On October 12, Dele Davies, MD, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, spoke at the World University Presidents’ Forum on Medical Sciences hosted by Shandong University in China. The Shandong University Cheeloo College of Medicine is celebrating the 120th anniversary of Shandong University and the 110th anniversary of the Medical School. The forum’s focus was the free exchange of ideas on international partnerships and cooperation in medicine, medical education, and strategies for addressing the global public health crisis.
"As the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in over a century, it has never been more important for global university leaders to stand together as a united community to tackle the challenges, especially the health crisis, faced by us all and to refine the mission of the university, medical school, and affiliated hospitals," said Yuchun Tang, MD, PhD, deputy director of the office of scientific research and international affairs, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University.
Dr. Davies was joined by other leaders from universities in Canada, China, Japan, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Dr. Davies spoke on transforming healthcare education with emerging technologies. Additional topics included openness and cooperation in medical education, future prospects of remote learning in medical education, the importance of strengthening international partnerships in the post-pandemic period, and how the COVID-19 pandemic will shape future medical research and education.
"UNMC was pleased to be part of this international forum in recognition of the 120th anniversary of Shandong University," Dr. Davies said. "Our faculty and students on both sides have been beneficiaries of this 10-year partnership, and we hope that the next 10 years will lead to continued collaboration and engagement."
In October 2011, UNMC and Shandong University signed a partnership agreement. One of the collaborations with Shandong University is the Summer Research Program coordinated by the Office of Global Engagement. It was designed to introduce Chinese graduate students to UNMC and help them become familiar with UNMC’s research and academic environment. Fifty-two students from the Shandong University Cheeloo College of Medicine have attended the Summer Research Program at UNMC for 12 weeks. Currently, four students are pursuing their PhD degrees at UNMC.