During 2015 May 2nd-8th, the "Third Harvard-Osaka-Xiamen University Ophthalmological Academic Forum" (hereinafter referred to as the "Forum") and annual conference of Association of Research of Visual and Ophthalmology, ARVO (hereinafter referred to as the "annual conference") which is the world's highest-level conference of ophthalmological research, were held in Denver, Colorado, USA. A 10-person team of our eye institute participated in the conference under the guidance of Professor Liu Zuguo who is Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee of Xiamen University and dean of medical school. The Forum was held respectively in Xiamen University in 2012, and Harvard University in 2013, and this time was organized by the Osaka University in Japan.
Centering on several major themes such as stem cells and cornea tissue engineering and ocular surface inflammation, etc., the conference included excellent academic reports and heated discussion. Professor Liu Zuguo, Professor Li Wei and Associate Professor Li Cheng respectively presented special reports. Delegates from three universities again communicated on the academic issues of common interest, and agreed to hold three-university academic forum of ophthalmology during the annual conference every year, in order to further promote the ophthalmological academic exchanges and cooperation among three universities.
ARVO is the largest and the most famous association for ophthalmological study around the world. Currently it has more than 12,000 members from 75 countries. During the annual conference, Professor Li Wei introduced our newest research achievement "the application of a ultra-thin amniotic membrane carrier in corneal epithelium reconstruction of tissue engineering" in the part of regenerative medicine, and it attracted the attention of many domestic and foreign famous experts in ocular surface and researchers in the field of tissue engineering, and led to a heated discussion.
The panel report of Dr. Quyang Luowa and other three graduate students also aroused interest of many ophthalmological researchers both at home and abroad, and they had extensive face-to-face communication. Studies full showed new technology and new findings in the research field of ocular surface disease that the eye institute obtained over the past year. Dr. Zhang Liying also won the 2015 ARVO Travel Grant funds, which a total of five young scholars in our country received.
ARVO feature is close integration between clinical and basic subject, shows the latest progress in the study of global ophthalmology within one year, and discusses hot issues in the field of ophthalmic research. From this year, the Chinese Ophthalmological Society (COS) officially joined the ARVO, which is a sign for COS to further integrate into the ARVO and other mainstream high-level academic groups. The action of the eye institute team attending the conference is an important reflection that Chinese ophthalmic research team would participate in wider international academic communication, and reach higher cooperation level.
During the conference, our eye institute team also participated in the joint dinner of the 4th Chinese in America PI Association and the Chinese Ophthalmological Society. As the only Chinese editorial board member, Professor Liu Zuguo took part in the editorial board for the magazine The Ocular Surface, which is authoritative in the field of Ocular Surface.
