National Sun Yat-sen University and Chi Mei Hospital Deepen Cooperation to Accelerate Application of Research Findings

(Central News Agency, reporter Lin Chia-lien, Kaohsiung, June 23) National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) and Chi Mei Hospital have once again signed a strategic alliance cooperation agreement. The two parties will expand cooperation in precision medicine, clinical research, elderly care, and talent cultivation. The university stated that research findings will be applied more quickly to the front lines of medical care.

NSYSU said in a press release today that Chi Mei Hospital has been committed to developing precision medicine and home healthcare in recent years. It has not only established a Precision Medicine Center but also introduced advanced gene sequencing and metabolomics analysis technologies to assist physicians in adjusting treatment directions based on patients' genetic and physiological data. Furthermore, it has taken the lead in promoting a home healthcare model after emergency discharge, reducing the need for patients to frequently travel to the hospital.

The university stated that this collaboration will combine NSYSU's research capabilities in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, information and communication technology, and biomedical technology with Chi Mei Hospital's clinical experience and care resources to accelerate the application of research findings in actual medical practice.

NSYSU pointed out that since establishing a cooperative relationship with Chi Mei Hospital in 2022, they have jointly established the Joint Precision Medicine Core Laboratory, the Joint Circulatory Medicine Laboratory, and the Joint Teaching Office. In the future, the two parties will continue to share research instruments, biobanks, clinical data, and research facilities to promote cooperation in precision medicine, circulatory medicine, elderly care, and clinical research.

In terms of talent cultivation, the two parties will continue to promote faculty exchange, joint supervision of graduate students, and clinical internship cooperation. NSYSU will also appoint attending physicians and professional medical personnel from Chi Mei Hospital as clinical instructors, allowing students to participate in the operation of medical teams during their studies and become familiar with the clinical environment in advance.

NSYSU President Lee Chih-peng emphasized that NSYSU has been continuously promoting medical education and smart healthcare development in recent years. Through this cooperation, he hopes to establish a closer cooperative relationship in fields such as precision medicine, smart healthcare, circulatory medicine, and elderly care. By combining technological strengths in information and electronics, materials, and artificial intelligence, they aim to cultivate interdisciplinary medical talent that can respond to the needs of digital smart healthcare and an aging society, thereby enhancing medical research and clinical capacity in southern Taiwan.

Chi Mei Hospital Superintendent Lin Hung-jung stated that future medical care in Taiwan will focus on smart healthcare, home healthcare, "hospital without walls," preventive medicine, and lifestyle medicine. These group medical care models, assisted by advanced technologies, are strengths that Chi Mei Hospital has been leading in development in Taiwan in recent years. He hopes to allow NSYSU medical students to experience future medical realities earlier and more deeply.

NSYSU Vice President and Dean of the College of Medicine Hsu Po-chin pointed out that NSYSU's Department of Medicine and School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine adopt the clinical internship model of Harvard Medical School and have partnered with medical centers such as Chi Mei as teaching hospitals. They also integrate the Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, the Department of Nursing, and the Master's and Doctoral programs in Precision Medicine to construct a comprehensive medical education and research landscape. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150623)