16 Jan 2025
On January 3, 2025, a delegation from the School of Science at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) welcomed the New Year by continuing its strong commitment to building strong bridges of mutually beneficial partnership by visiting colleagues at Taihe Hospital, affiliated with Hubei University of Medicine, for an academic and research exchange. The delegation was led by Professor John Moraros, Dean of the School of Science, and included Professor Li Yang, Associate Dean; Professor Jia Meng, Head of the Department of Biosciences and Bioinformatics; Dr Weiwei Dai, Director of the Suzhou Key Laboratory for Metabolic Syndrome; Dr Lee Wei Lim, Associate Professor; and Dr Xinzhou Tong, Assistant Professor in the same department.
The event was attended by key distinguished leaders from Taihe Hospital and Hubei University of Medicine, including Taihe Hospital’s President Yijun Tang, alongside key experts, and researchers. The two parties held comprehensive and productive discussions about their respective institutions, medical research initiatives, doctoral joint training programs, and potential directions for future research collaboration.
About Taihe Hospital
Founded in 1965, Taihe Hospital in Shiyan City, Hubei Province, is a national tertiary hospital with a comprehensive range of medical services. The hospital operates one main campus and three branch campuses, with a total of 4,854 beds and over 5,000 staff members. It houses one national key discipline (Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation) and three nationally recognized specialties (Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture, Neurosurgery, and Anesthesiology), along with 49 provincial-level key specialties, including internal medicine, surgery, and anesthesiology.
The event began with a warm welcome by Professor Yijun Tang, President of Taihe Hospital, who introduced the hospital and Hubei University of Medicine. Professor John Moraros responded with an expression of gratitude and presented an overview of XJTLU, the School of Science, and its research directions and strategic plans.
During the roundtable discussion, chaired by Professor Weidong Leng, Vice President of Taihe Hospital both parties discussed various cooperation proposals, including joint medical research, joint doctoral programmes, and bilateral faculty appointments. Key participants included Professor Yong Zhang, Vice Dean of the First Clinical Medical College at Hubei University of Medicine; Professor Xuzhi Ruan, Director of the Graduate School Office; Professor Yang Guo, Director of the Scientific Research Development Institute; Professor Qiuyan Xuanyuan, Director of the Human Resources Office; Professor Qibin Wang, Director of the Research Office at Taihe Hospital;Professor Yuqiang Zhang, Director of the Medical Affairs Office; Professor Hanlin Liao, Director of the Teaching Office; Professor Lei Dai, Director of the Monitoring and Auditing Office; Professor Zhongji Meng, Director of the Biomedical Research Institute; as well as other experts and departmental leaders from Taihe Hospital.
Professors Jia Meng, Dr Lee Wei Lim, Dr Xinzhou Tong, and Dr Weiwei Dai gave scientific presentations to researchers, department leaders, and graduate students from the Hubei University of Medicine and Taihe Hospital during the morning session.
In the afternoon, under the guidance of Professor Zhongji Meng, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, and Associate Researcher Yigan Zhang, the XJTLU delegation toured Taihe Hospital’s key research laboratories and clinical departments, including infectious diseases, respiratory medicine, ICU, and oncology.
Following the tour, research collaboration meetings were held. Under the leadership of Professor Zhongji Meng, researchers from the Biomedical Research Institute and the Precision Medicine Research Center of Taihe Hospital engaged in discussions with Professor Jia Meng, Dr Xinzhou Tong, and Dr Weiwei Dai. Additionally, with arrangements made by Professor Qibin Wang, discussions involving the Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurology, the Neurological Diseases Research Center, and the Department of Anesthesiology centered on potential collaborations with Dr Lee Wei Lim and other members of the Department of Biosciences and Bioinformatics, School of Science.
This exchange laid a strong foundation for further academic and research cooperation between XJTLU and Taihe Hospital in medicine and life sciences. Potential collaborative directions include doctoral joint training, bilateral faculty appointments, applying for international cooperation projects in Hubei Province, and establishing an ambitious partnership by way of establishing the “XJTLU-Taihe International Biomedical Research Collaboration Base.”
The event fostered mutual understanding, institutional respect and established favorable conditions for future collaborations in research, clinical sample sharing, and talent cultivation, paving the way for innovation and development in medical and healthcare fields between the two institutions.
Content: Dr Weiwei Dai
Review: Professor John Moraros、Professor Jia Meng、Dr Xinzhao Tong、Taihe Hospital
Translation: Luyao
16 Jan 2025