From July 13 to 15, our university successfully convened the 2024 International Youth Academic Conference on Public Health under the theme “Cross-disciplinary Innovation and Development: Shaping the Future of Public Health”. The conference brought together distinguished experts and young scholars from international organizations, prestigious universities, and professional institutions，including the World Health Organization, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Harvard University, Yale University, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Vice President Feng Feng presided over the opening ceremony.
President Hu Zhibin and Vice President and Secretary-General Feng Zijian of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association delivered welcoming remarks on behalf of the organizers. They extended a warm welcome to the attending experts and young scholars and expressed optimism that the conference would serve as a catalyst for deepening international exchanges, fostering collaboration between academia and local communities, advancing scientific innovation in public health, and promoting high-quality development in global health and disease prevention and control efforts in China. Zhou Minghao, Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Commission of Health and Director of Jiangsu Disease Control and Prevention Administration, and Education Inspector Xu Zimin from the Jiangsu Education Department congratulated the smooth organization of the conference, extending gratitude to leaders and supporters for their enduring commitment to health, education, and higher education in Jiangsu Province.
During the keynote sessions, insights were shared by distinguished speakers such as Professor Shen Hongbing, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Deputy Director of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration and Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Director David Atchoarena from the World Health Organization Academy; Dr. W. William Schluter, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) China Country Office Director; Professor Lin Xihong from Harvard University, a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S.; Dr. Zhao Jinkou, Senior Specialist of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Zhao Chihong, Director of the Office of Academic Publishing at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Executive Editor from China CDC Weekly. They presented cutting-edge developments and academic achievements in public health from various perspectives, both domestic and international. Topics included the historical development, challenges, and opportunities of Chinese cohort studies; interdisciplinary collaboration in future public health initiatives; successful experiences and future directions in vaccine deployment; large-scale genetic and genomic integration analysis methods; global health governance, project, funding dynamics, and their interrelationships; as well as the contributions of China CDC Weekly in promoting scientific research and innovation in public health .
In the afternoon of July 14, themed sub-forums on “Disease Prevention and Control: Environment, Nutrition, and Health”, “Big Health Data and Multidisciplinary Research Methods”, and “Health Policy and Management” featured outstanding presentations by experts and scholars from both domestic and international universities and research institutes.
On the morning of July 15, the Special Seminar on Scientific Research and Innovation in Disease Control featured sub-forums on “Infectious Disease Prevention and Pathogen Detection”, “Population Cohort Construction and Development”, “Promotion of Child and Adolescent Health”, and “Strategies and Technologies for Chronic Non-communicable Disease Prevention and Control”. These sessions were hosted respectively by the Municipal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Nanjing, Wuxi, Changzhou, Suzhou, and other cities. Participating experts and scholars shared the latest research advancements and practical experiences, exploring cutting-edge issues and innovative solutions in the field of public health.
Jointly organized by our university and the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, with co-sponsorship from the School of Public Health (NMU), the Municipal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Nanjing, Wuxi, Changzhou, and Suzhou, Global Health Center and the International Joint Research Center on Environment and Health of Nanjing Medical University, the conference provided a distinguished platform for global experts and scholars in public health to deepen cross-disciplinary research, foster scientific and technological innovation, and advance high-quality development in disease prevention and control.
[Drafted by Zhao Xuyang; Photographs by Xu Hao; Reviewed by Wang Jianming; Translated by Zhang Bei]
