On June 12th, Mark R. Middleton, department head of Oncology Department, Oxford University, Cecille El Beleidi, Consul General of the British Consulate in Chongqing, Professor David James Kerr, Oncology Consultant of Oxford University and Academician of the Royal College of Physicians, visited SCU to discuss how to further accelerate the co-construction of "Sichuan University-Oxford University Gastrointestinal Cancer Center". President Yanrong Li met with the guests in the VIP Hall of Mingde Building, Wangjiang Campus. Vice President Shijing Yan, the principal leaders of West China College of Medicine /West China Hospital, Office of International Affairs and Medical Management Department attended the meeting.
On behalf of the university, President Yanrong Li welcomed Professor Mark R. Middleton and Ms. Cecille El Beleidi and made a general introduction of the university and West China medicine. He indicated that the university has always attached great importance to the development of West China medicine. The university has adopted “medicine +” and combined medicine with engineering, sciences and especially information technology in order to assist West China medicine to advance to a world first-class medicine.
The establishment of the "Sichuan University-Oxford University Gastrointestinal Cancer Center" with Oxford University is a major event of international cooperation between Sichuan University and Oxford University. The construction of this center will expand the cooperation between Sichuan University and Oxford University in personnel training and scientific research. He hoped that the two sides would make joint efforts to build the center into a model and nameplate of Sino-British medical cooperation and make more innovative achievements in the research and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer so as to contribute to human health.
Professor Mark R. Middleton thanked SCU for the warm reception and briefly introduced the general situation of Oxford University and the Medical Sciences Division of Oxford University. He said that the Medical Sciences Division of Oxford University is the world’s first in biomedicine and is very strong in cancer research. Oxford University gives high priority to international cooperation and integration of medicine and engineering. This is the first cancer research center that Oxford University will build in China. He expected that more breakthroughs would be made in medicine through the joint efforts of the two universities. Cecille El Beleidi said that she would strongly support the cooperation between Sichuan University and Oxford University. The cooperation between the two universities would further strengthen the cultural and technological exchanges between China and the UK and promote the development of medical services in both countries and even in the world.
During the meeting, participants from both sides also exchanged views on the construction of the center and specific cooperation issues.
