People sometimes wonder why UNMC and Nebraska Medicine are so committed to having an international presence.
Speaking for myself, I don’t think you have to look much further than the UNMC mission statement –
We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.
Obviously, it’s impossible to lead the world unless you have an international presence. It comes with the territory of being a leading academic health science center.
I just returned from two weeks in China in September and will be returning again in mid-October. It will be my third China trip in the past eight months. Needless to say, I’m getting pretty proficient using chopsticks.
The October trip will be highlighted by Sino-U.S. symposia in family medicine and infectious diseases – each being led by UNMC College of Medicine faculty, but involving faculty from throughout UNMC.
These will be followed later in the month by a series of events that will be attended by others from UNMC that highlight our research and educational partnerships in cancer. I couldn’t be more proud of the faculty who have built these programs. It’s been an incredible amount of work, but it’s paying off.
Our partnership with China is entering its 11th year, and it has never been stronger. Having a thriving partnership in China is all about relationships and trust. These relationships are established over the course of time. In contrast to how business occurs in the west, in China you don’t simply have a meeting, leave your proposal, then follow up with a phone call a few days later to close the deal.
Clearly none of this would have been possible without the steady and unwavering leadership of Dr. Jialin Zheng, professor of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, and the staff of the Asia Pacific Rim Development Program that he has assembled over the past decade. The respect that Jialin has among the academic, health care and political leaders of China is readily apparent to anyone who has spent time in China with him. It is that respect and his understanding of China that has opened many doors for UNMC in China.
Another key aspect of our success with Chinese institutions is that we work with them as true partners. We seek to understand their goals and needs and develop a joint program with them that meets their needs.
We don’t try to impose on them our beliefs as to what they need. Our Chinese partners trust us. We agree on what we are going to do, and then we do it. They know we deliver on our promises. It’s the Nebraska way.
In my last visit to China, I had the good fortune of being in Beijing at the same time as Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, who was on an economic development mission that took him to Japan and China. The governor was kind enough to ask us to participate in a number of events. It was quite obvious that he was both impressed and pleased with UNMC’s success in China, as well as recognizing the tremendous additional opportunities that exist. He knows how important a global presence is in today’s shrinking world, and he loves to see Nebraskans with this same commitment.
During my visit last spring I was able to meet with about 40 Chinese students, faculty, administrators, and health care providers who had participated in one of a number of training/educational programs at UNMC and/or Nebraska Medicine.
What was so notable in these conversations was the pride that each of them had in their connection to UNMC and Nebraska Medicine. They are some of our best ambassadors.
Our Chinese Alumni Association will continue to grow – slowly but surely. That’s how things happen in China.