Non-communicable disease (NCD) Experts Congregate in Beijing
From April 13 to 15, 2013, the Eighth Semi-annual NHLBI-UHG Global Health Centers of Excellence Steering Committee Meeting (SCM) was held successfully at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Beijing. Around 80 NCD experts and staff from over 10 countries participated in the meeting. Attendees were from National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), UnitedHealth, Duke University, representatives from the 11 Centers of Excellence, and non-network members from CDCs, University of Michigan, and Peking University Health Science Center.
Cristina Rabadan-Diehl, Acting Director of Office of Global Health and COE Project Director, NHLBI, Richard Smith, Director, UnitedHealth Chronic Disease Initiative, and Professor Ke Yang, Executive Vice President of Peking University and Executive Associate Director of Peking University Health Science Center gave opening remarks respectively and welcomed all the participants to the SCM.
“Nothing is more delightful than to meet friends from far away,” Professor Ke remarked in her welcome speech. “The SCM is for the very first time held in Beijing, China, and this is also a very good opportunity to communicate and share opinions within the network and continue to make great contributions to our fight against NCDs”
The NHLBI and UnitedHealth Group have jointly established a worldwide network of Collaborating Centers of Excellence (COEs) to enable the development of local capacities for research in prevention and control of chronic diseases in developing countries. Among the COEs, The China International Center for Chronic Disease Prevention (China COE) hosted by The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center is the only center in China and represents a network of 12 leading institutions in NCD research from the US, UK, Australia and China.
The Steering Committee, which is held twice each year, provides an interactive platform for staff of the COEs, their partners from developed countries, and staff from the NHLBI and UnitedHealth Group to discuss research accomplishments, identify research gaps and common areas of interest, and promote potential COE-wide research activities related to the prevention and treatment of chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases in developing countries.
Participants of the SCM were also invited by The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center to attend the Fourth International Forum on NCD Prevention and Control held at the Beijing International Convention Center on April 16 and 17.
