On the morning of March 28, 2021, the inaugural meeting of the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association (“SCIMEA”) was successfully held at the Minshan Hotel Chengdu. Mr. Wei Yuquan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Cancer Center and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and President of SCIMEA, Mr. Li Weimin, President of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Ms. Zhang Mengfan, Secretary General of SCIMEA, Mr. Liang Zong’an, Director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, as well as nearly 100 experts in the field of respiratory and critical care medicine attended the meeting. 

Scene of the inaugural meeting

At the beginning of the meeting, Prof. Liang Zong'an from West China Hospital, Sichuan University, as an initiator of the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of SCIMEA, delivered a report on the preparatory work of the committee. Prof. Liang Zong'an, who is also an advocate of standardized construction of respiratory and critical care medicine in China, noted that West China Hospital from Sichuan ranks top in the country in terms of disciplinary construction of the respiratory and critical care medicine, however, from the regional perspective, Sichuan on the whole is seeing uneven development, and we still have some way to go to catch up with Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and the advanced countries.

The exchange and cooperation at different levels in Sichuan have been increasing in recent years, but for international exchange and cooperation, except for a few large teaching hospitals in the province, hospitals at all levels in other cities and prefectures have few opportunities for international exchange. He hoped that the special committee can take advantage of the diversified platform functions and high-quality international resources of SCIMEA to well match the needs of the physicians in disciplinary construction and international exchange, and realize the development vision of “thinking one more step and taking one more step”. The special committee will work on three target dimensions, which are to build a communication platform, integrate advantageous resources and improve the diagnosis and treatment level. 

Prof. Liang Zong'an, West China Hospital, Sichuan University

Ms. Zhang Mengfan, Secretary General of SCIMEA organized the election of the committee and read out the results. All participants elected the chairman, vice chairmen, standing committee members and other leaders at all levels of the committee according to the election provisions in the Articles of Association of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association. As a result, the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of SCIMEA is composed of nearly 100 experts in this field in Sichuan. Among them, Prof. Li Weimin, President of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, was elected as honorary chairman of the special committee, Prof. Liang Zong’an from West China Hospital of Sichuan University as chairman, another 8 experts, including Wang Gang, Liu Dan, Yang Yang, Wei Maogang, Xu Weiguo, Zhang Shiguo, Hu Qiang and Li Yu, as deputy chairmen, another 20 experts, including Li Guoping, Li Kai, Wang Yongsheng, Wang Pingfei, Xiong Xiaomin, Wang Ye and Yu He,  as members of the standing committee of the special committee, another 54 experts including Liu Lin, Wen Yanmei, Chen Mei, Chen Yunfeng, Liu Anli and Xu Gang, as members of the special committee, and Li Peijun and Liang Zongguo as secretaries of the special committee.

Ms. Zhang Mengfan, Secretary General of SCIMEA reads out the election results.

Then Mr. Wei Yuquan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Cancer Center and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and President of SCIMEA, read out the “Approval for the Establishment of the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association”, and issued the letters of appointment to the newly-elected Honorary Chairman Li Weimin and Chairman Liang Zong'an.

Academician Wei Yuquan issues the letter of appointment to the Honorary Chairman Li Weimin.

Academician Wei Yuquan issues the letter of appointment to the Chairman Liang Zong'an.

Academician Wei Yuquan, President Li Weimin and Prof. Liang Zong'an issue the letters of appointment to the newly-elected eight vice chairmen.

President Li Weimin and Prof. Liang Zong'an issue the letters of appointment to the newly-elected members of the standing committee.

Prof. Liang Zong'an issues the letters of appointment to the newly-elected secretaries.

Prof. Liang Zong'an, the new Chairman of the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of SCIMEA, spoke on behalf of all the members of the committee. He once again thanked everyone for supporting the establishment of the special committee and hoped that all the experts would make good use of the committee's cooperation platform, give full play to their respective advantages, strengthen the interaction of hospitals, and actively communicate with international counterparts. He believed that with the help of everyone present, we will be able to improve the level of diagnosis and treatment in the field of respiratory and critical care medicine in Sichuan.

Prof. Liang Zong'an, the new Chairman of the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of SCIMEA delivers a speech.

As another initiator of the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Prof. Li Weimin, President of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, also congratulated on the founding of the special committee, and expressed his heartfelt thanks to Academician Wei Yuquan and the SCIMEA. Also, as the Honorary Chairman of the special committee, Prof. Li Weimin believed that the special committee is founded to respond to the call of the times and be a vital way to achieve the goal of “Healthy China”. He was confident that under the leadership of Prof. Liang Zong'an and others, the respiratory and critical care medicine is bound to see a leapfrog development.

Prof. Li Weimin, President of West China Hospital of Sichuan University and Honorary Chairman of the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, delivers a speech.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Wei Yuquan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Cancer Center and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and President of SCIMEA, delivered a speech. He, on behalf of the SCIMEA, congratulated on the founding of the special committee and the newly elected members, and briefly introduced the international exchange achievements of the SCIMEA and the progress of the two journals in the past year. He also clarified the distinct differences between the SCIMEA and other societies, and noted that in 2021, the SCIMEA will focus on the improvement project of "standardization, internationalization, professionalization, digitalization and specialization" to continuously empower experts and promote disciplinary construction, so as to help achieve the goal of “Healthy Sichuan” and “Healthy China” as soon as possible. He also believed that, the Special Committee on Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of SCIMEA, with the support and guidance of President Li Weimin as well as the leadership of Prof. Liang Zong'an, will drive the respiratory and critical care medicine into a world-leading discipline.

Mr. Wei Yuquan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the Cancer Center and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and President of SCIMEA, delivers a speech.