On March 8, the QS Global Education Group, based in London, released the QS World University Rankings for the year of 2017. On its latest ranking by subject, WHU Dentistry, ranked 38th among the world’s 900 top universities, which is an unprecedented achievement.
The WHU Hospital of Stomatology building
Established in 2004, QS World University Ranking is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds, an educational and careers advisory company. Being the only international ranking to have received International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approval, QS World University Ranking is viewed as one of the most prestigious of its kind.In 2017, WHU Dentistry proudly earned this worldwide recognition.
“We are all very excited about the newly released ranking report, but I can’t say that it took us by surprise.” Doctor Chen Zhi,vice-dean of WHU’s School of Stomatology said. WHU’s School of Stomatology was once a department of the former Hubei University of Medicine. Ever since its merger with Wuhan University in 2000, it has developed rapidly in both medical education and clinical research. In the last two decades, the dentistry department has made numerous achievements, covering areas including genetic engineering anti-caries vaccine, cariogenic microorganisms, oral cancer, oral repair and orthodontics. In fact, even before the QS ranking, it had already enjoyed a great reputation both at home and abroad.
The waiting room
The breakthrough in recent years
From the ranking details, it is very noticeable that WHU Dentistry performed exceedingly well in two of the three indicators, namely citations per paper and employer reputation. In regards to that, Doctor Chen illustrated their outstanding performance with specific details.
“Research and publication has always been one of our focuses.” Doctor Chen said when asked about the breakthrough they accomplished in recent years. “The number of our publications of SI level has been booming since 2004.” With several papers published by the top scientific journals like Nature and Science, WHU Dentistry maintains a competitive advantage even when compared with most of its American counterparts. However, Doctor Chen, who is in charge of scientific research, has not yet been satisfied. He expressed a wish to bring the game to the next level: “I think we’ve reached a stage where the quality of publications is our priority. In fact, we have been doing so since last year.”
International exchange and cooperation is another subject that WHU Dentistry is proud of. With Doctor Bian, dean of the school, being a boarding member of the International Association of Dental Research himself, international cooperation at the school come in various forms.For a start, the faculty members and graduate students would frequently participate in international conferences and meetings. Outstanding foreign researchers are invited to teach in the Stomatology School. In addition, twelve doctoral candidates of WHU Dentistry are currently under joint training with other prominent foreign universities. “Take myself as an example,” said Doctor Chen, “I just got back from an international conference in the Netherlands.”
Doctor Chen Zhi, vice-dean of the department
Employer reputation, on the other hand, has much to do with the teaching strategy adopted by WHU Dentistry. A traditional five-year undergraduate system usually includes three years of basic medical training, one year of stomatology theory study and one year of clinical practice, but WHU Dentistry is trying to familiarize the freshmen with stomatology knowledge by offering such courses in the first year.
As for postgraduate programs, the WHU School of Stomatology offers two separate degrees: professional master’s and academic master’s, whose focuses are slightly different. “We require our professional masters to graduate with knowledge and skills to become eligible and excellent doctors,” said Doctor Chen, “and academic masters to have outstanding research ability as well as English competence.” In this school, the graduation requirement for our academic masters is not only having published theses, but also having the ability to score high in an English oral examination. As for the professional masters, they need to finish 20 to 30 cases of clinical practice, which will guarantee them a 100% employment rate and a favorable reputation from future employers.
The high standard is not just for students. Although many of the teachers here are already distinguished scholars and doctors, they work constantly to improve their teaching methods. “I realized that the old-fashioned teacher-student relationship is not suitable anymore. Students today are more active. We teachers should use it as an advantage.” said Doctor He Hong, a highly honored orthodontist who is also a much beloved teacher in WHU students’ eyes. She was voted as one of the most knowledgeable teachers in the 2016 Best Teachers of WHU, which is a rare honor considering the large faculty.
Doctor He Hong, professor of the School of Stomatology
A look into the future
In addition to its recent achievements, the WHU Dentistry is looking for advancement in the future. Doctor Chen explained their future plan from several aspects:
The first aim is to build a better faculty team through recruitment and training. High-level talents with preferable national recognition would be their first choice. Besides, the School of Stomatology is trying to open up more positions for doctoral candidates. According to Doctor Chen, the West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, which is also a member of the top 5 team, has about 50 positions for doctoral students, while WHU only has about 20 positions.
Improving the academic reputation is also one of their goals. “To carry out the goal, more international recruitment is needed for both faculty and students,” said Doctor Chen, “we are also working on promoting our brand through news and media.”
When asked about the expectation for students, Doctor Chen smiled: “With such a great platform, I do hope that they would have great ambitions and aspirations. And always remember, professional knowledge and English competence are both essential to your success in this discipline.”
(Photo by Shi Weimin, Edited by Wu Siying, Edmund Wai Man Lai & Hu Sijia)