The University of Glasgow has agreed to closer academic cooperation with Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou, China.

The two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will see the development of jointly-delivered Masters of Public Health and Primary Care programmes, a new student exchange summer school programme, and the organisation of a symposium on stroke.

The agreement was signed between the Principal and Yan Guangmei, Vice-Chancellor of SYSU – one of the top universities in China – at a ceremony in Guangzhou last month and will be endorsed during a visit to Glasgow by SYSU President Ningsheng Xu in July.

Professor Anna Dominiczak, Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, said: “We are very excited about this partnership with Sun Yat Sen University, one of the best medical schools in China, which will see the links between our two institutions grow and strengthen.

“This partnership gives us the opportunity to work with one of China’s leading universities which has an international reputation for biomedical research and to combine our strengths to make a positive contribution towards stroke research.

“It will also give our students the opportunity to see medical practice in a different social and cultural context and enrich their learning experience.”

The ‘1+1’ Masters in Public Health and Primary Care programmes will commence in autumn 2013, with two semesters spent in SYSU and two in Glasgow, and see both universities awarding a degree to graduates.

The student exchange programme, believed to be the first China-UK medical summer school of its kind, will see 10 students from each institution participate in a two-way exchange where they will visit hospitals and attend tutorials.

A joint symposium on stroke will be held on June 22 in Guangzhou attended by researchers from both universities.

Professor Matthew Walters, of the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, who played a key role in building the partnership, said: “Sun Yat Sen has a similar philosophy and approach to us when it comes to teaching, putting a lot of emphasis on the immersive clinical experience.

“Likewise, stroke is a problem that heavily affects both our local populations and is an area in which we share numerous research strengths, particularly in advanced imaging. The joint symposium will enable us to further explore research collaborations in this and other areas.”

For more information contact Stuart Forsyth in the University of Glasgow Media Relations Office on 0141 330 4831 or email stuart.forsyth@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 5 April 2013

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