In accordance with the requirements of the National Center for Mental Disorders and the high quality development of Shanghai Mental Health Center (SMHC), it is of utmost importance to establish and maintain a team of talents who are leaders in the field of clinical research and serve as the main pillars of a research-oriented hospital. To this end, a Special Training Program of Principal Investigator (PI) International Training Camp, jointly organised by Shanghai Mental Health Center and Johns Hopkins University, was successfully launched on the evening of June 6.
Among the guests attending the opening ceremony were Ma Yanbin, Deputy Director of Shanghai Hospital Development Center; Zhao Min, President of Shanghai Mental Health Center; Wang Zhen, Vice President of Shanghai Mental Health Center; Shao Yang, Vice President of Shanghai Mental Health Center; Yang Weimin, Head of the Department of Science and Education of Shanghai Mental Health Center; Dr. Charlies Wiener, Director of Medical International at Johns Hopkins University; James Bennett Potash, Director of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and Karen Lee Swartz, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
On behalf of Shanghai Hospital Development Center, Deputy Director Ma Yanbin expressed warm congratulations on the success of the special training program, and expressed sincere thanks to Johns Hopkins University for its strong support to the training activities and to GLC Group for its active coordination. The Shanghai Hospital Development Center is the medical service provider of Shanghai's municipal hospitals, guiding and leading them to adhere to the direction of running hospitals for the public good, benchmarking them against the highest international standards, and promoting the high-quality development of municipal hospitals. We sincerely expect the participants to further expand their international vision during the exchange, actively reflect on the deep-seated reasons for the existing gap between China and leading international teams in the field of mental health, take up the challenge to propose solutions, plan international clinical research collaboration, and contribute to the enhancement of SMHC’s global influence.
President Zhao Min, Director Charlies Wiener and James Bennett Potash, Director of Psychiatry, delivered welcome speeches on behalf of the organisers. President Zhao pointed out that as a leading psychiatric hospital in China, SMHC has long supported clinical research. Last year, after becoming a National Center for Mental Disorders, SMHC was tasked with the mission of "leading the industry and enhancing international influence", which has placed higher demands on the overall quality development of SMHC. In accordance with the requirements of the National Center for Mental Disorders and the high quality development of SMHC, the establishment and maintenance of a team of talents who are leaders in the field of clinical research is a top priority and a major pillar in the construction of a research-oriented hospital. This international training camp aims to comprehensively enhance the research subject selection, concept design and coordination and management capabilities of our clinical backbone, strengthen academic exchanges with psychiatrists from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and strive to facilitate the early implementation of clinical research projects in collaboration with Hopkins School of Medicine to provide clinical solutions for difficult and serious illnesses for the ultimate benefit of patients.
Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is the first research university in the United States and a world-class university, especially famous for its medical science, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has been ranked among the top three medical schools in the country for years. After nearly a year of planning and preparation, the leadership team of the Shanghai Municipal Mental Health Center joined hands with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, one of the world's top universities, to launch a Special Training program of Principal Investigator (PI) International Training Camp, highlighting the importance that SMHC attaches to clinical research and the training of key talents, as well as the sincerity of SMHC in achieving high-quality development in line with international standards and expanding global partnerships. Twenty young and mid-career professionals from the Shanghai Mental Health Center attended the training, which was conducted online and consisted of 12 sessions of systematic training on theories and methodologies related to clinical research.
After the opening ceremony, Karen Lee Swartz, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, gave the first lecture on "Residency Training" to the participants. It is hoped that through this training, multiple projects with high value in solving clinical problems will be selected and given priority for research subject declaration at all levels / fund grant; those who excel in the training assessment will be selected for various talent training programs, so as to develop reserve PI for SMHC and enhance the strength of the National Medical Centre.
