2011 Sino-American Symposium on Clinical and Translational Medicine

Abstract

Prefaces: The second annual Sino-American Symposium on Clinical and Translational Medicine was held on 24 June 2011 in Shanghai, China. It provided a forum for scientists, physicians, and officers from China and the United States to come together to discuss important issues and challenges in making quality health care accessible to all peoples. As the Chinese Minister of Health, Dr. Zhu Chen, puts it: "The per capita expenditure on health in China is much less than that in the United States, and the two nations' health care systems are quite different. However, both countries face the same challenge: To meet the growing health needs and expectations of their citizens, while facing an increasingly restrictive financing environment. We think that translational medicine is one of the best solutions to tackle this challenge." This booklet, produced as a special sponsored supplement to Science , collects in one volume several reports from the symposium covering a broad range of topics from pure scientific research to decision-making and policy, and accounts of the successful implementation of translational strategies and the commercialization of medical devices. It also provides a foundation for the future cooperation between China and the United States, as well as the rest of the world, on which to build a strong strategy for applying the tenants of translational medicine to the benefit of all human kind.