UTAR and WNMC co-hosted the First International Forum on Life and Health

In order to boost China’s Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen international communication and cooperation among universities, deepen humanistic exchanges, guarantee higher medical education a stable and promising future and improve the quality of interdisciplinary talents from the Belt and Road Initiative regions, Wannan Medical College (WNMC) and UTAR co-hosted the first International Forum on Life and Health on 12 January 2022 in Wuhu, China and via Voov Meeting simultaneously.

The forum aimed to bring together experts from China and Malaysia to exchange opinions and communicate on life and health academic researches and medical high-level talent cultivation, with the aim of promoting cooperation and development in the field of scientific researches and talent cultivation for WNMC and UTAR.

The speakers of the forum shared the topics on Pharmacology, Cancer/Oncology and Translational Medicine. The sessions also saw speakers presenting their research on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics; emergence and development mechanism of tumour; clinical science research and translational medicine as well as conducting a discussion on joint cultivation of doctoral students.

The forum commenced with an opening speech by WNMC President Prof Liao Shengbao. It was followed by welcome speeches by UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat and Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering Prof Wang Guangji.

Prof Liao during the opening speech

Prof Liao said, “WNMC has been adhering to the school motto of ‘Exquisite Medical Skills, Noble Virtues, Truth-seeking Spirit, Unyielding Personality’, and carrying forward the spirit of ‘arduously start a business, seek for the truth and self-improvement, contribute to society’. Because of that, WNMC has successfully cultivated more than 70,000 medical workers, medical care personnel and scientific research personnel including academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and gainers of The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars who have greatly contributed to boosting scientific development, constructing healthier China and serving for people’s health.”

“Medical colleges and universities shoulder the responsibility of facing frontiers of science and technology, facing people’s life and health, constantly improving scientific innovation levels and quality of talent cultivating. Today, we co-host this life and health international forum to communicate domestic and abroad researches, share latest research outcomes and search for scientific cooperation in a deeper level, which will immensely promote the development of life and health-related subjects,” he added.

Prof Ewe looking forward to many more collaborations with Wannan Medical College in the future

Prof Ewe enthused, “As we know, the Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the risk factors generally associated with poor health. It has never been more evident than today that investments in health are investments in our future. The pandemic is a stark reminder telling us scientific cooperation is the key when dealing with a global public health issue. A forum such as this that brings experts together to exchange ideas at the international level, is critical to address the global challenge of health issues. I believe that, with so many focused minds in the forum, creative thoughts and ideas can be stimulated, debated and even refined. For better disease prevention in the wake of a devastating pandemic, we need to maximise the great potential of collaboration, research and innovation.”

He added, “UTAR and Wannan Medical College officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in December 2019 at Sungai Long Campus. Since then the two institutions have shared a common goal to initiate joint projects involving international collaborative research in the medical field and promote joint postgraduate supervision between both universities. I am happy that the forum today is an example of successful collaboration that broadens our reach by including our partner to contribute relevant expertise. And I look forward to reaching out to many more collaborations with Wannan Medical College in the future.”

Prof Wang believes that participants will have closer ties, deeper cooperation, deeper friendship and broader room for development through this academic exchange

Prof Wang expressed, “I hope that everyone will have extensive discussions and in-depth exchanges, actively seek opportunities for academic cooperation and jointly make positive contributions to the development of medicine and health and the improvement of people’s health and well-being. I believe that through academic exchanges, all of us will have closer ties, deeper cooperation, deeper friendship and broader room for development.”

The forum focused on the theme ‘Elucidate Mechanism of Drug Action. Promote Researches on Translational Medicine’. It featured a total of seven renowned speakers. The keynote speakers, namely Prof Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat from UTAR presented his topic titled Interaction of Mesenchymal Stem Cell and Ipsc Derived MSC within the Tumour Microenvironment Model; Prof Wei Wei from Anhui Medical University (AHMU) presented his topic titled Development of New Drugs from Natural Medicines; Dr Fong Lai Yen from UTAR presented her topic titled Alternanthera Sessilis Protects against Pro-Oxidant-Induced Activation of Human Aortic Endothelial Cells; Prof Zhi-Li Huang from Fudan University School of Medicine (FDU) presented his topic titled Neuron Circuits for Sleep-Wake Regulation; Prof Zhihao Wu from WNMC presented his topic titled The Role of Lactate in Lung Cancer Progression; Dr Amy Saik Yi Hsan from UTAR presented her topic titled Improved Solubility, Stability and Anti-Cancer Properties of Quercetin via Structural Modification and Prof Xiaochun Jiang from WNMC presented his topic titled Transmastoid Trautman’s Triangle Combined Low Retrosigmoid Approach for Foramen Magnum Meningiomas: Surgical Anatomy and Technical Note.

 

Clockwise from left:  Prof Wei Wei, Prof Zhi-Li Huang, Dr Amy, Prof Xiaochun Jiang, Prof Zhihao Wu, Dr Fong and Prof Dr Alan as keynote speakers

Prof Ewe (top row, second from left) during the group photograph