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News & Events
January 14, 2024
In the late night of January 14th, we flew from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to the new Istanbul Airport of the Middle East. The flight connection was very convenient and smooth. We specially selected Turkish Airlines for this travel, for Turkey supported for Palestinian people during the Palestine-Israel conflict.
At the airport, we had some tea at a traditional Turkish cafe. It cost fully 251 CNY for us four. How expensive! When I had a business trip at Chateau De La Chevre D'or in Eze, a southern town of France, it only cost seven euros for a pot of tea. We appreciated the Mediterranean Sea of azure blue, and the scenery was so astounding.
After one-hour's rest, we boarded a Boeing 777 of Turkish Airlines facing the rising sun of winter. Three hours later, the plane landed on Frankfurt Airport, one of the largest airports worldwide. Last time when I had a business trip to Germany, it was in October of 2019. Now, we travelled back to Germany, my beloved country, again after a long wait of four years and three months, after the COVID-19 pandemic, and after all the changes. The most beloved country of mine is Germany, only second to my loved motherland, China. During the past four years and three months, we have written nearly 100,000 emails to 186 world-class key academic leaders of 68 university hospitals and international hospital groups from 8 countries in the world. And this reveals Gloryren's aspiration in helping the Grade Three Class A hospitals in China in the hospital management, speciality construction and talent cultivation. This is the best career in the world. As long as we do not ask for too much, good luck will always be with us.
After we got up from the afternoon nap, I brought Jessie and Veronique to a special gallery, where the paintings are produced by the artists with AI. They were so amazing.
Every time when I travel to Frankfurt, I will visit this gallery and quietly appreciate the artworks from which I could sense the innovative thinking and extraordinary performance of German artists. In the past, when we visited German hospitals, we stayed in hotels in the Bankenviertel (Banking District). And we went to bed at one in the morning, and got up sometimes at six o'clock. Then we took a shower, put on make-up, wore a Chinese qipao and high heels, and prepared an English version of the day's activity. We often put on make-up twice a day, once in the morning for the activities during the day, and sometimes once before evening banquets. When visiting German hospitals, we usually have to hurry from one place to another, so it's very tiring despite that we have a driver driving us everywhere. Truly, every individual has their unique stories, and everyone's life is precious.
January 15, 2024
On the evening of Janurary 15th, the team of four from Gloryren hosted a dinner meeting in the most ancient restaurant in Frankfurt, OSCAR's Brasserie Moderne, with Dr. Rosenthal, the President of Germany Spine Society in 2013 and Prof. Rauschmann, the President for Germany Spine Society in 2015.
On the wall of this centennial restaurant lies the photos of the starring actors of Gone with the Wind and Roman Holiday.
From 6:00 to 7:20 p.m., we discussed with Dr. Rosenthal the arrangements for his visiting professorship in 2024 to Grade Three Class A hospitals in China and his three MD doctoral students from China. Dr. Rosenthal is a great master in Minimal Invasive Spinal Surgery in Germany, with his achievements in thoracoscopic surgery renowned in the world. At 7:40 p.m., Prof. Rauschmann came over from Sana Clinic to have dinner with us. He was busy all day in the outpatient clinic. We arrange a 2024 Sino-German Video Conference on Spinal Surgery at 7:00 a.m. on Januray 16th, which Prof. Rauschmann will join together with the Spine Surgery team from Guiyang Fourth People’s Hospital, and Director WANG Bing from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Prof. Rauschmann noticed the tiredness on our faces, but we still discussed with him the arrangements for his visiting professorship in 2024 to Grade Three Class A hospitals in China in high spirits.
On February 2nd, 2023, Doctor XIAO Yu of Guiyang Fourth People’s Hospital flew to Frankfurt from Chengdu. He will pursue his MD degree at Goethe University Frankfurt for two years, and his supervisor is the President of Germany Spine Society in 2015 and the Head of Spine Surgery and Reconstructive Orthopaedic Surgery of Sana Clinic Offenbach-Prof. Rauschmann. Sana Clinic Offenbach is an academic teaching hospital of Goethe University Frankfurt, having over 900 beds, and 2600 staff. Annually it receives about 39,000 inpatients and 74,000 outpatients. Prof. Rauschmann has been listed as one of the top doctors in spine surgery by German FOCUS for 12 consecutive years. Our dinner meeting with him didn’t end until 9:40 p.m. Every day is so precious, and every day is so unforgettable because we have the best job in the world. And through this job, we can contribute to our country.
January 17, 2024
On January 17, the team of Gloryren left Heidelberg at 8 am, and took an one and a half hours drive to Stuttgart, 130 kilometers away, to visit Prof. Stenzl, Secretary-General of the European Association of Urology (EAU) and former President of the German Society for Urology (DGU). Prof. Stenzl's secretary greeted us at the entrance of the hospital and prepared some local bread, fruit, and tea for our arrival. During the outbreak of COVID-19, Prof. Stenzl never stopped the academic exchanges with Chinese colleagues. Through Gloryren, Prof. Stenzl had four video conferences with President WU Song’s team at South China Hospital Affiliated to Shenzhen University, to discuss clinical and scientific research topics, and received visiting fellows to the University Hospital Tübingen for further study.
January 18, 2024
On January 18th, heavy snow fell across the city. We headed to the OCM Clinic Munich on a snowy night to meet with Prof. Herbort, a genius German Sports Medicine expert and partner of OCMClinic. He once had meetings in the hospital at 00:00 at the late night, and he also operated surgeries in the hospital in the middle of the night. To meet with us, Prof. Herbort made a special trip back to OCM Clinic.
In September 2022, Prof. Herbort’s first Chinese MD doctoral student, Doctor LIU Wenke from Guiyang Orthopedics Hospital, flew to Munich. After Doctor Liu conducted a one-year doctoral research project in the Biomechanics Laboratory of the Münster University Hospital, he went to OCM Clinic in September 2023 to follow his supervisor Prof. Herbort for a clinical internship. Almost every week, Doctor Liu has the chance to provide top athletes with surgeries and other treatments for sports-related injuries and participates in the clinical projects of Prof. Herbort’s team. In September this year, Prof. Herbort will receive another MD doctoral student from Shanxi who will study at the Münster University Hospital, the OCM Clinic, and the Department of Sport Science of the University of Innsbruck in Austria for two years for scientific research and clinical activities. Prof. Herbort will fully support him in preparing the materials for applying the CSC Scholarship. Prof. Herbort introduced that OCM Clinic only has 10 renowned experts as hospital partners and academic leaders, but the surgeries they perform can add up to 14,000 annually, including 5,000 Sports Medicine surgeries per year. When our team of four walked into the OCM Clinic at 5 p.m., we could still see a large number of outpatients sitting in the waiting room for expert consultation. The two walls next to the OCM Clinic consultation desk are covered with Top Expert Certifications issued by FOCUS to the ten partners, which is quite spectacular. In each partner's office, we saw a dazzling array of thank-you photos and jerseys signed by Olympic athletes and top football stars.
In 2023, the Sports Medicine expert team of OCM Clinic provided professional treatment to 211 top European athletes, of which Prof. Herbort personally performed 170 surgeries. Prof. Herbort will visit the Sports Medicine Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine in China for a week in June this year as an international visiting professor. He became a professor of the University of Münster at the age of 40. He is a genius top expert in Sports Medicine, and a key academic leader in European Sports Medicine in the future. He will introduce new concepts of development to the speciality of Sports Medicine in China which has a huge potential to develop. We will make his name known to every Chinese Sports Medicine doctor since he will bring high-level, standardized diagnosis and treatment concepts of Sports Medicine to Grade Three Class A hospitals in China.
January 19, 2024
At 9:00 a.m. on January 19th, the whole Munich was covered with heavy snow. The team of four from Gloryren arrived at the University Hospital of Munich(LMU) in downtown. This hospital is renowned in Europe and even internationally for its internationalized, high-level, and continuously innovative excellent diagnostic and treatment services. The University Hospital of Munich is the hub of Gloryren’s academic activities in Germany. Currently, the academic leaders of 24 departments in the hospital have been in cooperation with us for many years. They’ve been receiving two-year MD students from China. In the morning, we visited Prof. Giunta, the Director of the Department of Hand, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery of LMU, President of the European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery (ESPRAS) and former President of the German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (DGPRÄC).
In 2023, Doctor Zeng from Guangzhou and Doctor Liu from Shanghai flew to Munich to pursue their MD degrees under the supervision of Prof. Giunta. In 2024, Prof. Giunta will receive another outstanding MD student from a Grade Three Class A hospital in Guiyang to study in his laboratory and clinical department for two years. Prof. Giunta will support her in preparing the materials for applying for the CSC Scholarship this March. In the meeting with us, Prof. Giunta told us that he thinks highly of Gloryren’s work performance because the MD students we’ve recommended are very outstanding. Doctor Zeng has published an article within a year, with another one under review. Prof. Giunta will also visit a renowned Grade Three Class A hospital in China as a visiting professor for one week in November this year, and will attend the 4th Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction, and Talent Cultivation in the dreamlike city of Suzhou, China from November 16th to 17th.
Prof. Giunta offered to let me experience the Vectra 3D imaging system for myself. There are only three of these sophisticated and high-end machines in Germany. It can generate thousands of photos of the face and body in just one photo shoot, and perform 3D diagnosis and reconstruction of the skin condition of the face and body. The diagnostic results are available in just one minute. The experience of this advanced technology at LMU gave me tremendous amazement, even if I only learned a tip of it. Nowadays, the area of cosmetic surgery in China is dominated by a group of highly unprofessional people, leaving only a mess in this field. The area of cosmetic surgery in China lacks the support of scientific research, clinical trials, and multi-disciplinary teamwork, which lays a huge risk in this field. The speciality of plastic surgery in Grade Three Class A hospitals in China is just in its early stage, and professional talents and standardized treatment and training programs are still missing.
In the afternoon of January 19th, the team of four from Gloryren headed to the Campus Großhadern of University Hospital of Munich to visit Prof. Hagl, the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Clinic and Polyclinic. At the Campus Großhadern of University Hospital of Munich, the clinical work, educational and research activities of more than 30 clinical departments and research institutes are conducted. As we arrived at the inquiry desk of the hospital, the staff took a map of the hospital, marked the office of Prof. Hagl, and drew the route for us thoughtfully. With this small piece of paper, we were able to find Prof. Hagl's office correctly. It was very clear.
The layout of the hospital is very reasonable. Directors' offices of all the clinical departments are on the same floor, facilitating the communication among departments and visits of patients and visitors. At the door of every director's office, there is a sign of the names of corresponding department, director, and deputy director. And you will see a reception room as you enter the office. Every director's office is decorated in different styles, some in a simple style, some in a traditional style, and some in a modern art style, but all of them are designed to be relaxing and comfortable for patients and visitors. Through the reception room, there is a director's office and a deputy director's office. Every director has two secretaries. At 3:00 p.m., Prof. Hagl hurried from the operating room back to his office to meet with us. Prof. Hagl's father is a cardiac surgery master greatly renowned in Germany and even in the whole world. He is the former Director of the Surgery Department of Heidelberg University Hospital, and the former President of the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the German Society for Thoracic, Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG). Since 2011, Prof. Hagl has been the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Clinic and Polyclinic of University Hospital of Munich. Currently, his team has 155 medical staffs and performs about 3,000 cardiac surgeries per year.
From 2024, Prof. Hagl will receive MD students from China and visit Chinese Grade Three Class A hospitals as an international visiting professor. In the afternoon, he discussed with us his requirements for receiving MD students in detail, and appointed a doctor in his department to help us with the application procedures. Also, he will be attending the Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction and Talent Cultivation in 2024 in the dreamlike city of Suzhou, China. Prof. Hagl spoke highly of the global concept of Gloryren to introduce international academic leaders of all the specialties to the Grade Three Class A hospitals in China so as to cultivate globally leading talents for the hospitals in the future.
On the afternoon of January 19th, the team of four from Gloryren headed to Prof. Werner's office to meet with him. Prof. Werner is the elected President of the German Society of Surgery (DGCH) 2027. He has been the Director of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery at the University Hospital of Munich (LMU) since 2014. Moreover, he is also the Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), which is one of the 15 oncology centers among the natioanl Network of Oncology Centers of Excellence. With a team of more than 100 employees and over 5,200 inpatients per year, the department led by Prof. Werner is accredited by the German Cancer Society (DKG) for the following treatment centers: Visceral Oncology Center, Pancreatic Cancer Center, Liver Cancer Center, Colorectal Cancer Center and Stomach Cancer Center. For experimental research, 500m2 of fully equipped laboratory space is available within the clinic, with annual research funding of about 2.5 million euros. It’s staffed with senior technicians to assist doctoral students and visiting fellows in conducting their research projects. Prof. Werner has a total personal funding of more than 6.4 million euros.
Prof. Werner has been cooperating with Gloryren for 3 years and has received a total of 7 MD students, 4 of whom are now working with him in Munich. He is very happy about the progress that the MD students have made so far, praising their diligence, smooth progress of the project and also the close collaboration with colleagues.
Upon our arrival at his office, Prof. Werner served the water for us in person. The view outside his office window was as beautiful as paintings. As soon as we sat down, Prof. Werner pulled out a folder containing project files of various doctoral students and discussed with us in detail how the internal administration procedures could be streamlined for future students, ensuring a quicker and better adaption to the working flow there. He printed out the application flowchart of Medical Faculty and went over the required materials, timeline, and coursework planning with us. In March this year, he fully supported the CSC scholarship applications of three doctoral candidates from Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, and Kunming University of Science and Technology. At the time of parting, Prof. Werner expressed highly recognition of Gloryren’s concept for helping Grade Three Class A hospitals in China by sending outstanding Chinese doctors to pursue German MD degree.
The four-day visit of the team of four from Gloryren at the University Hospital of Munich (LMU) and Rechts der Isar Hospital (MRI) of Technical University of Munich (TUM) came to a perfect conclusion. At dusk, we drove 100 kilometers to Landshut, a city in Bavaria situated on the banks of the River Isar. A skyjack in Landshut in 1977 shocked the world, and 86 people in total were hijacked. At night, we checked in at the Hotel Amalia which was rebuilt and renovated from an old state post office last year. Going through more than a century, the wall bricks and floor tiles of the hotel seem to be more gentle and adorable, presenting a unique vintage style exclusively possessed by this old house from the year of 1900.
January 22, 2024
In the afternoon of January 22nd, the team of four from Gloryren came to the University Hospital of Munich (LMU) to meet with Prof. Stief. In the reception room of his office, we saw a variety of wonderful paintings on the wall.
His secretary opened the door, then Prof. Stief came out to welcome us, saying "Please feel at home." There were already some chocolate cakes, carrot cakes, and hot black tea on the table, and his secretary additionally made fresh espresso for us. The four of us had an afternoon tea with Prof. Stief while discussing his work arrangements for 2024. In November this year, he will visit a Grade Three Class A hospital as an international visiting professor and will build up the Sino-German Urology Communication Center there. Prof. Stief is the first and the only urologist among the members of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in its 371-year history. Prof. Stief will attend the 4th Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction, and Talent Cultivation from November 16th to 17th in Suzhou, China. He will continue to be the President of the Global Forum this year. Prof. Stief is willing to travel thousands of miles to China and is willing to contribute to the hospital management, specialty construction, and talent cultivation of Chinese hospitals. At the time of parting, I said to him, "I think we will be friends for life and both the past and the present times will be incredibly beautiful.”
January 24, 2024
On January 24th, the team of four from Gloryren headed to the Malteser Waldkrankenhaus St. Marien in Erlangen, Germany to visit Dr. Schnake, Head of the Interdisciplinary Center for Spine and Scoliosis Therapy and President-elect of the German Spine Society (DWG) for 2026. The hospital is a church hospital surrounded by forests. Dr. Schnake greeted us in person at the Outpatient Hall of the hospital and showed us around the hospital.
Dr. Schnake introduced that the Interdisciplinary Center for Spine and Scoliosis Therapy is the teaching and practice base for the spine surgeries performed by Mazor robotics, and it performs about 20 scoliosis surgeries for adolescents and 60 for adults annually, making it the largest Scoliosis Center in southern Germany. When Dr. Schnake showed us around the Spine Center, we were amazed at the bright, clean, and well-designed wards there.
After a while, Dr. Schnake's Chinese doctoral student, Doctor LU Zimo from Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, came to meet with us as well. Having been studying under Dr. Schnake’s supervision for half a year, Doctor Lu has already completed his first manuscript, which is a gratifying progress. The professors collaborating with us are all willing to give their MD students as many opportunities to publish papers as possible. Dr. Schnake will also take Doctor Lu to the EUROSPINE and EANS Spring Summit, and all expenses will be covered by the department. This June, Dr. Schnake will work as an international visiting professor in Spine Surgery Dept. at the Shenzhen Second People's Hospital for a week. Last year, Dr. Schnake received his second doctoral student, Doctor Zhang from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University.
In 2026, Gloryren will lead a group of Chinese spine surgeons to attend the annual meeting of DWG in Nuremberg. If you want anything valuable, you have to pay the price now or later to get it. In the future, the best job in China is to be a doctor, but only those excellent and top ones can have the best job in the world. As a doctor, you must strive to be the top. That should be the ambition of a doctor.
January 26, 2024
On the morning of January 26th, the team of four from Gloryren drove in the rain for one and a half hours to Halle which is 130 kilometers away to visit Prof. Kobbe. He is the Medical Director of the BG Klinikum Bergmannstrost Halle and also the Head of the Department for Accident and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Orthopedics, Accident and Reconstructive Surgery ( DOUW ) at the University Hospital Halle (Saale). Looking from the outside, the hospital is antique and grand, just like a medieval castle. But when we walked in, all we saw were bright, modern, and in order. Knowing our purpose, the staff at the information counter led us personally to the office of Prof. Kobbe.
At 1:00 p.m., Prof. Kobbe met us on time and invited the Deputy Director of the department, Prof. Mendel, to join us for the meeting. Prof. Kobbe told us that Innovation Hub Musculoskeletal Surgery Halle (MCH) jointly founded by this hospital and the University Hospital Halle (Saale) will be put into use in April 2024.The lab will be equipped with the most advanced technologies and equipment such as computer-based modeling and simulation, AR, VR, and machine learning (neural networks). The hospital will also offer accommodation for doctoral students and visiting fellows recommended by Gloryren. After the meeting, Prof. Kobbe and Prof. Mendel showed us around the hospital. We visited one of the two helipads of the hospital first. There are 63 rescue helicopter bases in total in Germany. According to the law in Germany, the helicopter should arrive at the spot to transfer patients within 17 minutes of an accident.
Later, they showed us the rehabilitation hall, the rehabilitation pool, the Shock Room, the CT room, the MR room, the Burn Center, etc.
The hospital was founded in 1894, and 2024 marks the 130th anniversary of it. It used to be a miners' sanatorium, making it the second oldest trauma specialized hospital in Germany. The BGs is the member institutions of German Social Accident Insurance(DGUV). It has nine trauma specialized hospitals in Germany, all of which are certified as national trauma centers. These hospitals have developed specialties central to trauma surgery. The BG Klinikum Bergmannstrost Halle has Burn Injury Center, Center for Spinal Cord Injury, Early Rehabilitation Center, Neurocenter, Center for Septic Surgery , etc. It has 600 beds and 1600 staff, with about 14,400 surgeries and over 36,000 outpatients annually. And every year its helicopters transport more than 120 polytrauma patients with an ISS score over 16. The work we do is the answer to our life.
January 29, 2024
In the early morning of January 29th, the team of Gloryren started our trip to visit University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG). It is a renowned European higher institution with a founding history of 287 years. It is located in the fairy-tale like town, Göttingen, a place permeated with wonderful scenery and enjoys a great atmosphere for culture and education. During the Enlightenment period, the University of Göttingen had already made great contributions to the educational and cultural development of Europe and even the world. Up to now, the university has already cultivated 47 Nobel Prize laurels, making the lead among the European educational institutes. Its affiliated medical center harbors prominent health care, exceptional research, and outstanding educational quality. Its Oncology Center of Excellence has been funded by the German Cancer Aid, and Heart & Brain Center Göttingen in the university is the first heart and brain center in the country. It also cooperates with the Max Planck Institute(MPI) for Experimental Medicine and the German Primate Center (DPZ), capable of making rapid transformation from scientific research results to clinical applications.
On the morning of January 29th, we first visited Prof. Beutner, the Director of the Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat Medicine at UMG. The team of Prof. Beutner includes about 30 doctors and 50 scientific researchers, receiving more than 3000 inpatient cases and over 25,000 outpatient cases. The department is also an integral part of the Head and Neck Tumor Center certified by the German Cancer Society (DKG) and its South Lower Saxony Allergy Center has been certified as a Comprehensive Allergy Center. In addition, it has deep interdisciplinary cooperation with other departments of UMG. In his department, Prof. Beutner kindly discussed with us the cooperation on projects for the MD program, visiting fellowship, and visiting professorship. In the first half of last year, Director ZHANG Biru from the Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University conducted a 6-month visiting fellowship in the department under the guidance of Prof. Beutner. She enjoyed the working and learning atmosphere of the clinic and the lab very much and said that she has benefited a lot from this visit.
Prof. Beutner highly recognizes the cooperation with Gloryren. He will continue to cooperate with us on the projects of visiting fellowships, MD programs, postdoc programs, and visiting professorship, helping Chinese hospitals and doctors to integrate the diagnostic and scientific research standards at the international level. This is a career of a lifetime. For it, we together with the key academic leaders in the world will dedicate our whole life. I love this great cause.
In the afternoon of January 29th, the team of four from Gloryren arrived at the University Medical Center Göttingen to visit Prof. Bähr, the Director of the Neurology Department, Fellow of German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and the Founding Director of the Heart and Brain Center Göttingen (HBCG). We first discussed his work arrangement for 2024 visiting professorship and his three MD students. Then, Prof. Bähr showed us around the HBCG.
In 2017, Prof. Bähr led a team to apply for a funding from the German Science and Humanities Council (WR) who takes charge of the development and construction of scientific research institutes. Eventually they were funded 35 million euros for the construction of the HBCG. The HBCG covers an area of about 6,000 square meters. It was the result of hard work of Prof. Bähr and a team of architects, and started to function since May, 2023.
Prof. Bähr introduced to us that the HBCG is a research building co-founded by the Departments of Neurology, Cardiology and Pneumology, and Geriatrics, and the Institute for Cognitive Neurology. The aim of founding the HBCG is to establish a close collaboration to jointly explore systems medicine approaches beyond organ borders, new classifications of heart and brain disorders, innovative diagnostic approaches, and new prevention and therapy concepts. Meanwhile, it also aims to integrate related clinical specialties, enhance support structures, facilitate proof of concept (POC) studies, establish new interdisciplinary departments and junior groups, and offer educational programs for a better cultivation of medical leading talents for the next generation. The HBCG is rooted in an outstanding scientific environment. Its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consists of the Research Committee of the University Medical Center Göttingen, Southern Lower Saxony Innovations Campus (SNIC), German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Multiscale Bioimaging Cluster of Excellence (MBExC), German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), the Graduate School of the University of Göttingen, etc.
Prof. Bähr also introduced the main projects of every research group to us in detail, and personally showed us around every group's office, laboratory, cell lab, animal lab, real-time MR room, and so on. We were amazed by the great achievements of Prof. Bähr and his team in building such a large, multidisciplinary, and well-equipped research institute with only 35 million euros in merely 6 years. Meanwhile, we deeply felt the research and academic atmosphere in the University of Göttingen and the whole city. We also very much appreciated that Prof. Bähr and his team spent six hours accompanying our team. In November of 2024, Prof. Bähr will visit the dreamlike city of Suzhou, China. He will serve as the European President on the 2024 Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction and Talent Cultivation, host the Specialty Construction Session, and share his insights into multiple aspects, such as neurology, heart and brain research, and translational research.
January 30, 2024
On the morning of January 30th, the team of four from Gloryren arrived on time to meet with Prof. Rohde, Director of Neurosurgery at University Medical Center of Göttingen (UMG) and President of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC).
he Department of Neurosurgery at UMG is one of the largest neurosurgical clinics in Germany, with approximately 5,000 outpatient cases and 3,000 surgeries per year. The Dept. of Neurosurgery led by Prof. Rohde is accredited by the DGNC in the field of vascular diseases, especially cerebral hemorrhage, and its jointly-built Spine Center with the Dept. of Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics and Plastic Surgery has also been certified as Maximum Care Spine Center by the German Spine Society (DWG). In 2024, Prof. Rohde accepted three MD students respectively from the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, the Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, and Shandong First Medical University and will fully support their applications for CSC scholarships as well as other funds. On February 22nd, Dr. Zhang from the Dept. of Neurosurgery of the Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, flew from Fuzhou to Frankfurt for a three-month visit under the guidance of Prof. Rohde. This is Prof. Rohde’s first Chinese visiting fellow. Prof. Rohde will visit a Grade Three Class A hospital in China as an international visiting professor in 2025, and will serve as the President of the European Region in the Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction and Talent Cultivation 2025. Every doctor should be a part of this great endeavor. Should this be your ambition, patients can feel more secure when they entrust their lives to you and the healthcare system of China will become better. Learn from the masters so that you can go from being an ordinary doctor to an excellent one, and even a top one in the future.
At 11:00 a.m. of January 30th, the team of four from Gloryren headed to the University Medical Center of Göttingen to visit Prof. Lehmann, Director of the Clinic for Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics and Plastic Surgery. Prof. Lehmann came to the waiting area in person to bring us to his office.
The Clinic for Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics and Plastic Surgery of University Medical Center of Göttingen is one of the largest university clinics for musculoskeletal surgery in Germany. In the “World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2024” list, it is among the top hundred departments worldwide in the field of orthopedics. It is fully equipped with all the sub-specialties, many of which obtained national-level certifications, including the Supraregional Trauma Center (ÜTZ), Endoprosthetic Center for Maximum Care (EPZmax), Member of German Endoprosthesis Register (EPRD)., Maximum Care Spine Center accredited by the German Spine Society (DWG), etc. The clinic has 48 doctors and 115 nurses, with 154 beds. In 2022, it received 47,534 outpatients, 4,272 inpatients, performed 5,143 surgeries, and received 775 helicoptered emergency patients, and over 800 polytrauma patients, among which over 300 had an ISS score over 16. Since 2021, Prof. Lehmann has received four MD students from Guangzhou, Guiyang, Dongguan and Zhengzhou, with three of them now in progress. Among them, Doctor Li developed a new patent in external fixation for pelvic fractures with Prof. Lehmann. Doctor Zhou from the Fourth People's Hospital of Guiyang will give an oral report on an international academic conference. And Doctor Yang, who started his doctoral study last September, is conducting his doctoral project smoothly. His research project is going well under the supervision of Prof. Lehmann, and has now in the final stage of experiment. Apart from the MD program, Prof. Lehmann also emphasizes all-round development of the doctoral students. Since 2022, he has brought all of his doctoral students in person to attend the annual congress of German Society of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (DKOU) every year in late October. Also, he encourages all of the doctoral students to work with him more in the OR to refine their clinical skills and surgical techniques, facilitating their career development after they come back to China. Prof. Lehmann will visit Zhengzhou Orthopedics Hospital as an international visiting professor for a week in May, and join the Trauma Surgery Team of the hospital for the Global Live Surgery Broadcast. He will also serve as one of the European Presidents on the 2025 Sino-Euro Global Forum on Hospital Management, Specialty Construction and Talent Cultivation.
At noon on January 30th, Gloryren’s team of four went to the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Göttingen to visit Prof. Wiltfang, the Director of the department. The Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy functions alone in its own building, which is 1.3 kilometers from the Medical Center. It enjoys graceful surroundings, providing pleasant environment for both outpatient and inpatient. The department also has a whole floor for scientific research use exclusively. Prof. Wiltfang, together with the head of research, Dr. Esselmann welcomed our team from Gloryren.
Prof. Wiltfang introduced that the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy provides all psychiatric diagnostic and treatment services to patients of all ages. It holds 175 beds, including 110 inpatient beds and 65 beds for day clinic patients. In 2019, the department received about 6,800 clinic patients, with about 2000 inpatients annually. In addition to medical services, scientific research is the focus of the department’s daily work. Its scientific research results and output are among the top five of 64 clinics, departments, and pre-clinical research institutes. Benefiting from the scientific research atmosphere of the whole city of Göttingen, the department has cooperation for translational research with multiple scientific research institutions such as Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Neuroscience and other branches, other specialties of the University Medical Center Göttingen, and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Göttingen. The focus of the research of Prof. Wiltfang lies in molecular/biological psychiatry and non-invasive brain stimulation.The Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy also has six more professors, and they respectively focus on Molecular Psychiatry, Epigenetics of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Epigenetics and Genetics, Molecular Neurobiology, Translational Neuroproteomics, and Forensic Psychiatry & Psychotherapy.
Prof. Wiltfang also told us that to support the environmental-friendly idea and to facilitate close connections and cooperation between healthcare, teaching, and research, the University Medical Center Göttingen will invest 1.1 billion euros for renovating and transforming its central hospital, making it more consistent with the concept of sustainable development. Later, Prof. Wiltfang and Dr. Esselmann showed us around the meeting room, the main diagnosis and treatment areas, and the laboratories.
For many years, Prof. Wiltfang and his team have dedicated themselves to developing biomarker-guided early diagnostics of Alzheimer's dementia, and they’ve developed a brand new system, namely the Aβ-2step-Immunoassay, which can accurately identify early stage Alzheimer's disease dementia in preclinical stages, even 15 years before the patient develops clinical symptoms, using only blood tests. This is the dawn of developing the most efficient preventive strategies worldwide. In the coming future, Prof. Wiltfang will join hand in hand with Gloryren and Grade Three Class A hospitals in China to build a high-performance early diagnostics system for Alzheimer's dementia based on blood assays. This system will allow early screening of high-risk patients and early intervention with medications or lifestyle changes to slow disease progression.
During the trip from Guangzhou to Munich, we had a journey of 3,800 kilometers and spent 20 nights in 20 cities in Germany. All of us four as a team from Gloryren like Göttingen very much for its dense academic atmosphere. When Albert Einstein came to the University of Göttingen to give lectures in 1915, he stayed in an old hotel opened in 1842 where I also had a stay this time. Waking up at 5:00 a.m., I often sat in the small rest room at the hotel lobby and had phone calls with my colleagues in China to discuss about work. The doggy Pepper at the hotel is so adorable but sometimes scares me.
The University of Göttingen does not actively join the World University Rankings, because its real academic strength has already earned it enough reputation. Actually, the so-called 'World University Rankings' are what some institutions created for American interest groups to reasonably and legally dredge for money for their universities from the rich and the middle class. American universities are built for nothing but to earn money. The annual tuition fee of every American university is up to 600,000 CNY. This is apparently dredging for money. On the contrary, universities in Germany are free of charge. Even if you cover the facts as much as you can, there will always be someone who knows the truth. People who really know about the academic world never focus on the rankings, because the rankings are only to deceive those who care and are totally meaningless. But personnel departments of Chinese hospitals only care about the university rankings out of their ignorance when recruiting doctors. They even barely go abroad, not to mention knowing anything about the international academic community. Administrative departments of Chinese hospitals serve only as a shelter for ignorant people. How dare they turn away the excellent doctors that Chinese hospitals really need! If administrative departments of Chinese hospitals do not change their attitudes, there is no way for Chinese hospitals to improve. Administrative departments of hospitals should serve the doctors, but not act in a superior or unreasonable way. This time, we came to visit the University Medical Center of Göttingen. I have been there for three times in five years. In the four days in Göttingen, we met with fellows of German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, key academic leaders of all specialties, and scientists teams well-known in the world. They gather from big cities worldwide to this medieval romantic city Göttingen, and start the real legend of their lives here. Here also locate the worldly renowned Max Planck Institutes, Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the first and only Heart and Brain Center in Germany. This is the genuine key academic city in the world. Lots of professors working here can change this world. Have global thinking, change the attitude, and be grateful, then you will be able to see what the top academic community is really like.
February 2, 2024
On the morning of February 2nd, we arrived at the University Hospital Aachen (UKA). The hospital is so special in its modern industrial style of design, making it one of the most extraordinary hospitals in the world. At the front door of the hospital, there is a large helipad. The hospital has a national trauma center. At present, the Director of the Department for Orthopedic, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery of the hospital, Prof. Hildebrand, is the President of the European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES). And he will be the President of the German Trauma Society (DGU) in 2026.
His wife specially came to the hospital to meet us and prepared us some nice gifts and refreshments. We drank coffee and discussed with Prof. Hildebrand his work arrangement for 2024. In September 2024, Prof. Hildebrand will visit the Shenzhen Second People's Hospital as a visiting professor. Doctor Li from Guiyang and Doctor Yang from Zhengzhou have started their studies for MD degree at the University Hospital Aachen since last year in 2023.
In the same year, they both received the scholarship from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) . Doctor Che from Guangzhou and Doctor Wang from Kunming will be the MD students of Prof. Hildebrand for the year of 2024. Prof. Balmayor, Head of the Department of Experimental Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery of the Department for Orthopedic, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery of the hospital, was also invited by Prof. Hildebrand to join us for the meeting. The team of Gloryren had detailed discussions with them. In September 2023, every working day of Prof. Hildebrand in Zhengzhou Orthopaedics Hospital was so meaningful and wonderful. He was incredibly busy and was surrounded by many medical colleagues. Prof. Hildebrand believed that work can be done everywhere. But working in China, he was so welcomed as if he was a leading actor in a movie. He could find the value of life by passing on his experience to them. Every day is so special for him. And the work he has done is the life story he wants to tell.
February 4, 2024
On the evening of February 4th, we hosted a wonderful dinner in the Schlosshotel Kronberg which seats in the Taunus Mountains to welcome our precious friends in Germany. This schlosshotel was once the residence of Empress Victoria Friedrich of Germany in the 19th century. The castle harbors authentic works by famous painters such as Rubens and Titian. The castle is a medieval art gallery with frescoes, tapestries, portraits and antique furniture from the period.
The castle offered a free duplex suite for my stay. The suite is decorated in Victorian style and even has a small chamber. In front of the window unfolds the whole forest, much alive like a set from a film.
The dinner was prepared by the chef with four courses in total, and we had a taste of one aperitif and two red wines.There was a special egg white lemon drink for ladies. At nightfall, the fire was lit in the fireplace, generating warmth and comfort. All the gentlemen were in tailored suits or traditional costumes of Bavaria. And the ladies were in dress. We wore light makeup and I was wearing a pink silk qipao with peonies on it. In the afternoon, everyone except me went for a walk in the forest. I was making business calls to deal with work in Guangzhou. It was my third visit to this schlosshotel. Our friends in Germany drove several hundred kilometers to here for this special night. For these four years and four months, I’ve been through the pandemic of coronavirus, numerous hardships, and ups and downs with other people. I’ve climbed over hill after hill. I’ve passed barrier after barrier. Our team has surmounted so many obstacles and difficulties to get where we are now. That’s why we can meet our friends again in Germany. After tonight, we are about to go home. The New Year in Southern China is always warm and full of hope and joy. All the windows and doors will open to embrace the spring breeze of a new day. As I wrote this, there was a sudden chirp from the forest. All I wish is a more prosperous China and a better Gloryren in 2024. May Gloryren be in good condition and of prosperity year after year.
Life is definitely not a simple path to go. Every great doctor in the world went through a long long way in a dark tunnel alone. When they were young, they had no money, resources, people who were willing to help them, or good skills. Everyone of them had a tough, upset, and even desperate time, but it is the difficult time that contributed to their shining life now. From June 3 to June 17, the team of four from Gloryren will travel from Guangzhou to Munich for the second time in 2024. We will interview Prof. Herbort, the co-founder of the OCM Clinic Munich and genius German sports medicine expert, who performs surgeries for more than 170 top athletes per year. We will interview Prof. Giunta, Director of the Department of Hand, Plastic, and Aesthetic Surgery of University Hospital of Munich, President of the European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery (ESPRAS), and former President of the German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (DGPRAC). And we will interview Prof. Hagl, the Director of the Cardiac Surgery Clinic and Polyclinic of University Hospital of Munich, which is one of the largest cardiac surgery clinics in Germany. Prof. Hagl's father was the one who founded the cardiac surgery system for the whole Germany. This marks a brand new chapter of The World's Great Doctors series in 2024. I'd like to appreciate that I am working on the best career in this world, and that I have grown into a better me.
