A delegation from the RISE-Health Research Unit and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) visited Fudan University, one of China’s most prestigious higher education institutions.

The visit, which took place between 18 and 20 October, aimed to strengthen the internationalisation of RISE-Health and FMUP in Asia through meetings with representatives of the Chinese university, with a view to establishing a formal partnership in the scientific and educational fields.

The delegation, led by Altamiro da Costa Pereira, director of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, included Fernando Schmitt, director of RISE-Health, and Cidália Pina Vaz, director of the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine (RISE-Health@ RISE/FMUP), who presented the research unit and the Faculty of Medicine, as well as the research projects currently under development. Also present were Bernardo Sousa Pinto and Rafael José Vieira, both researchers at RISE-Health and specialists in the field of evidence synthesis studies, the former being the current director of the Portuguese GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) Network.

Following the meeting, which included the deputy director of Shanghai Medical College, the director of the Institute of Nutrition and the head of the International Cooperation Office at Fudan University, protocols will be sought for undergraduate and postgraduate student exchanges, as well as the development of joint continuing education courses between the two institutions.

It should also be noted that the RISE-Health and FMUP delegation attended the Shanghai Medical Forum, with a lecture given by Cidália Pina Vaz, entitled ‘Bench to bedside: Accelerating Nutritional Biotechnology via Industry-Academia Co-Innovation and Healthy Ageing’. The Shanghai Medical Forum is an international scientific event promoted by Fudan University and focused on the latest technical and scientific innovations in the field of medicine.