China and France are strengthening their academic exchanges and international medical collaboration. At a recent education development forum in Paris focused on Sino-French relations, a Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine initiative led to agreements with two French universities, Université Paris Cité and Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. These agreements aim to expand student exchange programs, increase the number of participating staff, and extend the duration of exchanges.
Jiang Fan, a school official, indicated that the Shanghai Medical School plans to introduce additional foundational courses, enhance mid- and long-term clinical internships, and accommodate a greater number of long-term scientific research students. Over the next three years, the school aims to increase the enrollment of French medical students by at least twofold.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University started cooperation and exchanges with France in the early 20th century. The Sino-France medical exchange started at the Aurora University School of Medicine, a predecessor of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and many of China's leading experts such as Dr Wang Zhenyi, the father of the induction and differentiation of leukemia cells, are graduates of the school.
The school established Guangci Hospital (now known as Ruijin Hospital), China's first affiliated hospital to offer French-language instruction. In 1964, coinciding with the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, the school launched its inaugural medical class with instruction in French. Since then, this program has graduated nearly 1,000 outstanding students.
In 2018, the school collaborated with five leading medical schools in France to establish the Sino-French Joint Medical College. By 2023, the school had facilitated the enrollment of 333 Chinese medical students in France, while France sent 30 students annually to Shanghai for summer training. Additionally, both parties engage in collaborative medical research to investigate and address healthcare issues together.
