On September 10, 2026, coinciding with China’s 42nd Teachers’ Day, “A Tribute to a Century of China-U.S. Academic Exchange in Medicine: PUMCH 105th Anniversary Academic Week Opening Ceremony” unfolded in Beijing. During the ceremony, PUMCH and the China Medical Board (CMB) signed their third consecutive five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). More than a celebration of PUMCH’s century-long academic legacy, the conference exemplifies how the Chinese and U.S. medical communities are translating a shared commitment to global health into substantive, people-to-people collaboration—furthering mutual goodwill between the two nations. This milestone brought prominent figures from China and the U.S. together at PUMCH.

PUMCH President Zhang Shuyang and CMB President Roger I. Glass signed the third five-year Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of their respective institutions, witnessed by Zeng Yixin, Vice Minister of the National Health Commission (NHC); Ma Zhaoxu, Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Victor J. Dzau, Chancellor Emeritus of Duke University and Past President of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM); Zhao Yupei, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), President of the Chinese Medical Association, and Honorary President of PUMCH; Academician Ji Xunming, President of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; Barbara J. Stoll, Executive Vice President of CMB; and John Lichten, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of CMB, among others.

Chen Zhu, Leading Scientist of the Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project, and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); Zeng Yixin, Vice Minister of the National Health Commission (NHC); Ma Zhaoxu, Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Jin Wei, Standing Committee Member of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Beijing; David Perdue, U.S. Ambassador to China; and Roger I. Glass, President of CMB, attended the ceremony and delivered remarks.

▲Chen Zhu, Leading Scientist of the Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project, and Academician of CAS, delivered remarks

▲Zeng Yixin, Vice Minister of NHC, delivered remarks

▲Zhang Shuyang, President of PUMCH, delivered welcome remarks

President Zhang Shuyang underscored that PUMCH and the U.S. medical community have always enriched and elevated each other. Reaffirming that medicine knows no borders and that health for all remains a universal aspiration, she outlined PUMCH’s forward-looking mission. The hospital, she stated, aspires to be a pioneer in world-class institutional excellence, a steadfast champion of international medical cooperation, and a trailblazer in healthcare advancement—joining hands with global peers to confront shared health challenges.

▲Group photo of the guests attending the MoU signing ceremony

The friendship and collaboration between PUMCH and CMB have spanned more than a century. In 2016, the two sides signed their first MoU, and PUMCH welcomed CMB back to its offices on the hospital campus. Over the ensuing years, they have conducted fruitful collaborations in standardized residency training, graduate medical education (GME), and clinical postdoctoral fellowship programs. This partnership has continually elevated China’s GME framework, developing systemic and standardized residency pathways while aligning them with global best practices, and serving as a vital channel for nurturing top-tier medical talent at PUMCH and nationwide.

Following the ceremony, four keynote addresses were delivered: “Academic Medicine: Leadership, Innovation, Impact, in a Time of Change” by Dr. Victor J. Dzau; “Shape the Future of Medicine with World-class Talent” by President Zhang Shuyang; “Precision Education: The Future of Lifelong Learning” by Professor Sanjay Desai, Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and “Carrying Forward a Century-Old Legacy and Nurturing Exceptional Medical Leaders” by President Ji Xunming.

▲Group photo of officiating guests at the unveiling ceremony of the renovated PUMCH History Museum

Prior to the Opening Ceremony, an unveiling ceremony was held for the renovated PUMCH History Museum. With the opening keynotes setting the stage, more than a dozen academic events are slated for the days ahead, including the 2026 Conference on Translational Innovations in Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment, the PUMCH-UChicago Joint Conference on Medical Education Development, the Finals of the 2nd Acute and Critical Care Skills Competition for Young Healthcare Professionals & Teachers’ Day Tribute, the PUMCH Strategic Development Consultation Meeting, and the China Consortium of Elite Teaching Hospitals Council Meeting.

Prominent guests in attendance included Xu Lijing, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of People's Daily; Wang Hongwei, Vice President of Tsinghua University; Dong Jiahong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chair Professor at Tsinghua University; Wong Tien Yin, Vice Provost of Tsinghua University and International Member of NAM; J. Michael Millis, Vice Chair of Global Surgery at the University of Chicago; Sean X. Leng, Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging & Immune Remodeling; and Wenkai Li, China Chief Representative of CMB. Leading officials from national ministries and Beijing municipal departments, representatives from renowned universities and peer hospitals, healthcare association leaders, partner institutions guided by PUMCH, as well as media professionals, alumni, and staff representatives attended the conference in person across the primary and satellite venues.