On November 27th, a delegation from the Dunedin Town Hall and the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago visited Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The University of Otago, located in Dunedin, the capital city of the Otago Province on the South Island of New Zealand, was founded in 1869 and stands as the oldest comprehensive university in the country. The Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago is the oldest dental school in the Southern Hemisphere, ranking among the top 50 in the QS World University Rankings and serving as the national dental center of New Zealand. During the visit, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital and the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago signed a memorandum of understanding and inaugurated the Shanghai-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Dentistry, Centre for Clinical and Fundamental Craniofacial Research.
Luo Meng, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Cao Hongming, Counsel at Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Zheng Junke, Vice Chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Jules Radich, Mayor of Dunedin in New Zealand, Ardi Barnard, Consul-General of New Zealand in Shanghai, John Christie, Director of Enterprise Dunedin, Helen Nicholson, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago, and Paul Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, along with other officials and guests, attended the event.
Wu Hao, President of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, and Paul Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf of their respective institutions. The signing ceremony was attended by Jules Radich, Mayor of Dunedin, Luo Meng, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Ardi Barnard, Consul-General of New Zealand in Shanghai, Cao Hongming, Counsel at Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Helen Nicholson, Acting Chancellor of the University of Otago, and Zheng Junke, Vice Chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
Representatives from both sides signed a memorandum of understanding
Front row, from left to right: Paul Cooper and Wu Hao
Back row, from left to right: Helen Nicholson, Ardi Barnard, Jules Radich, Luo Meng, Cao Hongming, and Zheng Junke
Jia Renbing, Vice President of the Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Jiang Xinquan, Executive Dean of the College of Stomatology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Jiang Lingyong, Director of the Department of Oral & Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Paul Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Richard Cannon, Deputy Dean Academic of the Faculty, and Peter Mei, Associate Dean China at the Faculty, jointly unveiled the Shanghai-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Dentistry, Centre for Clinical and Fundamental Craniofacial Research.
Shanghai-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Oral Medicine & Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Basic and Clinical Research Center was unveiled
(From left to right: Peter Mei, Richard Cannon, Paul Cooper, Jia Renbing, Jiang Xinquan, and Jiang Lingyong)
Jules Radich, Mayor of Dunedin, New Zealand, delivered an address, expressing the hope that by working together, the two institutions could tap into their potential and achieve more leading research results to safeguard life and health. He hopes that this partnership will create new opportunities for students, teachers, and institutions from both sides, as well as for the citizens of Shanghai and Dunedin to engage in mutual learning, exchanges, and collaboration.
Mayor Radich delivered an address
Luo Meng, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, set out in his address that Shanghai is committed to developing into a healthy city, a healthcare center in Asia, and the safest city in public health. Shanghai is committed to enhancing international exchanges and cooperation, advancing global healthcare governance, and building a community of shared future for human health with a more open mindset and a more innovative system. He underscored the demonstrative significance and the far-reaching impacts of the partnership between Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital and the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, and expressed his hope for developing a stronger health cooperation across the board, and building upon the sister-city relationship between Shanghai and Dunedin, with the shared goal of safeguarding and improving the health and well-being of residents in both cities.
Deputy Director Luo delivered an address
Cao Hongming, Counsel at the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission highlighted in his address the need for both sides to enhance people-to-people exchanges, further advance friendship, and act as ambassadors for the friendly relationship between China and New Zealand. With a focus on life and health, both sides should deepen sci-tech cooperation and strive to set an example for international collaborations in the field of science and technology. Shanghai attaches great importance to its partnership with Dunedin on technological innovation. The Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission and Enterprise Dunedin have signed a memorandum of understanding and achieved positive progress in various collaborative research initiatives in the field of life and health. The joint research project between Professor Jiang Lingyong from the Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital and Professor Peter Mei from the University of Otago is one of those initiatives. As the two institutions engage in higher-level sci-tech cooperation in broader areas, the sci-tech partnership between the two sister cities will continue to deepen, producing fruitful results and contributing to the advancement of international sci-tech exchanges and cooperation.
Cao Hongming delivered an address
Helen Nicholson,Acting Chancellor of the University of Otago, stated that the University of Otago is the most research-oriented university in New Zealand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the university played an important role by providing advice to the government, rapidly developing COVID-19 testing methods, and implementing them nationwide. As the university’s research endeavors increasingly move towards collaboration and internationalization, it is an honor for the university to forge a research partnership with the Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, a leading high-level research institution.
Chancellor Nicholson delivered an address
Vice Chancellor Zheng highlighted in his address that this partnership will further advance the extensive collaborations between the two institutions in the medical education of multiple disciplinaries, explore new pathways of cooperation in healthcare and education, and forge a new framework for comprehensive cooperation in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of special diseases, major illnesses, and challenging medical conditions. The partnership will unlock a new chapter for the partnership between Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the University of Otago and make new contributions to the establishment of a community of shared future for human health.
Vice Chancellor Zheng delivered an address
Paul Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago noted in his address that the signing of the memorandum of understanding will strengthen collaborations and promote research, educational, and clinical activities for both sides. He looks forward to setting up a more robust cooperation framework that facilitates the exchange of students and academic staff, the organization of joint research activities such asseminars,forums, and public lectures, as well as collaboration in research publications, which will enhance the research standards of both institutions across multiple fields.
Paul Cooper delivered an address
Wu Hao, President of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, addressed the audience and extended his best wishes for future collaborations between the two institutions. He looks forward to further boosting the hospital’s disciplinary development, research capabilities, and educational standards through cooperation and exchanges with the University of Otago. The event was chaired by Wang Xudong, Vice President of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital.
Wu Hao delivered a welcome speech
Wang Xudong chaired the signing ceremony
An academic conference was held following the signing ceremony. Paul Cooper, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “The University of Otago: New Zealand National Centre for Dentistry”. He highlighted the international exchange initiatives between the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago and College of Stomatology. The conference was chaired by Professor Jiang Lingyong, Director of the Department of Oral & Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital.
