2016-10-28

On October 11-14, the renowned neuroscientist and psychiatrist Prof. Michael Meaney from McGill University visited SUMC and met with SUMC Dean Junhui Bian and Dr. Frieda Law of LKS Foundation to exchange their views on the outlook for the big data project at SUMC.

During his visit, Prof. Meaney toured the Mental Health Center of SUMC and attended a meeting with Director Qingjun Huang of the Center together with other clinicians and research staff from SUMC’s affiliated hospitals. At the meeting, Director Huang introduced the overall development of the Center, and some issues related to autism, attention deficit hyperactive disorder and dyslexia in children were discussed. Both sides had further talks over how to optimize and integrate the children’s mental health facilities and resources, given the major problems facing the Chaoshan Area in the field of children’s mental health service, e.g. supply-demand imbalance, lack of professionals and singleness of service mode. They also discussed the significance of building an innovative children health care center which is overall health (physical, mental and environmental)-centered, multi-disciplinary (Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatrics, Psychologics, Rehabilitation, Nursing and educational institutions work collaboratively), and integration of diagnosis, treatment, training, rehabilitation and research, as well as the direction and feasibility of the cooperation between SUMC and McGill University in basic and clinical research on children’s mental illnesses. Prof. Meaney was impressed with the psychological consultation services that SUMC Mental Health Center provides for children.

Prof. Meaney also visited the Neuroscience Center at SUMC and gave a talk titled “Environmental Regulation of the Neural Epigenome: Implications for Prevention and Intervention in Psychiatry” to the clinicians and research staff from SUMC and its affiliated hospitals.