Medical Faculty News v25i1

First Meeting of Lancet Infectious Diseases Commission on Pandemic Preparedness The first meeting of the Lancet Infectious Diseases Commission on Pandemic Preparedness was held on July 11 and 12, 2019, at Patrick Manson Building (North Wing). The Commission is chaired by Professor Vernon Lee of the Ministry of Health, Singapore, and co- chaired by Professor David Heymann , London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Chatham House, Professor Annelies Wilder-Smith , London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Dr Ximena Aguilera , University of Desarrollo, Chile. In response to the Chinese government’s initiative to groom global public health leaders and to develop a public health cooperation network among the Belt and Road countries, HKUMed and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) announced a visionary collaboration to jointly nurture public health professionals and foster closer scientific exchange on disease control and prevention and global health. A Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony was held at HKU on June 14, 2019, with Professor Gabriel Leung (梁卓偉) , Dean of Medicine, and Professor George F Gao (高福) , Director-General of China CDC, as signatories. Above and beyond the aspiration of nurturing public health leaders and research elites for China and HKUMed and Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Collaborate to Nurture Public Health Talents and Strengthen Scientific Research Collaboration the Belt and Road countries, both parties have also agreed to further strengthen scientific, technical and academic exchange and cooperation where areas of infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, environment and health and public health policy would be covered. During the meeting, members of the Commission explored current preparedness platforms, strengthen collaborations and synergies, and identified new areas for exploration. They had also addressed key issues and made recommendations for countries to strengthen pandemic preparedness. The Commission is targeted to create a community of practice among members and interested parties to share new ideas and monitor the outcomes across time, and develop measurable outcome metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives on preparedness. The Commission is supported by Mok Hing Yiu Charitable Foundation, and an Appreciation Dinner was held on July 11 to thank the kindness and generosity of the donor. 60 Inside The Faculty