Studying Medicine in Hubei, China

By He Sai, Ning Fang & Liu Kunwei

博士研究生扎法尔在潜心实验 Mohammad Ishraq Zafar working on an experiment

博士研究生奥萨玛在医院介入室 Osamah Alwalid in the interventional room

As is commonly known,the rapid economic growth and expansion in China have witnessed huge leaps in medical science. China has undoubtedly reached the international level in the field of minimally invasive procedures, and especially in such cancer surgeries as stomach,intestinal, lung, and pancreatic cancers. Success stories of combating against the SARS,H1N1, HIV and the like, plus Tu Youyou's winning of Nobel Prize in Medicine have earned China a positive reputation in medical science.

The myth of “Going to Europe and the US to study medicine,and going to China just to study Chinese” has perished. More and more overseas students are now studying medicine in China. According to statistics from relevant departments, the number of overseas students studying medicine in Hubei has been increasing steadily from 2006 to 2017. Just in 2018,20,000 overseas students studied in Hubei—among which, 5000 are studying medicine, second only to those studying Chinese.Tongji Medical College of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the School of Medicine of Wuhan University,and the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine are the top choices for international students.As we know, Hubei is rich in medical education resources in China. Overseas students' choice of studying medicine in Hubei could best reflect the overseas students' enthusiasm for studying medicine in China.

On December 12, 2018, we conducted an interview with some overseas students studying at Wuhan Union Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as “Wuhan Union Hospital”).

梅萨微在学习急救术 Methavee Chulanuka learning first aid treatment

Practicing while Studying,Providing a Nice Curriculum

Almost all the overseas students maintain that it is both affordable and worthwhile to study medicine in China.

Saving on tuition fees is just one piece of the whole picture.Most importantly, studying medicine in China benefits them by providing both knowledge and valuable experience. Several factors, such as patients number,case complexity, intern vacancies,and advanced equipment not only provide the best environment for the rapid boom of medical sciences in China, but also offer many opportunities for the medical students. Take Wuhan Union Hospital for example—it started enrolling overseas students in 2007 and has trained 315 overseas doctors since 2012.

Professor Chen Lili, who once studied stomatology at Harvard Medical School, is now a doctoral mentor in Wuhan Union Hospital. Chen says that the medical education is quite different in Western countries,as compared with that in China.In most European countries and in America, medical students do not have sufficient opportunities to practice their skills—for they divorce the research from the clinic in medical education. However, Chinese medical colleges emphasize the importance of a combination of both research and clinical experiences, and students are offered the chance to practice while also learning medical theories. Chen Lili believes that actual cases provide the best ground for teaching. There are about one-thousand beds in a large hospital in other countries,while Wuhan Union Hospital has over 5000 beds. This year,this hospital has treated 5.7 million people, accommodated 227,000 hospitalized patients,and conducted 121,000 surgical operations. The students have ample opportunities to engage in clinical practices, thus familiarizing themselves with medical knowledge and skills.

塞勒茜（右）和辅导员彭程（左） Selasi Aku Daddy (right) and her instructor Peng Cheng (left)

主任医师陈瑞带留学生看望病人 Professor Chen Rui visiting his patients with two students

Osamah Alwalid is a Ph.D.candidate from Yemen. He applied to five universities in the US, China, and Australia, and was finally admitted to Wuhan Union Hospital. He said, “I really cherish this hard-earned opportunity. My doctoral mentor, Professor Han Ping, is a knowledgeable expert in radiology and always encourages and supports me in my studies and research work.” Osamah has been working diligently by making full use of these favorable conditions and hopes to become a world-renowned expert in radiology and nuclear medicine one day.

Mohammad Ishraq Zafar, a Ph.D. candidate from India, has focused his research in the field of Endocrinology, primarily related to the diabetes and its associated complications.He has been awarded the title of Academic Excellence by Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the title of Outstanding International Student by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, for his accomplishments in medical research. Zafar said that the students can learn so much at Wuhan Union Hospital, owed in large part to its favorable teaching environment, advanced medical equipment, and professional faculty. He said that he is fortunate to have a supervisor like Professor Chen Lulu, as she is the most knowledgeable person he has ever met, and she knows how to extract the best out of any student.

吉依恩在南昌大学本科毕业典礼上Dionne Telemacque at her undergraduate graduation ceremony at Nanchang University

Devoting to Studying for their Motherland

Osamah has been devoted to both theoretical study and clinical practice as a Ph.D.candidate. His doctoral mentor,Professor Han Ping, commented that, “Osamah is intelligent and hardworking. With strong competence in both language and research, he can complete research project independently and has published several SCI papers.” Any practitioner knows that it's no easy to publish an SCI paper without solid research and innovative practices. Osamah has a strong compassion for the lives lost in wars and accidents, and hopes to help people by healing their illnesses.

Zafar obtained his master's degree at Wuhan Union Hospital and decided to continue his Ph.D. studies there. His mentor,Professor Chen Lulu, praised his passion for studying medicine.He has published several articles,including seven SCI papers as the first author and hopes to make more progress in the future.Zafar's research emphasizes the comprehensive research and applications of related disciplines,and he prefers being a researcher and academician who can nurture professionals than being a clinical doctor.

Methavee Chulanuka from Thailand hopes to continue her master's studies after finishing her undergraduate courses, and wants to contribute to the medical world in her motherland. She said it takes a long time for locals to see a good doctor in some parts of her country. She's determined to be a good doctor and has received the title of Excellent International Student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology several times.

We've also met a beautiful Dominican girl named Dionne Telemacque during our interview. Dionne studied Chinese for one year at Shanghai Tongji University in 2011, and then studied clinical medicine in Nanchang University. She enrolled at Wuhan Union Hospital in 2017 and has continued her postgraduate education majoring in orthopedics. She is also a member of the spinal cord injury research team now.

Selasi Aku Daddy is an undergraduate student from Ghana and is pursuing both a Bachelor's of Medicine and Bachelor's of Science degree.She is now working on clinical science courses and will graduate in one year. She plans to work for her country for three years after graduation and then continue her postgraduate and doctoral studies in other countries. She has a quick mind and passion for medical studies, and will surely become an excellent doctor in the future.

韩萍教授向留学生讲解案例 Professor Han Ping explaining a case to her students

Medical experts from Hubei Province have been the core members of Chinese Medical Teams in Africa, and have been providing international medical aid since 1960, the year Hubei Province organized its first Chinese medical team to work in Algeria. Some doctors and their family members have been members of these aid programs for three generations and have helped hundreds of thousands of African families, contributing to the medical science development in these countries and regions.As an old Chinese saying goes,“It is better to teach one the skill of fishing than to offer him fish.”Hubei province has not only sent international medical teams, but also helped train medical research and technical staff in countries all over the world. The medical colleges in Hubei have trained thousands of medical personnel from many countries, both inside the borders of China and around the world.

What's worth mentioning is that even though most of the students come from Africa, Asia,and the Pacific Islands, which are comparatively backward in medical sciences, an increasing number of students are also coming from Europe, the US, and other developed countries for short-term exchange programs,training, and postgraduate courses. For example, many medical students from Germany and Britain come to Wuhan Union Hospital for internships and research every year. Tulane University sent doctors from the department of anesthesiology to provide training for resident physicians there at Wuhan Union Hospital. Both sides have also cooperated in regards to teacher training and sharing the latest teaching methods and results.

Supported by leading medical colleges and clinical hospitals,Hubei Province is now on its way to building and promoting its international reputation for providing top-notch medical education.

学医在中国湖北

文 /何 塞 宁 芳 刘坤维

随着中国经济快速发展，中国医学医疗水平也随之迅速发展提高，中国医学在微创领域已经达到国际领先水平，胃癌、肠癌、肝癌和胰腺癌手术等方面还略微领先。战胜非典、控制禽流感、有效防控艾滋病等多种传染病、屠呦呦获诺贝尔医学奖等一系列成功事件，不断提升中国医学声誉。

“学医必去欧美，学中文才到中国”的时代正在改变，来中国学医的外国学子日渐增多。根据有关部门统计数据，从2006年到2017年，来中国湖北学医的外国学生人数一直成上升趋势。2018年全年，中国湖北留学生总数达到20000多人，其中选择学医的多达5000人，仅次于学汉语学生人数。华中科技大学同济医学院、武汉大学医学院、湖北中医药大学是留学生选择的热门学府。湖北省是中国医疗教育资源大省，外国学生在湖北学医的情况可从侧面反映外国学生到中国学医的热度。

2018年12月12日，采访组来到该省非常有代表性的华中科技大学同济医学院附属协和医院（下文简称武汉协和医院），采访了在这里留学的学生代表。

研习一体 真才实学

到中国学医，学费实惠，学有所值，几乎是所有留学生的共同看法。

节省费用是一方面，更重要的是，在中国学医也能学到真才实学。中国人口多，患者多，病情复杂，案例多样，实践机会也多，且医院设备一流。这些都是中国医学发展快的促进因素，也是在中国学好医学的客观有利条件。就拿武汉协和医院来说，该院2007年开始招收留学生，2012年至今已培养了315名“洋医生”。

曾就读于哈佛医学院口腔科的博导陈莉莉教授说，欧美医学院培养体制将临床和科研分开，部分医学生实际操作技能的培养锻炼机会有所不足。中国医学院的培养体制则注重临床科研一体化，留学生边学边实践，学习吸收快。陈莉莉认为，病例是教学的宝贵财富。国外大型综合性医院至多有上千张床位，而协和医院有5000多张，年门诊急诊总数570万人次，住院22.7万人，手术量12.1万台。学生们有大量临床机会，学到扎实的技能。

主治医师郝琎琎向留学生讲解病案 Doctor Hao Jinjin and her students

奥萨玛是来自也门的博士研究生，他向包括美国、澳大利亚在内的五个国家的大学投递了入学申请，最终武汉协和医院录取了他。他说：“对这个来之不易的机会，我很珍惜。我的导师（放射科教授韩萍）是一位睿智的知识型专家，她一直鼓励和支持我，激励我前进。”在这样优越的环境中，他一直奋力拼搏，希望成为世界上研究影像医学和核医学的佼佼者。

扎法尔是来自印度的博士研究生，主要从事糖尿病及其伴生疾病等内分泌学领域的研究。由于成绩优秀，他曾获得校级“优秀学员”称号，以及中国留学基金委“杰出国际专家”称号。扎法尔说，协和医院的教学环境、医疗设备和教师质量都非常好。这对学好医学有很大帮助。他尤其感激导师陈璐璐教授，对她的博学广识和循循善诱印象深刻。

倾心研学 报效祖国

作为博士研究生，奥萨玛对学习和临床实践都抓得特别紧，导师韩萍这样评价他：“奥萨玛同学思想活跃，学习刻苦认真。中英文能力和科研能力较强，学习成绩优良，能独立完成研究课题，并撰写、发表了多篇SCI论文。”业内人士都知道，没有扎实的研究和创新实践，要发表SCI论文是非常难的。奥萨玛深深悯惜那些在战乱和事故中死去的生命，希望自己能帮更多人恢复健康。

扎法尔是在武汉协和医院取得硕士学位后继续留校攻读博士学位的。导师陈露露夸赞他热爱医学，勤奋上进，好学不倦。在校期间他发表7篇SCI论文，期待他今后在更广阔空间内取得更大的进步。扎法尔研究的领域重在相关学科的综合研究与运用，相对于做一名临床主治医师，他更希望做一名研究学者，倾心研究，带出更多糖尿病专家。

吉依恩（左）和朋友一起游玩哈尔滨 Dionne Telemacque (left) visiting Harbin with her friend

来自泰国的梅萨微期待本科毕业后继续申请读研，将来为自己国家的医学事业做贡献。她说，在泰国，有些地方的人病了，要走很远的路才能看到好医生。她始终以成为一名好医生为奋斗目标，多次获得华中科技大学国际学生优秀奖项。

采访中我们还结识了风趣的多米尼克美女吉依恩。她2011年在上海同济大学学了一年中文，然后到南昌大学学习临床医学。2017年进入武汉协和医院继续研究生课程学习，从此加入该院骨科研究生的大家庭，并加入到脊柱脊髓损伤的研究中来。

赛勒茜是来自非洲加纳的本科生，她同时攻读医学学士和理学学士两个学位。还有一年，她就完成本科学业，眼下她正专注于临床课程学习。毕业以后，她将回到自己的国家效力三年，然后再申请出国深造，继续硕士研究生和博士研究生课程的学习。她热心快肠，十分健谈，将来一定能成为一名好医生。

中国湖北的医疗专家一直是中国援非医疗队的核心成员，从20世纪60年代初湖北组建中国第一支援非医疗队进驻阿尔及利亚之后，湖北一直没有停止过援外医疗。有的家庭甚至一家三代都参加过援非医疗，为千千万万非洲家庭和患者带来福音，也为受援助国家和地区医疗事业发展做出了应有的贡献。授人以鱼，不如授人以渔。在一如既往派遣医疗援外团队的同时，湖北积极响应国家“一带一路”倡议，致力为世界各国培养医学科研人员和医疗技术人员，现在，湖北的医学院校已经为世界各国培养了数以万计的医疗人才。

值得一提的是，虽然大部分学生来自非洲、亚洲和太平洋岛国等一些医疗技术相对落后的国家和地区，但来自欧美发达国家的交流生、进修生和研究生也成逐年增多趋势。譬如协和医院，每年都有大量来自德国、英国各大医学院的留学生交换实习，参与研究。另有来自美国杜兰大学麻醉科的医师来协和医院进行住院医师规范化培训。双方还开展师资培训合作，交流最新的医学教学方法与成果。

湖北拥有全国领先的医学院校以及教学医院，湖北医学教育的国际品牌正在广为传播，成为国际湖北的靓丽名片。