New China research Center to address threat of chronic disease

Delivering high-quality health research evidence is now a priority in China, in order to tackle what has fast become the leading cause of death - chronic disease. Many of these deaths are preventable, and a new Center recently launched in China marks an important milestone in improving health care in this booming nation.

Four days of events and seminars launched the China International Center for Chronic Disease Prevention in Beijing in November.

The Center, hosted at The George Institute, China in partnership with Peking University Health Science Center, conducts high-impact, targeted research to address the threat of chronic disease in China.

As Professor Han Qide, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of Peking University Health Science Center noted when launching The George Institute in China in 2007, chronic disease now causes 80 percent of deaths in China. The new Center is intended to address the need for more appropriate, effective and efficient health policy and research for the control of conditions such as stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease and diabetes.

The George Institute, China Director Professor Yangfeng Wu said the burden of chronic disease in China was enormous and rising. To reduce the burden and improve the health of millions of people who are already suffering or will do so, all sectors of the society needed to work together - government, industry, academia and community and other organizations, he said. The Center would join forces in not just targeted research but capacity development and policy engagement, said Professor Wu.

The threefold aim of the new Center is to implement targeted health research projects with measurable impacts on health outcomes in local communities; to develop local leadership and capacity for ongoing, sustainable change, and to raise awareness of the importance of chronic disease prevention and treatment through advocacy and engagement with policy makers. Center Director Professor Lijing L. Yan said innovation, impact and sustainability would underpin each aspect of the program.

Highlighting the burden of chronic disease across the world, Principal Director of The George Institute for International Health, Professor Stephen MacMahon said the expected global rise in patients dying from cardiovascular diseases over the next few decades is enormous. "There are a very large numbers of high-risk patients in locations where access to treatment and services is limited. Targeted research is critical for the development of affordable, effective and safe solutions. The establishment of the new Center will enable health agencies and government to make decisions based on the best available medical research evidence".

Professor Yan said the Center was unique in having a large partner network with six international and six Chinese institutions. Each of the institutions has significant reputations with the range of skills and relationships needed to meet the Center’s goals. "We expect our international partners to play a key role in transferring world-class knowledge and skills to China through research collaborations and the many training programs we will conduct", Professor Yan said.

To read more about the Center’s partner network and projects, visit www.george.org.cn