The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Zhejiang University School of Medicine (SAHZU) in Hangzhou, China, today announced the launch of a bilateral exchange program in clinical research to enhance the research capabilities of both institutions and to develop a multi-year program of clinical research education.
The joint program was announced at SAHZU's 10th annual Cross-Strait Hospital CEO Forum and Global Healthcare Leader Forum.
The world's most urgent public health challenges require collaboration across borders. We're proud to advance that work through this innovative exchange program with Zhejiang University."
Michelle Williams, dean of the faculty, Harvard Chan School
"At Harvard Chan, we have a long tradition of working with colleagues around the globe to build local capacity for both clinical research and public health leadership," Williams added. "In particular, we've had deep engagement with China for decades through programs such as the China Health Partnership, which supports research on the financing and delivery of health care. This new exchange program with Zheijang will enable us to reach even more practitioners in China and will further strengthen the cross-cultural ties that are essential for advancing the global health security agenda."
The program will initially have four components:
SAHZU's annual forum
Harvard Chan faculty will participate in this educational conference for Chinese physicians and researchers, which last year attracted more than 700,000 online viewers. This year's agenda includes Harvard Chan faculty sharing case studies from their research and discussing medical innovation.
Customized course in clinical research methods
A one-week course on clinical research methods will be launched, focusing on study design and validity of clinical studies, statistical analysis of clinical studies, and reporting of clinical research in major medical journals. Harvard Chan faculty will develop and teach the twice-yearly course in-person at SAHZU beginning in spring 2022 and some SAHZU colleagues who complete the course will be involved in future courses as teaching fellows.
Master of science program in Clinical Epidemiology and Clinical Research
This two-year degree program will focus on research methods in clinical medicine and clinical epidemiology. Participants, primarily young physicians, will make two four-week visits to the Harvard Chan campus in Boston and will conduct a clinical research study supervised by Harvard Chan experts. Five positions annually will be available to SAHZU physicians and researchers.
Visiting professorship
The program will enable a SAHZU visiting professor to be fully involved in onsite research at Harvard Chan School and train in the development of collaborative research projects.
"We're excited about this opportunity to work closely with our colleagues at SAHZU to build clinical research and epidemiology capacity in eastern China. This type of collaboration is essential to improving public health around the world," said Albert Hofman, Stephen B. Kay Family Professor of Public Health and Clinical Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School, chair of the Department of Epidemiology, and director of the new Global Educational Collaborative in Clinical Research with SAHZU.
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