On September 12, 2026, the 2026 PUMCH-UChicago Joint Conference on Medical Education Development was held in Beijing. During the event, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) and the University of Chicago (UChicago) held an MoU exchange ceremony. The conference also released the China Consortium of Elite Teaching Hospitals Consensus on the Competency Framework for Clinician Educators. Held as part of PUMCH’s 105th anniversary celebrations, the conference brought together leading medical educators from China and abroad to explore the future of medical education and advance mutually beneficial global partnerships.

▲President Lin Huiqing delivered remarks

President Lin Huiqing underscored that medical education urgently requires a systemic transformation across all dimensions and processes to serve the "Healthy China" initiative, address people's evolving health needs, and navigate the technological revolutions of the AI era. She called for a continued pursuit of excellence and adherence to reform, innovation, and open collaboration to jointly advance the high-quality development of medical education.

Deputy Director General Chen Xinyu underscored the critical role of medical education in meeting the healthcare needs of 1.4 billion people. She expressed strong confidence that PUMCH will build upon its storied legacy, leading the China Consortium of Elite Teaching Hospitals to pioneer educational reforms and nurture top-tier medical talent in support of the Healthy China strategy.

PUMCH President Zhang Shuyang remarked that over the past 105 years, PUMCH has continuously responded to change through innovation, defining "what constitutes the finest medical education and what makes a truly great doctor." In the face of rapid technological advances, an aging population, and evolving healthcare delivery systems, the goal is to cultivate medical professionals who combine clinical mastery with forward-looking vision, excel in both individual patient care and population health protection, and skillfully implement clinical guidelines while fearlessly pushing the frontiers of knowledge. To this end, PUMCH will remain committed to openness and cross-institutional collaboration to build a robust talent pipeline capable of navigating tomorrow's global health challenges.

▲Video address by Prof. Mark Anderson

▲Address by Prof. Michael Millis

▲Witnessed by PUMCH President Zhang Shuyang, Party Secretary Wu Peixin, Vice President Yang Dungan and UChicago Prof. Wei Wei Lee, Mr. Samir Mayekar, and Prof. Marcus Clark, PUMCH Vice President Du Bin and UChicago Prof. Michael Millis exchanged the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions

▲Release of the consensus, witnessed by President Lin Huiqing; President Zhang Shuyang; Barbara J. Stoll, Executive Vice President of the CMB; Deputy Director General Chen Xinyu; Xiao Haipeng, President of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University; Lei Guanghua, President of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Cheng Yongzhong, Party Secretary of West China Hospital, Sichuan University; Zhao Weili, Vice President of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; Yang Li, Vice President of Peking University First Hospital; Shen Ning, Vice President of Peking University Third Hospital; Zheng Min, Vice President of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Ivan Fan Ngai Hung, Associate Dean of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong; and Yu Qing, Director of the Department of Education, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University

The keynote speeches centered on medical education and technological innovation. Dr. Wei Wei Lee, Associate Dean of Students and Professional Development at UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine, introduced their "Phoenix Curriculum," a forward-looking curriculum reform implemented in 2023. Dr. Marcus Clark, former Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at UChicago, outlined the UChicago model for training physician-scientists. Mr. Samir Mayekar, Managing Director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UChicago, demonstrated how the center drives innovation. Academician Zhu Lan, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at PUMCH, delivered a lecture on "Leveraging Digital Technologies and AI to Accelerate Cervical Cancer Elimination in China’s Resource-Limited Settings."