In late May, Dr. Kan ZHANG, the Director of the Department of Science and Education at the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, visited UNMC. One reason for his visit was to promote collaborations in family medicine, public health, and physical therapy between Shanghai City and UNMC. He also came to learn about residency training, rehabilitation training, and health promotion and administration in Nebraska.
Because of his wide-ranging expertise, Dr. Zhang was busy during his three days in Omaha. He met with faculty in the Colleges of Allied Health Professions, Medicine, and Public Health. He also toured iEXCEL and the Family Medicine clinic. Additionally, he traveled to clinical and public health facilities in Eastern Nebraska, including the Hillcrest Country Estates, Madonna Rehabilitation, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and One World Community Health Center.
While on campus, Dr. Zhang gave a talk to UNMC students and visitors from Shanghai. His talk was on the future of primary care in Shanghai. In particular, he discussed how family medicine doctors can aid in chronic disease management while at the same time conducting public health research into chronic diseases.
Yangyuna YANG, a PhD student in the Academic Family Medicine track at UNMC, said that she agrees with Dr. Zhang. "Through clinical research, health care providers gain insights and answers about treatment effectiveness and safety. Also, conducting research provides physicians with a deeper understanding of health science topics. Research from health care gatekeepers like primary care providers can provide innovative evidence-based approaches or models to manage increasing chronic disease and reduce soaring health costs. However, research is a laborious process, which requires training, commitment, and dedication."