SJTU and The University of Edinburgh Establish One Health Center
May 09, 2020
On May 8 at 16:00 CST (9:00 am BST), guests from Shanghai, Hainan Province, Edinburgh municipal government, WHO, FAO and OIE attended the inauguration ceremony of One Health Center, where Shanghai Jiao Tong University and The University of Edinburgh signed a Cooperation Framework Agreement on the establishment of “One Health Center” via the Internet. At the same time, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, The University of Edinburgh, One Health Center, and Hainan Bo'ao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Bureau altogether signed the Memorandum of Cooperation and proposed the initiative of “Enjoy one world, Create one health”.
SJTU has well-established departments and faculties containing all the disciplines related to One Health, including SJTU School of Medicine, topping the list of medical schools in China, School of Agriculture and Biology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, KoGuan School of Law, and School of International and Public Affairs. As one of the top universities in the U.K., The University of Edinburgh is the first one to connect College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. It has been conducting One Health-related research for 10 years and took the lead in setting doctoral and master programs in One Health area. The cooperation between the two universities with profound research strength is exactly a significant exploration at the critical time.
On the inauguration ceremony, Yang Zhenbin, Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Jiao Tong University Committee, delivered a welcome speech. He said that focusing on the community with a shared future for mankind requires us to pay close attention to One Health which unites human, nature and the environment. He suggested that universities should act proactively and devote to the magnificent cause of One Health, making greater contributions to public health, healthy China and the shared future for mankind.
Chen Guoqiang, Vice President of SJTU and Dean of School of Medical, introduced the preparation process and research direction of One Health Center. Jonathan Seckl, Senior Vice-Principal of the University of Edinburgh, introduced the basic information of the University of Edinburgh and expressed his expectations on the cooperation and the research center.
Lin Zhongqin (President of SJTU), Chen Guoqiang, Peter Mathieson (Principal of the University of Edinburgh) and Moira Whyte (Vice-Principal of the University of Edinburgh and Head of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine) jointly signed the Cooperation Framework Agreement.
On behalf of the two universities, Fan Xianqun, Deputy Secretary of the CPC SJTU Committee and Secretary of the CPC School of Medicine Committee, announced the list of One Health Center Directors.
One Health Center focuses on the major health areas and governance systems concerning humans, animals and the environment. It aims to find the “blind spots” and “difficulties” in the contact among the three and develop a “One Health” disciplinary system. In 2020, China will take the lead in launching One Health Double-Degree master programs and establishing One Health Research and Practice Bases. With this, China endeavors to cultivate global One Health talents and build a top-level platform providing One Health technology and policy consulting services for Chinese and international organizations. We also intend to offer innovative, instructive and convertible research findings and governance paradigm in related fields. One Health initiative is expected to improve China’s public health governance capacity from a holistic perspective of “human-animal-environment” and promote the shared health for mankind.
A Memorandum of Understanding for One Health Cooperation between Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University Court of the University of Edinburgh was jointly signed by Chen Guoqiang, Peter Mathieson, University of Edinburgh Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Zhou Xiaonong, director of One Health Center; and Gu Gang, Director of the Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration. The Center plans to establish a training base on Hainan Island and Chongming Island, the second and third largest island in China. By testing and applying the idea of One Health in real world, the Center strives to promote the research cooperation between universities and industries and encourage the implementation of One Health system in China.
Present at the inauguration ceremony of One Health Center were Yu Lijuan, Deputy Secretary-general of the Shanghai municipal government; Mao Lijuan, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Lin Zhongqin, President of SJTU; Fan Xianqun, Party Secretary of the SJTU School of Medicine, and Xu Xuemin, Vice-President of SJTU. Wang Lu, Vice-Governor of Hainan Province; Zhu Wenkai, General Manager of the Hainan branch of China Merchants Group; Peter Mathieson, University of Edinburgh Principal and Vice-Chancellor; and representatives of international organizations, including Ren Minghui from WHO, Belcher Tekkola from FAO, Machida Hiroha from OIE, Liu Rui from the World Bank, etc., also attended the ceremony through online platform. Zhou Xiaonong, the Chinese Director of the One Health Center, announced the One Health initiative "A Shared World with One Health", demonstrating their hope to promote communication through cooperation and to achieve development through innovation.
At the ceremony, many guests sent congratulations on the establishment of the center through video, such as representatives from WHO, FAO, OIE, WB, CMB, Project HOPE and other international organizations; Chen Zhu, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; , of Edinburgh, and Chen Qun, Vice Mayor of Shanghai.
