A delegation, headed by the president of Saint Louis University (SLU) of the United States visited Wuhan University (WHU) on March 13th. WHU and SLU, represented by executive president Feng Youmei and President Lawrence Biondi respectively, signed a cooperation agreement facilitating faculty and student exchange, scientific cooperation, academic training, and public health collaboration will be carried out between the two universities.

According to the agreement, the two universities will select about seven students and faculty for short-term exchanges starting this summer and five more students from each side will be picked for a year-long exchange program. Additionally, two academics and three postgraduate students from WHU will be selected to enter a half-year or one-year training program. SLU will further grant ten to twenty students the opportunity to obtain masters’ degrees, if they meet certain qualifications.

Lawrence Biondi introduced that SLU has a strong track record in medical fields such as cancer, cardiovascular, hepatitis, maternal and children department and obstetrics and gynecology. Its AIDS vaccine research and development center ranks the top 5 in the U.S.

Feng Youmei added that WHU has a strong focus in these disciplines and suggested two universities utilize the cooperation agreement to further their successes in the fields. She also discussed WHU Professor Gui Xien’s renown and expertise in AIDS prevention.

SLU, founded in 1818, is the second oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution in the U.S, with a strong medical and public health department. Because of their similar foci, the School of Public Health at WHU and SLU have worked together several times in the past; and the signing of this cooperation agreement will ensure deeper and more fruitful collaboration.