Opening Ceremony: One of the notable alumni Prof. Song Wu's Freshman Address of 2021

On the morning of September 17, 2021, the Opening Ceremony 2021 of Anhui Medical University were held in the stadium of Mei Shanlu campus. Prof. Song Wu, a notable alumnus from the class of 2007 in Clinical Medicine addressed at the ceremony.

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Prof. Song Wu, a notable alumnus from the class of 2007 in Clinical Medicine of Anhui Medical University. He currently holds the positions as the President of South China Hospital of Shenzhen University, Head of Institute of Urology of Shenzhen University, the Deputy Dean, Professor and doctoral supervisor of Shenzhen University Health Science Center. And he is a member of the national science fund for excellent young scholars who is in charge of a key project of Natural Science Foundation. As the one of the first recipients of Outstanding Youth Fund of Shenzhen, Prof. Song Wu is also one of the Top Ten Notable Contributors in Healthcare in Shenzhen. He is the Chief Scientist of one of the National Key Research and Development Programs, one of the Leading Talents in Medicine of Guangdong province, and the Leading Talent of Scientific Innovation of Guangdong province. In 2016, he was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30, Asia at the age of 29. 2020 remarks the 40th anniversary of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and he was invited to join the celebration as one of the selected 40 talents..

Freshman Address

Distinguished Party Secretary Gu, President Cao, dear teachers and schoolmates, good morning.

It’s my honor to be here to address at this opening ceremony, and thanks my alma mater for giving me this opportunity. Today, we, as a student of Anhui Medical University all gather here as a part of it.

In 2003, I was in the second year of high school in Susong Middle School, Anhui Province. At that time, SARS pandemic broke out, and we learned a lot of great deeds of medical professionals from media so I was determined to be a doctor. In 2005, I was honorably admitted into seven-year clinical medicine program of Anhui Medical University. The seven years in Anhui Medical University is unforgettable. Until now I still remember the moments I spent at the autopsy hall, canteen, basketball field, dormitory, which make up my beautiful university memory, and I grew from a medical student to a preparatory doctor here. I joined the CPC when I was in university, and I still remember the expectations from my referee Mr. Congyun Liu, which are to be humble, diligent, ambitious and patriotic. Our university offers many innovative training programs. Xuemei Jia, my mentor of the medicine research course, guided me to observe the mouse hippocampal neuron, introduced the concept of scientifc innovation to me and encouraged me to engage in entrepreneurial design competition, which helped me have a preliminary insight in innovative translational medicine. At the same time, Anhui Medical University offered students to learn or to be an intern throughout China even the world. So I had this opportunity to come to Shenzhen, the frontier city of reform and opening-up that embraces innovation and inclusiveness, where I met my master's mentor -Prof. Zhiming Cai and opened a new chapter of my life.

Everyone should seize the day irrespective of their ages and achievements. Every moment should be a new starting point and erveryday should be a new beginning. After graduation, I had been working in grass-root hospitals on grass-root public health and community service, and I was very proud of my job. Because I worked for so community residents that I could know about their most direct and true demands, which makes me realize that medicine should care about every patient instead of only figuring out every difficult disease. In order to achieve the goals of less disease, less hospitalization, less burden and precise treatment, my colleagues and I initiated Luohu Mode, which was promoted across China. And have been in frequent contact with many teachers of our university to learn the experience of hospital management. This year, I receive a new challenge to be the President of South China Hospital of Shenzhen University, which is the largest affiliated hospital of Shenzhen University. As a young administrator and leader of a hospital, I will try my best to create the most caring hospital and provide the best health services for residents in Shenzhen, the demonstration area of communism with honor and mission given by CPC.

I have three suggestions for you from my past experience and the spirit of Shenzhen in the new era.

First, to be brave to try in the flood of times. As the first graduated who was designated to Shenzhen for postgraduate training of Anhui Medical University, I well appreciate our university for giving me this chance. The motto of our university that "Learning and practicing makes a good doctor" perfectly fits with the vision of "May there be good doctors for all illnesses" brought up by Shenzhen special economic zone. Different choices make different life, a new development layout not only breeds opportunity but also brings new challenges and missions. At that time, our university offered opportunities for intership at Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian province, Shenzhen and Anhui province, but I determined to choose Shenzhen, which was called medicine desert, and I first worked in a gross-root hospital. As a medical student, we should step outside the campus, seize the key opportunity and dare to try. If you are uncertain about your future, then I suggest that you should choose the toughest way, the most uncertain way to find your value and create a platform to show your talent.

Second, to be pragmatic and uphold the law. Now our country has made regular epidemic prevention and control and implemented Healthy China strategy, which brings new mission and responsibility to medical students. A new era is more demanding for doctors with high-standard knowledge, skills and perseverance of ethical regulation. Since we have been a medical student, we faces challenges from difficult medical knowledge, hundreds of exams, life-long clinical research. I hope that you can be perseverant, pragmatic, energetic and clam because life is a zig-zag journey, and  these are the keys when you are facing challenges.

Third, keep pursing excellence. Every goal of personal development should tightly correlate with social demands and national strategy. This is the responsibility of young generation and a must for realizing dreams. As a medical student, we should realize that our development should combine with the important demands of national development and focus on the real health demand of each resident. And we should improve ourselves,and put personal development into the needs of country and people, realizing our value in the cause of national health.

Today, I am still riding on a wave of medicine. As the preparatory medical students, you will create your own ways.

I hope that you can dare to be the first to lead, be brave to try, be pragmatic, uphold the law, keep pursuing excellence, and be a good doctor who can match the power of China in the new era!