More than 250 leaders from Chinese and U.S. academic and governmental institutions will gather April 10-12, 2011 at Emory University to examine and compare healthcare reform in the two countries, focusing on cost, quality and access to care. The symposium is being co-hosted by the Emory Global Health Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine and the China Medical Board.
"Healthcare reform is one of the most critical and most challenging issues facing the United States and other countries around the world," says Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, MPH, director of the Emory Global Health Institute. "We are pleased to partner with China on this forum to compare our current systems and collaborate on concrete and creative solutions that will benefit both our countries."
This third conference in the "Westlake" series is the first to be held in the United States. Historically, the first two forums provided a platform for university academicians and government officials to discuss the major health policy issues facing China's healthcare system. The first Westlake Forum was held in May 2007 with the theme of "Health Equity and Health Security Systems", and the second forum, "Health China 2020: Policy and Action" was held in February 2009, both at the famous West Lake in the city of Hangzhou.
"Now China and the US are facing the same challenge: to push healthcare reform forward. Our two countries need to share knowledge and experiences with each other, and to learn from each other," says Yu Hai, MD, PhD, director of China Medical Board Programs, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. "Moving the symposium venue from Hangzhou to Atlanta creates a unique opportunity for scholars across the Pacific Ocean to exchange and collaborate in fields of common interest, which will eventually contribute to the accomplishment of healthcare reform in both countries."
More than 250 scholars, university administrators and government leaders are expected to attend Westlake Forum III. A key goal of the symposium is to advance concrete collaborations that may include joint research, educational exchanges or partnerships across the range of university functions. The symposium will include networking events, poster sessions, lunch and dinner topic gatherings, and designated meeting spaces for interaction and collaboration.
The Emory Global Health Institute and Zhejiang University School of Medicine received grant support from the China Medical Board to support the conference. Launched in 1914 as the second major program of the Rockefeller Foundation, the China Medical Board is now an independent U.S. foundation that aims to advance health in China and neighboring Asian countries through strengthening medical, nursing and public health research and education.
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