From 19thto 20th, October, the 2015 SMILE Conference aka the 8th Sino-American Forum on Cardiovascular Disease, co-hosted by Universal Medical and Sino-US Stroke Group, was held in Zhengzhou, Henan.

This year marks the fifth SMILE Conference, an academic event that enjoys high reputation in cardio-cerebrovascular disease prevention and treatment. The conference was attended by Madam He Jiesheng, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Health, President of China Elderly Health Care Association and China Medical Women's Association, Madam Wei Linna, Deputy Director of Henan Health and Family Planning Commission, Mr. Gu Jianqin, Chief Director of Zhengzhou Health and Family Planning Commission, Professor Liu Yuanli, Dean of Peking Union School of Public Health and founding director of the Harvard School of Public Health China Initiative, and world-renowned experts from Northshore-LIJ Health System, a strategic partner of Universal Medical, and the Sino-US Stroke Group. Also present at the meeting were some 500 hospital presidents and department directors from 147 hospitals of 24 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

During the conference, Chinese and American experts delivered informative presentations on multi-disciplinary collaboration, telemedicine, the establishing and management of neuroscience research institutes, stroke prevention, multi-mode imaging techniques and combined techniques in addressing carotid stenosis. They had in-depth exchange and discussion with hospital presidents and department directors about specific issues in stroke prevention. Leaders of Maoming People’s Hospital, Qiqhar Jianhua Hospital, Rizhao Hospital of TCM presented their achievements as well as experience in hospital construction and management. Universal Medical and Sino-US Stroke Group signed official cooperation agreements with Jiaozuo Fifth People’s Hospital and Anshan Hospital and letters of intent with other 39 hospitals. 

Since 2011, Universal Medical, together with Sino-American Stroke Group, has been promoting the SMILE project to help set up a stroke prevention and treatment network at the grass-root level. We have co-hosted the annual international forum to help grass-root hospitals with SMILE project implementation and technological improvement by facilitating academic communication between China and the outside world. In the past five years, we have helped county-level hospitals in over 20 provinces and autonomous regions introduce procedures, train doctors, improve services and technology in stroke screening, prevention, treatment and CEA. Through our unremitting efforts, we have helped build and improve stroke screening and prevention system in many grass-root hospitals, among which Qiqihar Jianhua Hospital, Maoming People’s Hospital, Rizhao Hospital of TCM and Wuzhong People’s Hospital stand out as models. 

Moving forward, Universal Medical will continue to coordinate and improve medical resources both at home and abroad. We will continue to provide better opportunities and platforms for exchange between Chinese and foreign experts and provide financial, technical, training and operational support to grass-root hospitals in an effort to contribute to China’s medical and healthcare industry.