About successful collaborations and enduring friendships: TLRC Scientists participate in cooperation meeting with the delegation of the University Hospital from Qingdao
The delegation of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, China, travelled all the way to Germany two weeks ago to attend a cooperation meeting at the University Hospital Heidelberg on September 19th. The program of the meeting included reflecting on past fruitful collaborations, exchanging knowledge and expertise, listening to presentations and planning future collaborations. Senior scientist and PhDs students from the TLRC participated in the event, engaging in discussions about potential joint projects and presenting their ongoing research.
The program started with a warm welcome by Prof. Jürgen Debus (Chairman of the University Hospital Heidelberg), Prof. Hans-Ulrich Kauczor (Medical Director of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Director of TLRC) and Prof. Jiang Guangfeng (Professor of Otolaryngology and Chairman of the affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University). Prof. Xu Wenjian, Director of the Imaging Centre in Qingdao, provided an overview of the history of the Qingdao Hospital and highlighted the achievements made through collaborations with the University Hospital Heidelberg. Founded by Germans in 1898, the Qingdao Hospital and the city itself have maintained a strong connection with Germany. Prof. Xu Wenjian shared his research interests, particularly in the areas of tumours, and microvascular studies, pulmonary diseases, and radiomics. The invited senior scientists fondly recalled past collaborations and events while also discussing future collaborations and partnerships.
Both sides emphasized the importance of their successful collaborations and the enduring friendships between researchers of the Qingdao University Hospital and the University Hospital Heidelberg.
Prof. Kauczor, who has been involved in this collaboration for over 15 years, received an honorary chairmanship of Qingdao’s Radiology Department and received a personalized gift from the Chinese delegation. TLRC PI, Prof. Rory Morty (Translational Pneumology), also attended the meeting, presenting his research and exploring opportunities for future collaborations.
From the Department of Radiology at Heidelberg, young scientists presented their ongoing research. Additionally, two PhD students from the TLRC, seized the chance to share their recent work: Yiling Xu on “Integrating multi-modal quantitative imaging in COPD through 3-D registration” and Shengkai Zhao on “Using one X-ray to predict corresponding MRI-scores on cystic fibrosis”. The meeting concluded with a lunch at the Kulturbrauerei, where attendees enjoyed a variety of traditional German specialities.