On July 2, Tianjin University (TJU) and Tianjin Hospital signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement, with Tianjin Hospital officially being renamed "Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University".
Li Jiajun, the Party Secretary of TJU, Zhong Denghua, the President of TJU, Xiong Xiangbo the Party Secretary of Tianjin Hospital, Ma Xinlong the Director of Tianjin Hospital, and 19 academicians and representatives from TJU and Tianjin Hospital attended the forum and witnessed this historic moment.
Zhong Denghua and Ma Xinlong signed the comprehensive cooperation agreement on behalf of both sides. Li Jiajun and Xiong Xiangbo delivered speeches during the signing ceremony. Yuan Yingjin, the Vice President of TJU, hosted the ceremony.
The comprehensive cooperation between Tianjin University and Tianjin hospital is the first step along a new developmental path of university-hospital cooperation, and also a marker for Tianjin University’s medical development.
Both sides will improve the international competitiveness of medical education and clinical research in the city of Tianjin, and further promote the construction of a "world-class university with Chinese characteristics". Also, we will expand the development of the medical discipline system in Tianjin, and strengthen medical engineering transformation. Based on the principles of "developing interdisciplinary research, taking complementary advantages, promoting win-win cooperation and common development", the two sides will each establish comprehensive and long-term cooperative relations in terms of science and technology research, education, personnel training, and scientific and technological development.
According to the agreement, TJU and Tianjin Hospital will mainly carry out in-depth cooperation in the following six areas: 1. Jointly promote the scientific research platform and clinical base sharing mechanism, build national key laboratories in the relevant fields. 2. Carry out comprehensive cooperation in scientific research, and encourage both sides to carry out cooperation in technological research and scientific transformation. 3. Establish "Tianjin University Translational Medical Center", give priority to cooperation in biomedical engineering, biological information and medical information engineering, new medical equipment, materials and medicinal development, and clinical base construction. 4. Jointly commit to cultivating innovative medical engineering talents, focusing on the training of high-level clinical medicine, medical engineering and transformation of medical personnel. 5. In academic exchanges area, two sides will jointly organize international conferences and international academic organizations, and actively explore long-term integration mechanisms in the medical field. 6. Both sides will exchange academic leaders, project leaders, young teachers/doctors, researchers to other units for personal training, as well as enroll and cultivate joint graduate students.
Tianjin Hospital covers Hexi, Heping, and Nankai districts. Characterized by orthopedics, trauma first aid, vascular surgery, geriatric medicine, and rehabilitation medicine, it integrates medical services, teaching, scientific research, and rehabilitation and preventive health care. The comprehensive strength of Tianjin Hospital ranks at the leading level in China.
During the speech, Li Jiajun spoke of the “fate” of Tianjin University and Tianjin Hospital, and he also pointed out that the cooperation between the two sides completes the “medical dream” of Tianjin University, and also provides a new development opportunity for Tianjin Hospital.
Li Jiajun pointed out that Tianjin University, formerly known as Peiyang University, is the oldest institute of higher education in the modern history of China. Founded in 1895, it has a long history and cultural heritage, with the 121-year history being the epitome of the progress made by modern Chinese higher education. Tianjin Hospital has a deep historical background. Its predecessor can be traced back to 1861, and it was the first full-scale Western-style hospital in China’s modern history. After the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941, Peking Union Medical College Hospital was forced to stop operation, and Fang Xianzhi, Zhu Xianyi and other doctors came to Tianjin, established Tianhe Hospital and Tianjin Orthopedic Hospital (the first orthopedic hospital in China), after several mergers and adjustments. In 1972, the hospital was finally named "Tianjin Hospital", and it became the largest orthopedic hospital in Asia during that time.
Li Jiajun elaborated that the establishment of a medical school, and the combination of medicine and engineering has been a persistent goal for Peiyang University and Tianjin University. Historically, there have been two attempts and plans to set up a medical school. In 1979, under the advocacy of Tianjin University President Li Shusen and Tianjin Medical College (now Tianjin Medical University) President Zhu Xianyi, Tianjin University created the biomedical engineering degree. In 1980, the first batch of five-year undergraduate students for the major were enrolled, 10 from Tianjin University, and 10 from Tianjin Medical College. It was considered to be the precedent to the medical-engineering cooperative program’s establishment.
Xiong Xiangbo proposed her vision for the cooperation in the speech, pointing out that both sides should cherish the opportunity to establish a comprehensive and long-term developmental relationship. She also proposed that the cooperation of two sides would contribute to the development of Tianjin.
It is reported that over 19 academicians participated in the opening ceremony and the second Trauma and First Aid Academician Forum on July 4. The forum aims at promoting academic exchange between emergency medicine, trauma treatment, and disaster medical rescue.
Before the signing ceremony, Li Jiajun, Zhong Denghua, Yuan Yingjin and representatives from TJU visited Tianjin Hospital.
By: Qin Mian
Editor: Christopher Peter Clarke