2019 International Forum on Medical Science and Technology Innovation Leadership: Highlights and Prospectus

The inaugural “2019 International Forum on Leadership in Medical Science and Technology Innovation” (hereinafter referred to as “the Forum”), jointly hosted by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), Sichuan Medical Association, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital/Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, will convene in Chengdu, a city renowned for its historical and cultural heritage, on May 11–12, 2019.

The forum, themed “Smart Connectivity and Development,” will focus on in-depth discussions of hot topics such as the current state and future prospects of medical research innovation in China and abroad, the development of smart hospitals in the era of artificial intelligence and big data, and explorations of internet hospital models under new regulatory policies.

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One of the organizers of this forum, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), was established in 1956. It is China’s only national-level academic center for medical sciences and a comprehensive medical research institution. CAMS comprises 18 research institutes, six hospitals, and six colleges, bringing together outstanding scientific talent and yielding abundant research achievements.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), founded in 1883, boasts a continuous publication history spanning more than a century. As one of the “four premier international medical journals,” it ranks third in terms of SCI Impact Factor, and publishing in JAMA is regarded as a distinct honor by medical experts both in China and abroad. The JAMA network also includes 12 specialty journals, which together with the flagship journal form the JAMA “family.” Their influence is equally significant: specialty journals such as JAMA Oncology, JAMA Ophthalmology, and JAMA Internal Medicine all rank among the top in their respective fields, with each placing within the top 10 among peer journals. Notably, JAMA Oncology achieved an impressive Impact Factor of 16.559 in its first year of being assigned an SCI Impact Factor—the highest score ever recorded for a new journal since the introduction of the Impact Factor metric.

During this forum, Professor Howard Bauchner, Senior Vice President of the American Medical Association (AMA) and Editor-in-Chief of JAMA; Professor Anne Rentoumis Cappola, Deputy Editor of JAMA and Senior Physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; and Professor Deborah Schrag, Deputy Editor of JAMA and Harvard Medical School faculty member, will travel from abroad to join leading Chinese medical experts in discussing cutting-edge technologies in contemporary medicine. At the main forum, Professor Howard Bauchner will deliver a keynote address titled “The Future of Medicine: Innovative Clinical Practice Led by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.” As one of the organizers, JAMA’s involvement and the attendance of these three distinguished experts will undoubtedly be a major highlight of this year’s forum.

In addition to the main forum, this year’s event features eight specialized sub-forums covering scientific research, infectious diseases, ophthalmology, oncology, gynecologic oncology, endocrinology, transplantation, and industry. These sessions focus on medical innovation and academic frontiers in each field, bringing together leading experts to celebrate this grand occasion.

Among them, the Scientific Research Forum will be co-chaired by Li Weimin, President of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Zheng Zhongwei, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; the Oncology Forum will be co-chaired by Gong Qiyong, Vice President of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Xu Ruihua, President of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, and Li Jin, Director of the Department of Medical Oncology at Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University; the Women’s Oncology Forum will be chaired by Shen Keng, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Wang Ningli, President of Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Capital Medical University, will serve as the chair of the Ophthalmology Forum; Li Taisheng, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, will chair the Infectious Diseases Forum; Ran Xingwu, Deputy Director of the Department of Endocrinology at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, will chair the Endocrinology Forum; and Deng Shaoping, President of Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital and Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, is proposed to chair the Transplantation Forum.

In China, innovation in the healthcare industry is inseparable from policy guidance. In addition to academic medical discussions, another major highlight of this forum is the interpretation of China’s healthcare policies and the assessment of trends in industrial innovation.

At the industry sub-forum of this conference—also serving as the 2nd Medlink Summit—Shen Ji, Party Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Health Commission, will lead off by interpreting local policy trends through the lens of “Sichuan Province’s Innovative Healthcare Policies.”

It is also worth noting that representatives from various stakeholders across the industry chain, including internet healthcare companies, pharmaceutical firms, insurance enterprises, and non-profit organizations, will gather at the industry sub-forum to discuss innovative models in healthcare. Confirmed attendees include Hu Ningning, Vice Chairman of the China Primary Health Care Foundation; Luo Yongqing, Global Vice President and General Manager of Greater China at Gilead Sciences; and Wang Shirui, Founder and CEO of Medlinker and CEO of Penguin Almond Group.

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