On July 24, QIU Yong, secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), led a delegation to visit Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Delegation members included ZENG Rong, vice president of Tsinghua University; heads of the relevant departments of Tsinghua University; WONG Tien Yin, vice provost of Tsinghua University, and director of the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University; ZHANG Zongjiu and CHEN Xuyan, deputy directors of the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University; and other responsible persons of the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University. The event was also attended by DING Kuiling, president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; WANG Xingpeng, director of the Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center; FAN Xianqun, vice president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE); NING Guang, president of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; XIA Qiang, president of Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; TANG Guoyao, secretary of the CPC Xinhua Hospital Committee, a hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; WU Hao, president of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; MA Xin, secretary of the CPC Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Committee, a hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; as well as heads of SJTU-SM’s relevant departments and secondary colleges. The symposium was chaired by WU Zhengyi, deputy secretary of the CPC SJTUSM Committee and vice chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

President DING Kuiling, on behalf of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, warmly welcomed Secretary QIU Yong and his delegation from Tsinghua University. He briefed their approach to strengthening the school of medicine as part of the comprehensive university, and stated that SJTU focuses on “resonating at the same frequency”, stimulating the vitality, bringing together the driving forces, and drawing a big picture of the future, while attaching great importance to talent development through independent cultivation of innovators and promotion of cross-disciplinary innovations in medicine and engineering. With a close partnership and broad prospects for cooperation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University are expected to work even seamlessly, aiming to make greater contributions to creating a more powerful country in education, technology, and talent.

Chancellor FAN Xianqun disclosed the high-quality development of SJTUSM in five areas, i.e., teaching and education, technological innovation, healthcare services, campus management, and first-class disciplines. According to him, SJTU-SM focuses on cultivating virtue and talent, by setting up a work team dedicated to teaching reform around new medicine, to refine the system for fostering outstanding medical innovators; by promoting interdisciplinary integration and building a high-level innovation platform involving the technology frontiers worldwide; by being aligned with the national strategy of Healthy China to improve the level of healthcare services; by creating a new pattern of integrated collaborative management across multiple campuses; and by making every effort to build a first-class medical discipline. SJTUSM will continue to strengthen its collaboration and exchanges with the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, for further progress in creating a first-class medical school and discipline around the globe.

Director WANG Xingpeng revealed the main practices and explorations of the Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center. He pointed out that the Center, founded in 2005, is the entity responsible for investment, management, and operation of the state-owned assets in the municipal public hospitals in Shanghai, and for government-funded healthcare services as well. In recent years, the Center has continuously enhanced the budget & asset management, development planning, and president performance assessment of the municipal public hospitals. In particular, it has taken the lead in promoting clinical research and transformation of scientific and technological achievements in the public hospitals, all to support the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center.

At the event, President NING Guang pointed out that in recent years, Ruijin Hospital has actively explored the path of high-quality development of public hospitals, and become one of the first national pilot hospitals for high-quality development of public hospitals and for modern hospital management. Furthermore, Ruijin Hospital has been included in the first batch of National Medical Center projects (in the comprehensive category), and Ruijin Hainan Hospital has been designated as a national regional medical center. Based on the National Facility for Translational Medicine (Shanghai), State Key Laboratory for Medical Genomics, and National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, the hospital has made remarkable achievements in health care, discipline construction, talent development and technological innovation.

Prof. WONG Tien Yin unveiled the construction and development of the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, and its approach to international education, and shared his ideas about strengthening the school with extraordinary talent and centricity around clinical practices. He stated that Tsinghua Medicine is highly focused on translational research, which is closely related to people’s lives and health, and engineered to build an academic medical system that integrates “medicine, teaching and research”. He looked to further borrow the extensive experiences from schools like SJTU-SM in the future, and bring Tsinghua Medicine to a new level.

QIU Yong stressed that Tsinghua University is currently at a critical stage where no efforts are spared to explore a new situation of high-quality development and move forward at the forefront of first-class universities worldwide. It is a strategic initiative to reinforce the construction of medical disciplines, allowing for improved level of education and addressing our national needs. Greater efforts will be made to enhance planning and design, promote the integration of medicine and engineering, and cross-disciplinary innovation, and drive Tsinghua Medicine to a new frontier with the spirit of reform. We look forward to collaborating with sister universities in a more seamless way to accelerate the Healthy China strategy, thus contributing more to human health and well-being.

QIU Yong and his delegation visit the History Museum of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine prior to the meeting.