Local Medical School Kicks Off International Training Program in Hainan

Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine has launched a new international medical education training program in south China's Hainan Province.

Hosted by the school's Hainan International Medical Center and housed in the Bo'ao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, the program has welcomed its first cohort of 62 students from 13 countries for a two-week training session. This initiative marks the school's dedicated efforts to accelerate the internationalization of medical education and support the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Fang Yong, vice director of the medical school, stated that the cultivation and training of medical professionals should embrace an international perspective and keep pace with the trend of globalization.

"This IntMedEdu program is designed to integrate the top-tier academic resources of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine with the preferential policies of the Lecheng Pilot Zone. It aims to build a comprehensive curriculum system covering cutting-edge courses such as bioinformatics, medical artificial intelligence and real-world research, while creating exchange opportunities between international medical students and leading Chinese medical specialists," he noted.

Officials added that the special policies derived from Hainan's free trade port development will also provide innovative opportunities for the in-depth integration of medical education and the healthcare industry.

Lecheng boasts a host of preferential policies to boost medical innovation and international cooperation, including streamlined approval procedures for urgently needed medicines and medical devices, the import of innovative pharmaceuticals and devices not yet approved on the Chinese mainland, support for medical institutions to conduct clinical trials, and the establishment of an e-prescription center.

As China's only special medical zone, Lecheng possesses a leading platform for the application of medicines and devices and real-world data utilization. The program will enable students to visit this unique region–the only one in China permitted to import clinically urgently needed medical devices–and witness China's healthcare reform progress, officials said.

In addition to admitting international students to China, the program will also send faculty members from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine for overseas training and establish a long-term mutual visit mechanism.

Over the next three years, the program plans to expand its enrollment scale and cover students from more countries and regions. The core of future training and exchanges will focus on digital medicine and precision medicine, with the goal of building the school into an international medical education hub in Southeast Asia by 2030.