The programme opened on 10 June with the COI Medical Education Symposium, where colleagues from Oxford and CAMS PUMC exchanged experience in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, clinical training and researcher development. Discussions explored fellowship programmes, professional training initiatives and opportunities for future academic exchange.
The Main Scientific Symposium took place on 11 June at Worcester College, with Healthy Ageing as its central theme. Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Richard Cornall, Head of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford; Professor Xunming Ji, President of CAMS PUMC; and Professor Shuyang Zhang, Vice President of CAMS PUMC and President of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH). Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, also welcomed delegates with a message of support for the symposium and the work of the CAMS Oxford Institute. Researchers from Oxford and CAMS PUMC shared recent advances in biomedical research and clinical medicine.
Alongside the Main Scientific Symposium, specialist sub-symposia were held on 10 and 12 June in Rare Diseases, Haematology, Vaccines and Pathogens, Epigenetics, Oncology and Immunology, Primary Care Health Sciences, and Cardiovascular Diseases. These sessions enabled colleagues working in related fields to exchange research findings, discuss current challenges and identify new directions for research.
Together, the Main Scientific Symposium, Medical Education Symposium and specialist meetings highlighted the breadth of research and education represented by participants from the University of Oxford and CAMS PUMC. Through plenary lectures, specialist discussions and informal networking, participants exchanged ideas and expertise across a broad range of biomedical disciplines.
The annual COI Symposium forms part of the CAMS Oxford Institute's year-round programme of scientific meetings, researcher exchanges and professional training activities. By bringing together researchers, clinicians and academic leaders from the University of Oxford and CAMS PUMC, the symposium supports the Institute's mission to advance biomedical research, education and innovation through international partnerships.