The 2nd Belt & Road Initiative Global Health International Congress
& 2018 Global Health Forum of the University Alliance of the Silk Road
Successfully held in Xi'an, China
December, 2018
(By Xiaomin Sun, Linyun Zhou, Lu Ma from Xi'an Jiaotong University Global Health Institute)
The 2nd Belt & Road Initiative Global Health International Congress & 2018 Global Health Forum of the University Alliance of the Silk Road was held on November 23-26, 2018, in the eternal city, 13 dynasties ancient capital, Xi’an, Shaanxi. Approximately 500 delegates attended the conference, including prominent leaders and experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Asia Pacific Clinical Nutrition Society, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese Institute of Sport Science, Health Commission of Shaanxi Province, institutes from the Belt and Road countries, Huawei Technologies Co., LTD, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, university presidents, hospital directors, and academic society presidents. About 100 experts from home and abroad gave presentations. The three-day conference included 21 sessions covering various topics, including the Keynote Speech Forum, the Top Experts Cross-Border Cooperation Forum, Nutrition and Health, Sports Medicine Integration (co-hosted by General Administration of Sport), Environmental Health, Intelligent Wearable Devices and Sports Health (co-hosted by Huawei Technologies Co., LTD), Chronic Disease and Childhood obesity (co-hosted by UNICEF), Health Aging and Geriatrics, Health Technology Assessment, General Practitioner, and Chronic Disease Management.
The conference was jointly hosted by Xi'an Jiaotong University Global Health Institute, School of Public Health, and the Health Sub-alliance of the University Alliance of the Silk Road. The co-organizers also included UNICEF, International Chinese Nutrition Young Scholar Network (ICNYSN), Integration of Sport and Medicine Innovation Research Center, China Institute of Sport Science, Chinese Preventive Medicine Association-Chinese Society on Global Health, People's Daily Overseas Edition-Education Channel, School of Public Policy and Administration of Xi'an Jiaotong University, School of International Education of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Institute for Empirical Social Science Research of Xi'an Jiaotong University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Trace Element and Endemic Disease Research of Chinese National Health Commission, Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi Nutrition Society, Health Reform and Development Research Center of Shaanxi Province, and Huawei Technologies Co., LTD.
The theme of this Congress was “China’s Contribution • 'The Belt and Road Initiative' • Global Health”. Prof. Hong Yan, Vice President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Director of Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, was the Honorary President of the Congress. Prof. Youfa Wang, Founding Dean of the Xi'an Jiaotong University Global Health Institute and Vice President of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association-Chinese Society on Global Health, was the President of the Congress. Other co-presidents of the congress were Prof. Guihua Zhuang, Dean of the Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Public Health, and Dr. Tieru Han, Former Senior Official of the WHO and the President of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association-Chinese Society on Global Health.
(VIPs in the conference)
Important leaders attending the conference included Minghui Ren, Assistant Director-General of WHO; Junshi Chen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Senior Research Professor of the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment; Li Fan, Former Vice President of the Chinese PLA General Hospital & Major General & President of the Chinese Geriatrics Association; Mahesh K. Maskey, Executive Chair of the Nepal Public Health Foundation; Baoqin Liu, Director of Health Commission of Shaanxi Province; Haik Nikogosian, Senior Research Fellow of Global Health Center, Geneva International Development Institute; Dan Zhang, Executive Chairman of Fountain Medical Development Ltd.
Other leading experts included Hao Wang, Distinguished Professor at Guangdong University of Technology, Founder and Chairman Lianomics LLC; Wei Huang, Distinguished Changjiang-Scholar Professor, Honorary Chair Professor of Xi’an Jiaotong University; Jinling Tang, Director of Department of Epidemiology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Therese Hesketh, Professor of Institute for Global Health, University College London; Shaw Watanabe, President of Asia Pacific Clinical Nutrition Society; Xiong Guo, Director of the Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Chinese National Health Committee & School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University; Mikko Lammi, Professor of Umeå University of Sweden; Lijian Yang, tenured full professor of the Center for Statistics Science, Tsinghua University; Jianjun Guo, Director of Integration of Sport and Medicine Innovation Research Center, China Institute of Sport Science; Kun Zhao, Director of Division of Health Policy Evaluation and Technology Assessment, China National Health Development Research Center, Chinese National Health Commission; Wenqiang Wei, Director of Tumor Registration Office, Tumor Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Center; Klaus W. Lange, Director of Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg of Germany; Yingyao Chen, Associate Dean of School of Public Health, Fudan University; Hyunjung Lim, Director, Research Institute of Medical Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, South Korea; Jie Mi, Director of the Children's Chronic Disease Management Center, National Center for Children's Health & Beijing Children's Hospital; and Shiyong Liu, Professor of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.
(Prof. Guang Xi, Vice President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, delivered an opening speech)
During the opening ceremony, Prof. Guang Xi, Vice President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Dr. Minghui Ren, Baoqin Liu, Dr. Mahesh K. Maskey, and Dr. Tieru Han delivered speeches, highlighting the importance of global health and the Belt & Road initiative. In subsequent keynote speech sessions, Dr. Minghui Ren, Dr. Mahesh Maskey, Prof. Junshi Chen, and Dr. Haik Nikogosian discussed emerging issues in the field of global health.
(Dr. Minghui Ren, Baoqin Liu, Dr. Mahesh K. Maskey, Dr. Tieru Han, Prof. Junshi Chen, and Dr. Haik Nikogosian delivered keynote speeches during the congress)
Prof. Youfa Wang welcomed all delegates at the meeting and provided an overview of the 2nd Belt & Road Initiative Global Health International Congress. The conference invited senior experts from national and international relevant organizations to discuss major and emerging issues in the global health field. Dr. Minghui Ren expressed hope that the 2nd Belt and Road Global Health International Congress would continue to foster the Belt and Road health promotion and strengthen the in-depth development and exchange of scientific research in the global health field. Baoqin Liu, Dr. Mahesh K. Maskey, and Dr. Tieru Han affirmed the positive role of the Belt and Road Global Health International Congress in international academic research exchanges and global health development and expressed hope that this Congress could further strengthen exchanges and cooperation among health-related institutions in the countries along the Belt and Road and establish a global health education and research cooperation network to help solve major health problems faced by many countries in the region.
(Speech by Prof. Youfa Wang, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Conference)
Prof. Guang Xi stressed that with the continuous development of the world economy and science and technology, health issues have crossed national boundaries and have become a global issue of common concern. In order to meet global health challenges, to implement the national innovation-driven development strategy and the national Belt and Road development strategy, to build a world-class university around the construction of China's western science and technology innovation port -Wisdom Town (abbreviated Wisdom Town), and to achieve Xi'an Jiaotong University development goal, Xi'an Jiaotong University officially established the Interdisciplinary Global Health Institute on September 18, 2016. Global Health Institute is the first of the 23 research institutes in the Wisdom Town, and one of the six research institutes planned for the Medical Sector. Global Health Institute, led by Prof. Youfa Wang, a recognized expert in the fields of global health and international obesity, will rely on the first-class platform of Wisdom Town to integrate domestic and foreign resources and bring together domestic and international leading experts and scholars for western China, the Belt and Road countries, and the world by cultivating global health professionals with international vision and innovation. Prof. Guang Xi pointed out that Wisdom Town is a national-level project jointly established by the Ministry of Education and the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government. It is a critical platform for Shaanxi Province and Xi'an Jiaotong University to implement the three national strategies of the Belt and Road and drive western development. All delegates were welcome to visit the Wisdom Town. He hoped that, in the near future, friends would be able to join Xi'an Jiaotong University and become the first “towner” to relocate to Wisdom Town.
The conference included 21 sessions on major global health issues, including the 2018 Health Sub-Alliance of the University Alliance of the Silk Road Annual Meeting-Global Health Forum, Youth Committee of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association-Chinese Society on Global Health Forum, Top Experts Cross-Border Cooperation Forum, Dialogue with Renowned Journal Editors Forum, Nutrition and Health Forum, Integration of Exercise Science and Medicine, Intelligent Wearable Devices and Sports Health: University-Industry Collaboration Forum, Chronic Disease and Childhood Obesity Forum, Health Aging and Geriatrics Forum, General Practitioner & Chronic Disease Management Forum, Health Technology Assessment Forum, Environmental Health Forum, and Young Scholars Forum. A number of experts and scholars from home and abroad had in-depth discussions about the state of the art of several research topics and contributed to China's efforts to promote global health development and build a community of human destiny.
(Photos of the conference site)
Attendees included experts from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Peru, and other Belt and Road countries such as Nepal, Tanzania, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Pakistan, as well as more than 30 international students.
To solve health problems, not only are professionals in the health fields needed, but also people from other fields and sectors are required to work together. In addition to blending in the medical field, this interdisciplinary approach is also reflected in the fields of sports, social sciences, psychology, and smart wearable devices. The promotion of global health requires not only the cooperation of medical researchers in all directions, but also the interdisciplinary interaction, the integration of fields, and cooperation to promote the joint development of global health.
(Young Scholars Forum Award Ceremony)
Attendees exchanged their research and discussed about future cooperation and development in the global health field. In addition, 20 young scholars presented their research in two sessions of the Young Scholars Forum. Some of them received awards based evaluation of the conference award committee.
(From left to right: Prof. Guihua Zhuang, Prof. Jinling Tang, Prof. Youfa Wang, Dr. Minghui Ren, Prof. Hong Yan, Prof. Junshi Chen, Dr. Tieru Han, and Dr. Suying Chang)
Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, Science and Technology Daily, Chinese Journal of Science, China National Radio, Sanqin Daily, Xi'an Daily, Xi'an Evening News, Health Times, Shaanxi Media Network, Sunshine Daily, People's Daily Overseas Edition, and many other media outlet representatives attended the Congress to report on the conference.
(VIPs and invited speakers in the conference)
The conference successfully concluded on November 26, 2018. Many leading experts and other attendees highly praised it. As the starting point of the Silk Road, Xi'an, which has more than 3,000 years of history, is becoming the bridgehead of the new Silk Road and is playing an important role to promote international collaboration. Xi'an Jiaotong University, a top university in China aiming to become a world-class university, is fully committed to global cooperation and health promotion in the countries along the Belt & Road.
