From May 27th to 31st, President Li Xiaokun led a delegation of Wenzhou Medical University (WMU) to Canada, visiting the University of Alberta, the University of Toronto and Baycrest Centre, its affiliated hospital, at the invitation of the hosts. The WMU delegation signed a Letter of Intent with the University of Alberta for the establishment of the Alberta Institute at Wenzhou Medical University (the Institute), which marked a major breakthrough of WMU for materializing its first cooperation with one of the world’s top 100 universities.
On May 28th, President Li’s delegation visited the University of Alberta for cooperation talks. President Li and Prof. Dennis Kunimoto, Interim Dean in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta, representing the two universities respectively, signed a Letter of Intent for the establishment of the Wenzhou Medical University (the Institute). Accordingly, the two sides will jointly establish the Institute for cooperation in educational programs at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels, in disciplines including clinical medicine, psychiatry, stomatology and pharmaceutical sciences. President Li expected that the advanced concepts, teaching mode and world-class faculty team of medical education at the University of Alberta can be introduced to upgrade WMU’s level in cultivating medical talents. He hoped that the Institute will be built into a model for China-Canada medical education cooperation. Prof. Dennis Kunimoto said that the two sides have a solid foundation for cooperation and a good relationship of mutual trust and cooperation. In addition to the joint Higher Institute of Mental Health, the signing of the Letter of Intent on establishing the Institute is a second innovative attempt by the two universities for cooperation in medical education. The University of Alberta will cooperate with Wenzhou Medical University to develop a cooperative education plan and speed up cooperation process. Through complementing comparative advantages and sharing resources, the two universities will promote the development of disciplines, teaching and scientific research, and cultivate excellent international medical talents to enhance the reputation of both universities with a focus on medicine, dentistry and pharmacology. During talks, the two universities also reached consensus on cooperation plans and specific programs for curriculum development, scientific research cooperation, faculty training, and student exchange internships in clinical medicine, pharmacology, psychiatry, stomatology and nursing.
On May 30th, President Li’s delegation visited the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and Baycrest Centre, its affiliated hospital, for cooperation talks. Lynn Wilson, Vice Dean in Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto, and Raymond King, Vice President of Baycrest Centre attended the meeting. After briefing each other about current situations and featured programs of their own university, the two sides conducted in-depth discussions and friendly exchanges on topics including the construction of elderly hospitals, training of high-end nursing talents, general practitioners and students’ short-term observations. Vice Dean Lynn Wilson said that she was deeply impressed by WMU’s educational achievements, scientific research outputs, medical services and beautiful campus environment. She looked forward to having more cooperation and exchanges among the University of Toronto, Baycrest Centre and Wenzhou Medical University in the future.
Officials from WMU’s International Affairs Office, the School of the Second Clinical Medical Sciences, the School of Stomatology, the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the School of Mental Health were also on the delegation.
