Experts attend the online meeting on June 28. [Photo/CQHCWC]

The first meeting of the expert committee of the Chongqing Maternal and Child Disease Prevention and Control and Public Health Research Center was held on June 28.

More than 30 experts attended the online meeting, including Qi Hongbo, chairman of the expert committee and president of the Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children (Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University), or CQHCWC.

Deputy chairpersons of the committee, namely Wang Jian, secretary of the Party committee of the CQHCWC, Qiu Jingfu, dean of the College of Public Health of the Chongqing Medical University, and Cao Jia, a professor of the Army Medical University, also attended the event, along with other experts from Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, and more.

The research center, launched by the Chongqing Health Commission as a municipal-level scientific research platform, aims to promote the implementation of innovation-driven development plans and policies regarding maternal and child disease prevention and control. It focuses on collaborative innovation, talent training, commercialization of research results, technological promotion and application, and more. The center is also one of the city's first four medical sci-tech innovation projects.

During the meeting, Zhou Wenzheng, office director of the research center, briefed attendees on the center's overall situation, work responsibilities of the academic committee, research into various topics, future development, and more.

Qi gave a speech at the meeting, pointing out the new opportunities, new impetus, new requirements and new support faced by the maternal and child health sector, stating that the multi-disciplinary, open and cutting-edge research center can provide a stronger basis and reference for maternal and child health related policies and services.

Qi also stressed that the CQHCWC boasts a strong assisted reproductive medical team and the world's largest full life cycle support system based on obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine, and expects strong cooperation with medical colleges and hospitals to carry out cutting-edge application research and public health research.

Qiu said full support will be given to the research center to build a platform for talent training and scientific research, expecting future cooperation to solve problems faced by the development of the maternal and child health sector.

Cao also said that the CQHCWC and the Army Medical University have worked together before, and the establishment of the research center will further boost the development of maternal and child health, professional training, and scientific research.

Experts discussed the research center's future development and cooperation direction and offered useful suggestions. They agreed that the center brought together the high-quality resources of universities and hospitals in central and western regions, providing a strong cooperation platform for multi-center research into maternal and child health in Southwest China.

Moving forward, the research center will carry out research focusing on improving the physical and mental health of women and children and the prevention and control of relevant diseases, and strive to integrate sci-tech research, the development of theoretical systems, the development of prevention and control technology, and professional training in the city's maternal and child health sector, aiming to promote the high-quality development of women and children's health throughout China.