2012-03-02

SUMC and the University of Iowa have announced their intent to partner on a project that may help enhance child passenger safety in China.

Dr. Liping Li, director of SUMC's Injury Prevention Research Center and deputy director of the Injury Prevention and Control Section of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, visited the University of Injury Prevention Research Center in February to discuss the new partnership.

The University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center conducts annual observational child passenger restraint surveys in order to measure compliance with Iowa laws on child passenger safety and to direct educational efforts. As there are currently few laws in China that require proper restraint for children riding in a motor vehicle, the new partnership is expected to help enhance child passenger safety in China.

During her visit, Dr. Li participated in several series of talks with senior representatives of the College of Public Health and the Injury Prevention Research Center of the University of Iowa. She also reported on her recent work in China on injury prevention, which included an in-depth review of occupational injuries in China

The University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center was founded in 1990 and is one of 11 injury "Centers of Excellence" funded by the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.