On December 6-9, 2024, Xiangya Medical School in Changsha, Hunan China celebrated its 110th anniversary. The weekend also featured the Fuqing Medical Education Forum, named after Yan Fuqing, MD, who in 1909 became the first Asian graduate of Yale School of Medicine (YSM). In 1914, Yan was named founding dean of what was then called the Xiang-Ya (Hunan–Yale) School of Medicine, a school that the Yale-China Association launched.
Three YSM faculty members, who were part of a 21-person Yale-China delegation that traveled to Changsha for the anniversary event, presented at the Forum. Professor of Psychiatry Robert Rohrbaugh, MD, who also serves as Yale-China vice chair, delivered a presentation entitled, Enhancing the Learning Environment by Promoting Faculty Professionalism. The other YSM presenters were Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and of Emergency Medicine Lei Chen, MD, MHS, speaking on Multidisciplinary Teams in Pediatric Emergency Rooms, and Professor of Medicine Barry J. Wu, MD, who spoke about Geriatric Education for Healthcare Professionals. Wu shared this was the first time the “4Ms” framework for history taking of older adults— “What Matters Most, Mobility, Mind, and Medication” —was taught at Xiangya School of Medicine.
Over 500 people attended the Forum in person, while 14,000 attended online. Fifty universities and institutions participated from China and abroad, including Peking Union Medical College, Fudan University, University of Hong Kong, University of Michigan, and YSM.
The events at Xiangya Medical School occurred shortly after YSM named six Advisory Houses, including Yan House, named for Dr. Yan Fuqing.