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From left, Dr. Jiayang Li, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Science, UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and Beverly Maurer unveil a plaque commemorating the formation of the joint research center between UNMC and the Chinese Academy of Science. |
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Dr. and Mrs. Maurer, front row third and fourth from left, and Dr. Zheng, back row second from right, at dinner with Chinese Academy of Science representatives who have interest in collaborating with UNMC. |
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From left, Dr. Zheng, Dr. Zhenggang Zhu, vice president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and dean of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Mrs. Maurer, Dr. Maurer, and Dr. Xiaoming Shen, vice mayor of Shanghai City, at Shanghai’s city hall. |
Dr. Maurer, his wife Beverly, and Jialin Zheng, M.D., director of the UNMC Asia Pacific Rim Development Program (APRDP), visited two cities in China earlier this month.
“This was a wonderful and productive trip,” Dr. Maurer said. “We’ve been very fortunate to be able to develop deep relationships with Chinese institutions and this trip gave us a chance to officially get the wheels rolling on some exciting new endeavors.”
During the trip, Dr. Maurer signed an agreement with the Chinese Academy of Science — the Chinese equivalent of the National Institutes of Health — to form a joint center for research collaboration. Other U.S. institutions including the University of California-Davis, University of Arizona and Rutgers University already have expressed interest in joining this center.
Dr. Maurer also signed an agreement with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine to initiate a joint M.D./Ph.D. program that would allow medical students from the Chinese university to come to UNMC to earn a Ph.D. degree after their M.D. training in China.
Dr. Maurer said the accomplishments achieved during the trip were the culmination of the hard work and effort of many people at UNMC including:
- Don Leuenberger, vice chancellor for business and finance;
- Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research;
- Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs;
- John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Medicine;
- Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of College of Nursing;
- Gerald Moore, M.D., associate dean of the College of Medicine; and
- Sheila Ryan, Ph.D., director of international education programs in the College of Nursing.
Dr. Maurer made special note of the work done by Dr. Zheng and the APRDP staff, which has been instrumental in developing UNMC’s relationships with China.
“Dr. Zheng truly has a passion for helping us build relationships with these prestigious Chinese institutions,” Dr. Maurer said. “He and his staff have worked tirelessly to build our profile in China.”
Also during his trip, Dr. Maurer was able to meet with several academic and governmental leaders including Jiayang Li, Ph.D., vice president of the Chinese Academy of Science, Le Kang, Ph.D., president of Beijing Life Science Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science, Jie Zhang, Ph.D., president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Xiaoming Shen, M.D., Ph.D., vice mayor of Shanghai City.
China is a burgeoning society, Dr. Maurer said, and it will serve UNMC well to build strong relationships with colleagues in that country.
With its massive population of more than 1 billion people, China has an incredibly large number of researchers and also a vast potential to facilitate a massive amount of clinical research, he said.
“It was a very busy and productive trip,” Dr. Zheng said. “I was glad Dr. Maurer and his wife, Beverly, were able to come to China and meet with the key leaders of these important institutions.
“These key leaders enjoyed their interactions with Dr. Maurer and his wife and their presence really helped put the cap on a lot of important work that other UNMC leaders have been doing here at the medical center.”