data in the Context of Healthcare Interconnectivity”, “Collaborative Healthcare Service Delivery Mechanism Based on Healthcare Interconnectivity”, “Emergency Prevention and Control Mechanism of Major Communicable Diseases in the Context of Healthcare Interconnectivity” and “Private Data Protection under Healthcare Interconnectivity”, elaborating on research objectives, research protocol, expected results, research proposal and timeline of each topic. Experts of the steering group listened carefully to the presentations, and exchanged their views and gave guidance to the project leaders.

This is the first time that Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine has been granted a major project by the NSFC's Department of Management sciences, which marks a milestone for the School of Medicine in advancing high-quality development ofthe broader public health discipline, and the research work of the project will help foster the future-oriented high-quality development of China's intelligent healthcare field. Under the leadership of Academician Fan, the China Institute of Hospital Development, as the coordinating and supervising entity of the overall project and the actual entity undertaking the research of Subject 5, will fully integrate relevant resources of basic research ofthe Shanghai Jiao Tong University and take advantage of the applied research of affiliated hospitals to better realize project management and scientific research.