April 27, 2010

Han Qide opening the China Center Inauguration.

In Beijing on April 27, 2010, a dual launch ceremony was held to mark the inauguration of the China Center for China Health Development and the Lancet China Health Series II.

The China Center launch marked an important milestone in CMB’s health policy and systems sciences (HPSS) program after the first announcement of the program at the CMB President Council meeting in 2008.  Orchestrated by Peking University Executive Vice President Ke Yang and managed by the new Executive Director, Meng Qingyue, the ceremony included speeches by Han Qide, Health Minister Chen Zhu, Education Vice Minister Lin Huiqing, Peking University President Zhou Qifeng, Harvard Dean Julio Frenk, Lancet Editor Richard Horton, and CMB President Lincoln Chen.  In addition to approximately two dozen vice presidents of Chinese medical universities, senior officials from the ministries of health and education, as well as leading Chinese scholars, all of the founding board members attended the China Center’s inaugural meeting: Chen Yude, Tim Evans, Julio Frenk, Peter Geithner, William Hsiao, Hu Shanlian, Ke Yang, Jeff Koplan, Anne Mills, Wang Longde, Yin Li, Zhou Qiren – with CMB as observer.

Harvard SPH Dean Julio Frenk speaking at the Lancet Launch.

Health Minister Chen Zhu with Launch participants.

The sister ceremonial launch for the Lancet II Series (published in both English and Chinese) followed. The Series consisted of approximately half a dozen commentaries, two commissioned papers, and one solicited paper – about half the size of Series I.  Immediately following the ceremonial opening, Richard Horton chaired a “bridge lecture” by Harvard Professor Bill Hsiao on research priorities followed by two Lancet panels with authors speaking to (1) evolving health challenges in China and (2) China’s health responses and reforms.  The aim of the bridge lecture was to stimulate academic discussion and to promote more and better scientific inquiries surrounding these two themes rather than delve into technical details of individual papers.  At the conclusion, Richard Horton praised “future cooperation” and announced several steps to steeply increase Lancet engagement in China.