The Frontier forum on metabolic diseases in integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)western medicine of Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine –first lecture of the 2026 annual specialty frontier lecture series was successfully held on March 19, 2026.
The forum focused on the latest advances in integrated TCM and western medicine for metabolic diseases. Professor David E. Cohen, a leading scholar in international metabolic disease research from Harvard Universitycurrently Director of the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was invited as a distinguished speaker. Joining him were Professor Zhou Xiqiao, Director of the Department of Endocrinology at Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine; Professor Liu Lanying, Deputy Director (presiding over work) of the Department of AcupunctureRehabilitation; and Professor Qiao Fei, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases. Together, they delivered keynote reports. Nearly 300 participants from the hospital’s main campusZidong campus attended this academic feast. The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Zhang Biao, Vice President of Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine.
Professor Wu Wenzhong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Deputy Party SecretaryPresident of Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, delivered the opening address. Professor Wu pointed out that Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine was established in 1954 and is one of the first provincial-level TCM hospitals ever founded in China. The hospital has since become a National TCM Center, a National TCM InheritanceInnovation Center, a construction unit of the National TCM Clinical Research Base,an output unit of the National Regional TCM Medical Center. Currently, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD/MASH), along with its associated conditions such as type 2 diabetesobesity, has emerged as a major public health issue severely threatening the health of the nations population. We deeply recognize that to tackle complex metabolic diseases, we must not only inherit the essence of TCMs "holistic approach and syndrome-based treatment" but also employ modern scientific methods to elucidate its mechanisms of action. The integration of TCM and western medicine is not a mere addition but a deep convergence at the levels of theory, methodology,technology.
Professor Wu emphasized that the Frontier Forum on Metabolic Diseases in Integrated TCM and Western Medicine -- the 2026 Annual Specialty Frontier Lecture Series represents one of the hospitals key strategic initiatives at the outset of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. To foster a thriving academic environment, this years academic activities will be further upgraded, striving for a comprehensive leap in both visioninfluence. He expressed his hope that the entire hospital staff would seize the valuable opportunity to learn from distinguished domesticinternational experts, integrate the insights gained with their respective specialty practices, collectively grasp cutting-edge academic concepts,explore new pathways for interpreting TCM principles through modern science.
During the opening ceremony, Professor Wu presented Professor David E. Cohen with a certificate appointing him as a Distinguished Professor at Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine. He also expressed anticipation for substantial collaboration with Professor Cohenhis team in areas such as lipid metabolismnew drug development.
Later, Professor David E. Cohen delivered a keynote report titled "Lipid Metabolism at the Crossroads of Metabolic-Immune Crosstalk in MASLD: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities". Professor Zhou Xiqiao then presented a keynote report titled "The Gut-Liver Axis in Co-Management of DiabetesLiver Disease: A Series of Studies". Professor Liu Lanying followed with a report titled "Acupuncture TherapyWeight Management", and Professor Qiao Fei delivered a report titled "ApplicationResearch of TCM in the Department of Infectious Diseases".
As the inaugural event of the 2026 Annual Specialty Frontier Lecture Series, this forum not only established a bridge for academic exchangecollaboration between domesticinternational experts but also set a benchmark for subsequent specialty lectures. The attending medical staff remarked that the cutting-edge knowledge presented was both highly profoundforward-looking,that it will continue to guide them in their ongoing in-depth explorations.
Medicine knows no borders, and health is the common aspiration of all humanity. The hospital will continue to uphold its original academic pursuit of excellence, engage in in-depth collaboration with world-class medical schoolsresearch institutions worldwide, advance medical progress in the spirit of science, safeguard lifehealth with humanistic compassion,contribute its wisdomstrength to the building of a global community of health for all.
Gong Chuhong, Department of EducationTeaching
