From May 3rd to May 5th, the "2019 Xiangya International Symposium on Medical Education" was held ceremoniously in Changsha, Hunan Province, sponsored by Xiangya School of Medicine, CSU and undertook jointly by the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and Xiangya Stomatological Hospital.

Tian Hongqi (principal of Central South University and an academician), Wang Qiming (deputy director-general of the Higher Education Department, the Ministry of Education, PRC), Chen Xinyu (deputy director-general of the Department of Science, Technology & Education, the National Health Commission of the People抯 Republic of China), Liu Qilin (vice director of the After-graduation Continuing Education Department of Chinese Medical Doctor Association), Zhu Yimin (vice director of Hunan Provincial Health Commission), Tao Lijian (standing deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Central South University), Chen Xiang (vice principal of Central South University) and the others attended the opening ceremony. Over 600 experts and scholars from China, America, the UK, Singapore and other counties were present at the symposium, and over ten thousand medical education counterparts watched it online. The opening ceremony was hosted by Xia Kun (executive vice-president of Xiangya Medical School).

Principal Tian Hongqi gave a welcome address on behalf of Central South University. She pointed out that undergoing a century of stupendous changes, Xiangya has witnessed Chinese nation's hardships and glories, as well as remarkable achievements made in China's medical care and health. In recent years, Central South University has been strengthening medicine-education synergy, which helps form an integrated medical education system in a holistic manner and make a series of impressive achievements. Themed with "Best Medical Education" this symposium centered on medical education in colleges and universities, after-graduation medical education, medical simulated innovation and entrepreneurship education, and other special topics, discussed over the innovative model of the phased quality evaluation system for medical education, and built up an international commutation platform for medical education counterparts. This symposium would further probe new orientation and measures for the development of medical education reform, actively push China抯 medical education to jump into a higher level, and contribute wisdom and strength for a healthier China.

Zhu Yimin (vice director of Hunan Provincial Health Commission) congratulated on the convocation. He remarked that Xiangya International Symposium is one of the few symposiums on medical education in China and the earliest one held by a medical school, which represents Xiangya people's being accountable and practical in the new era. He hoped that Xiangya Medical School of Central South University could follow requirements stipulated in China's "Six Eminent & One Top-notch" plan version 2.0, constantly deepen education reform and innovation, vigorously explore new medicine building; as well as deepen medicine-education synergy to foster eminent medical talents.

Liu Qilin (vice director of the After-graduation Continuing Education Department of Chinese Medical Doctor Association) pointed out in her address that China kicked start the residential training system across the board in 2014 and built up a medical education mechanism that integrated academy education, after-graduation education and continuing medical education after a few years of development. He hoped that taking advantage of this meeting, we could better create a first-class residential doctor training brand with Xiangya characteristics and build Xiangya into the "Whampoa Military Academy" for excellent primary physicians.

Chen Xinyu (deputy director-general of the Department of Science, Technology & Education, the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China) remarked in his address that international medical education is faced with opportunities and challenges, so academy education should cater to industrial demands to control scale and manage quality; after-graduation education should focus on mechanism implementation, carry out reform of the competence-oriented talent training model, further optimize internal management system for the reform, and draw on international experience to probe establishment and development of the phased quality evaluation system for medical education.

Themed with "Best Medical Education", this symposium set up a main forum, three sub-forums and over 20 workshops for over a hundred experts from over twenty famous colleges and universities home and abroad to have in-depth talks centering on academy medical education, after-graduation education and medical simulated/innovation entrepreneurship education by means of theme forum, seminar, Chinese-foreign dialog, and workshop, etc..

At the main forum, Wang Qiming (deputy director-general of the Higher Education Department, the Ministry of Education, PRC), Chen Guoqiang (vice principal of Shanghai Jiaotong University and an academician) and professor Wang Weimin (vice director of Peking University Health Science Center) analyzed ideas and methods for modern medical education reform and innovation in line with opportunities and challenges facing medical education in the new era; professor David Crossman (dean of the Medical School, University of St Andrews, the UK) summarized teaching goals and actualization methods for medical student education in the 21st century. Gui Yonghao (executive vice principal of Fudan University), Tao Lijian (standing deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Central South University), Michael Schwartz (vice president of the Medical School of Yale University) and Chen Jianguo (vice principal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology) discussed over the reform and notable questions facing medical education teaching staff building and talent training from the perspective of medical education curriculum system construction, education model and so on.

Later, the Chinese-foreign panel discussion centering on "Best Medical Education" was hosted by Chen Xiang (vice principal of Central South University), Chinese and foreign education experts such as Chen Guoqiang (vice principal of Shanghai Jiaotong University and an academician), David Crossman (University of St Andrews, the UK), Wang Weimin (vice director of Peking University Health Science Center), Gui Yonghao (vice principal of Fudan University), Tao Lijian (standing deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Central South University), Michael Schwartz (Yale University), Chen Jianguo (vice principal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology) and so on contributed brilliant dialogs and discussions with representatives in the audience by means of Q & A.

The three sub-forums were respectively themed with "Academy Medical Education-Focus on Undergraduate Education & Return to Original Aspiration", "After-graduation Medical Education Medicine & Education Synergy, Shared Excellence" and "Medical Simulated Education/Innovation & Entrepreneurship Intelligent Simulation, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Future" Li Candong (principal of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Cao Jianming (vice principal of Wenzhou Medical University), Wen Mingang (vice principal of Southern Medical University), Wu Weifeng (vice principal of Guangxi Medical University), Hu Hongyi (vice principal of Shanghai University of Chinese Traditional University), Cao Depin (former principal of Harbin Medical University), Lin Jin'an (deputy chief editor of Higher Education Press) and other experts carried out excellent lectures and experience exchanges centering on curriculum construction and innovative personnel training, moral cultivation and ideological and political construction, standardized training of residential doctors, standardized training of specialist doctors, construction and management of medical simulation center, practice and innovation of medical virtual simulation experiment teaching, and other special topics.

The clinical teaching base workshop of Xiangya Medical School of Central South University, the working group meeting on the revision of management standards for clinical bases of general higher medical education, and the meeting of after-graduation medical simulation education expert committee of Chinese Medical Doctor Association were also held during the symposium. Besides, the Medical Working Committee of the Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching Innovation Alliance was established and convened the first working conference. Vice principals of nine leading institutions including Shanghai Jiaotong University, Central South University, Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shanghai University of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Sichuan University, and China Medical University, with over 200 experts from 76 colleges and universities at present. Director Wang Hongyu (executive secretary-general of Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching Innovation Alliance) and section chief Zhang Qingguo (researcher of Course Material and Laboratory Office, Higher Education Department, the Ministry of Education, PRC) made remarks respectively at the event. It抯 reported that the Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching Innovation Alliance was founded by Tsinghua University as the initiator and under the guidance of the Higher Education Department, the Ministry of Education, PRC. Central South University is one of the vice chairman units of this alliance. As a main person-in-charge, vice principal Chen Xiang led the organization of its medical working committee.

In addition, this symposium also set up 21 workshops, including improving clinical thinking ability through practical experience on virtual patients, TeamSTEPPS (medical simulation team training), simulation transformation, humanism in medical practice in the age of science and technology, ways to build a faculty management mechanism that accords with hospital抯 realities, design and practice of patient-doctor communication scenario simulation courses, case design and application of clinical thinking training, PBL teaching design and application, ways to conduct international certification of simulated instructors, new modes of "teaching"and "examination"in the medical simulation center information age, etc.. At the workshops, experts provided students with various enriched medical scenario simulation courses that integrated theory with practice.

This meeting is the second international symposium convened by Xiangya Medical Education. Compared with the first meeting held in 2018, this one boasts more authoritative guests, more enriched content, more participants and stronger practical guidance, which fully reflects the growing influence and attraction of Xiangya International Symposium on Medical Education. Guests and representatives being present all acknowledged that this symposium had rich content and numerous highlights, built a platform for international medical education communication, figured out orientation and meanings of deepening the coordinated development of medicine and education, helped promote the in-depth reform of medical education concept and education model reform and methods, as well as facilitated the sustainable high-quality development of study-oriented medical school building.