The Qingdao Medical College of Qingdao University has made notable progress in scientific and technological development, according to an evaluation released by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College on Oct 31.

The evaluation adopted the method of Science and Technology Evaluation Metrics, or STEM, to calculate the comprehensive value of medical schools and hospitals in China.

It reflected the candidates' scientific and technological output, academic influence and research conditions.

The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University ranked 35th in the evaluation. Seven disciplines－neurosurgery, endocrinology and metabolic diseases, emergency medicine, thoracic surgery, rheumatology and autoimmune diseases, nursing and pediatrics－entered the top 20 in China.

A research team led by the hospital's president Dong Qian won the second prize of the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award in January 2020, for its leading achievements in the computer-assisted system application in the surgeries of pediatric liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney and lung diseases.

The Qingdao Medical College of Qingdao University is one of the earliest 36 medical colleges established in China. In May 1993, Qingdao Medical College, the former Qingdao University, Shandong Institute of Textile Technology and Qingdao Normal College, merged and went forward together to build a new Qingdao University.

After the merger, the medical college began to make full use of the discipline advantages of those former universities and colleges, and rolled out methods to improve the quality of medical education and research strength.

The discipline advantages made it possible for the discipline integration of medical engineering and medical science.

By integrating clinical medicine with basic medicine, information and communication engineering and computer science, the teachers and researchers in the college explored the path to cultivate digital medicine and telemedicine.

In October 2020, the Qingdao city government worked to set up the Qingdao Medical College in Qingdao University.

Seven hospitals, including the Qingdao traditional Chinese medicine hospital, were combined as affiliated hospitals directly under Qingdao University's administration. The clinical diagnosis and treatment team practicing digital medicine at the university was then honored as national-level outstanding professionals and technical personnel.

The telemedicine team members innovated the methods to develop 5G telemedicine and successfully built the college into a 5G medical demonstration base in Shandong province. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of doctors, teachers and students from the college rushed to the hard-hit Wuhan, supporting their designated hospitals in treating affected cases and conducting scientific research.

Xia Dongwei, president of Qingdao University, said that it is Qingdao University's principal mission to deliver knowledge, cultivate learned personnel and respond to country's needs.

The motto has also become a long-lasting pursuit of clinical medicine. Since 2016, one national-level science and technology project as well as two national-level key research and development plans are proceeding in the college, accompanied by 277 National Natural Science Foundation of China-supported projects.

liyou@chinadaily.com.cn 

Dong Qian (left), president of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, is a leading expert in the research and clinical use as well as the industrialization of computer-assisted system applied especially in the surgeries of pediatric liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney and lung diseases. CHINA DAILY