International
Global Leaders Gather for Shanghai 21st Century International Medical Forum
In recent years, global healthcare dialogues have highlighted a common purpose among academic, clinical and organizational leaders thousands of miles apart: leverage the lessons gained from collaborative initiatives to benefit the health and wellbeing of patients from diverse cultures.
"The future is already here. As medical centers and research enterprises around the world focus on international synergies, patients will be the ultimate beneficiaries."
One recent major international gathering, the 2021 Shanghai 21st Century International Medical Forum, brought these lessons in sharp relief. The two-day forum welcomed 200+ of the world’s most influential healthcare leaders and medical experts from 16 nations in addition to more than 10,000 healthcare professionals who viewed the event online across the globe.
The keynote address, delivered by Dr. Zhu Chen, the former minister of health of China, highlighted medicine’s unique role in advancing cooperation and development in the 21st century. Chen discussed key Chinese initiatives designed to accelerate innovation in medical science and technology.
Heitham Hassoun, MD
The forum was hosted by Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, a world-class academic medical center, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, one of China’s premier medical schools.
Cedars-Sinai International (CSI) Vice-President Heitham Hassoun, MD, contributed his view as the leader of a major U.S. healthcare organization during a leadership roundtable, Global Top Hospitals: Shaping the Shared Future of Human Health. “I am honored and thrilled to have this opportunity to again share our global perspectives with like-minded leaders across the Pacific,” Hassoun remarked during the panel, moderated by Dr. Guang Ning, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital.
Hassoun, who visited Shanghai Ruijin Hospital prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, described the globalization of healthcare as “a thrilling trend. The future is already here. As medical centers and research enterprises around the world focus on international synergies, patients will be the ultimate beneficiaries. Global healthcare conferences like this one present a unique opportunity for industry leaders to reflect on lessons learned and how to apply them to navigate our shared challenges.”
CSI’s efforts in China are part of a strategic global effort built on four key pillars: hospital and health system collaborations; physician relationships; new payer and purchaser channels; and marketing and communications initiatives. In the past year, CSI China has organized more than 20 clinical, academic and operational training and exchange programs, initiated a clinical case review conference series with several Chinese hospitals, launched a healthcare diplomacy initiative focused on US -China relations, and coordinated business development initiatives to advance Cedars-Sinai’s vision of sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships
“In spite of the global obstacles associated with the pandemic, we have made substantial progress with our Chinese colleagues,” Hassoun noted. “We are working hard to embrace the challenges that come with international collaboration, to make timely adjustments along the way and to do the right things to benefit patients in both countries.”
