New center is joint effort
with Chinese professional societies
(click to enlarge)
Shanghai, CHINA -- While the use of Magnetic Resonance (MR) in China is expected to escalate dramatically, hospitals continue to suffer from a shortage of trained technicians, physicists and radiologists specializing in MR imaging. Despite the more than 2,000 MR units that have already been deployed across China, the ratio of equipment to population remains low, at 25-times less than the US market. To meet the needs of this important area of growth and to provide training and development in this pivotal field, GE Healthcare has co-founded and opened China's first MR Application Academy in Shanghai with the Chinese Society of Radiology and the Chinese Society of Imaging Technology. The new China MR Application Academy will provide a platform to help meet the demand for training brought on by the rapid adoption of Magnetic Resonance (MR) technology throughout China.
The Academy will focus on advancing MR clinical application in China and promote research utilizing the technique. In addition, much attention will be paid to its applications among the Chinese research and academic community, teaching hospitals, medical schools and universities. The Academy will also provide essential professional training for MRI technicians, physicians and research scientists. Located at the GE China Technology Center, it comprises the MR Education Center China (MRECC), the Sino-US MR Physics Center and the Sino-US MR Molecular Imaging Center.
"With the wholehearted support of China's MR community and leaders in the MR field from the US, the academy is the first and only institution dedicated to MRI training in China today," stated Zhao Bin, Executive President of China MR Application Academy and Director of Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute. "Our focus is on both the provision of opportunities for MR clinical practice and learning for front-line medical personnel, and on the establishment of a new scientific MR research mode for our large academic hospitals and research institutions. The China MR Application Academy is laying the foundation for the advancement of medical imaging within China."
Among the esteemed MRI professionals serving the Academy are co-presidents Professor Qi Ji, Chairman of the Chinese Society of Radiology and Dr. Thomas Foo, Manager of GE Global Research Center MRI Lab. More than 60 experts from China and the US have also been appointed as professors at the Academy.
Building clinical and R&D expertise to improve medical services
