DAAD Science Lecture & Dialogue: The Role of International Collaboration in Global Health Initiatives with a Focus on Immunology

Global health stands as one of the paramount challenges confronting our world today. Confronted with an array of global threats including infectious diseases, emerging pathogens, and public health emergencies, international cooperation has emerged as an imperative. Concurrently, immunology, as the field devoted to understanding the human immune system and its profound influence on disease and well-being, assumes a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of global health.

DAAD Science Lecture & Dialogue

3. November 2023, 4:00 bis 7:00 Uhr

German Centre Beijing

Veranstalter: DAAD

The event will feature distinguished experts from both China and Germany, who will impart their insights on the Sino-German collaboration in the realm of anti-infective immunity. They will also delve into the immunology projects undertaken jointly by the University of Heidelberg and Tongji Medical College/Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Additionally, the event will spotlight the triumphs of the Cooperation Group in Tumor Immunology at the Sino-German Center for Research Promotion (SGC). This initiative, orchestrated by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), has demonstrated remarkable success.Furthermore, an interactive dialogue session will be arranged to foster engagement among participants. This forum will facilitate discussions on the challenges and prospects of international cooperation, as well as strategies to deepen collaborative efforts in order to realize the objectives of the Global Health Initiative.

Keynote speaker: Prof. Dr. Prof. hc. (RCH) Michael Kirschfink

Dr. Michael Kirschfink is Professor emeritus at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He did his PhD in Experimental Pathology at the German National Cancer Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, before he moved to Immunology at the Heidelberg University, where he started his work on innate immunity and inflammation. After a postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Laboratory of Immunobiology, Frederick, MD, USA (Fogarty fellowship) he took over the Laboratory of Immunochemistry at the Institute of Immunology. His research projects focused on the role of the complement system in health and disease. With a comprehensive complement analysis in his accredited diagnostic lab served national and international clinics and pharmaceutical institutions (preclinical, clinical studies). Since 2010 he chairs committees on Immunodiagnostics at the International Complement Society and the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS).

Prof. Kirschfink is consultant immunologist (DGfI). He supervised 35 doctoral fellows and published >250 original publications in international peer-reviewed journals, reviews, book chapters.Prof. Kirschfink has been member of steering committee at the Heidelberg Medical faculty and within international programmes (EU, Egypt, China) for the development of medical curricula. He holds an honorary professorship at the Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in Wuhan, China and is member of several national and international societies. He was Guest/Visiting Professor at the University of Sao Paulo, Brasil, the University of Riga, Latvia, the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and the University of Khartoum, Sudan.

Prof. Kirschfink received teaching awards of the Medical Faculty (2001) and of the state Baden-Württemberg (2003), the ECN Medal in Gold of the European Complement Network (2019) and the Honorary Medal of the German Society of Immunology (2019). In 2021 he was honoured by the Chime Belle Award of the Hubei Province, China.

Keynote speaker: Prof. Dr. Yang Dongliang

Dr. Yang Dongliang is a distinguished figure in the field of medicine, holding the titles of Professor, Chief Physician, and Doctoral Supervisor at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). He serves as the Director of the Sino-German International Joint Laboratory of Viral Infection and Immunity, as well as the Director of the Hubei International Cooperation Base of Infection and Immunity. Prof. Yang is an esteemed member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Society of Liver Diseases of the Chinese Medical Association, and the Standing Committee of the Infection and Immunity Branch of the Chinese Society of Immunology. Additionally, he holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Fatty Liver Expert Committee of the Medicine and Health Science and Technology Development Research Centre of the National Health Commission of China (NHC). He is also a member of the Expert Committee on Clinical Antimicrobial Drug Sensitivity Folding Point Study and Standard Setting of the National Health Commission of China (NHC), and serves as the Chairman of the Wuhan Immunological Society.

Prof. Yang’s primary research interests revolve around unraveling the molecular and immunological mechanisms governing virus-host interactions, viral infection models, and antiviral therapy. He has spearheaded over 20 national projects and contributed to the publication of more than 300 academic papers. Notably, he serves as the Chief Editor of “Infectious Diseases,” a comprehensive textbook widely used in clinical medical specialties across higher education institutions nationwide. Additionally, he has co-edited more than 20 textbooks and monographs. Dr. Yang’s outstanding contributions have earned him 9 scientific and technological progress awards at both provincial and ministerial levels, including the prestigious first prize of scientific and technological progress from the Ministry of Health and Hubei Province. He holds one scientific and technological invention patent. In recognition of his exceptional expertise, Dr. Yang has been granted the title of State Council Government Special Allowance Expert and recognized as a Ministry of Health and Hubei Province Young and Middle-aged Expert with Outstanding Contributions. He has also received the National Medicine and Health Young and Middle-aged Star of Science and Technology award. Moreover, he is the recipient of the Ministry of Health – Johnson and Johnson Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Clinician Award, and the Baosteel Outstanding Teacher Award.

Moderator: Halldor Berg, Senior Country Representative of Euraxess China

Halldor Berg is the Senior Country Representative of EURAXESS China, an initiative under the European Commission’s DG RTD. With 8 years of dedicated work in the project, Halldor has played a pivotal role in establishing a network of over 6000 researchers based in China. He has also been instrumental in building various networks of researchers, innovators, and academics in China. Halldor holds a master’s degree in international relations from Peking University and a post-graduate diploma in the same field from the University of Iceland. Prior to his current role, he worked for the Foreign Service of his home country, Iceland. During this period, he gained extensive expertise in EU-China relations and science & technology diplomacy while serving in the Icelandic embassies in Beijing, Brussels, and Copenhagen.

Registration

Kindly scan the QR code provided below for registration:

Registration Deadline: October 30th, 2023. Invitations will be dispatched uniformly on October 31st, and it is imperative to present the invitation letter upon entry.Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

More Details

Language: The event will be conducted in English.
Networking Dinner: Following the discussion, a networking dinner will be provided for all attendees.
Admission: This event is completely free of charge.
Registration: Prior registration is mandatory for attendance. Please ensure you have the invitation letter with you for entry.