The year of 2024 was a transitional year for the Global Health Program. We celebrated our first decade in 2023 and spent last year preparing exciting new ventures for our future. With immense pride and gratitude, I would like to start by reflecting on our major achievements and highlights over the past year.

In 2024, we maintained our excellence in conducting high quality and impactful research. We received over 10 million (CNY) in grants, initiated research projects in 5 countries, and published 97 papers in leading journals. The new generation of researchers, including research fellows and PhD students in the joint doctoral supervision program with Wuhan University, demonstrated great promise in their early-stage academic careers.

We were also delighted to see more students devoting themselves to addressing global health challenges. Twenty-four undergraduates chose the global health track in their second year. With the removal of COVID-19era travel restrictions,  we had a twofold increase in overseas fieldwork trips made by  master students. These trips enriched learning experiences and demonstrated our students’ strong commitment to having an impact beyond local communities. The fieldwork experience also helped to prepare our graduates for a competitive job market; 95% of students from the Class of 2024 had secured a job offer or started their doctoral program study within the first six months after graduation.

As researchers, our goals extend way past publishing academic papers. What matters most to us is the real-world impact we can make. Therefore, we used our research findings to publish policy briefs and organize technical workshops and seminars. We also deepened our engagement with the Kunshan local health sector and communities through student activities, research collaborations, hosting events, and talent development and capacity building.

None of these accomplishments could have been possible without the unwavering support of our internal and external partners, as well as everyone from the global health program family. They are the result of incredible  hard work hidden from the spot light, including hundreds of hours of data analysis, thousands of zoom calls with our stakeholders, endless details to polish before publications, and tons of effort poured into organizing each and every event.

Our program also underwent a major leadership change in 2024. After three years of service to the Global Health Program, Dr. Yunguo Liu stepped down as Program Co-Director in order to spend more time with his family. He has been instrumental in managing the Program and helped to expand our collaborative network across regional and global institutions. We are incredibly grateful for his dedication and great leadership. Dr. Fujie Xu from the Gates Foundation China Country Office joined in January 2025 as our new Co-Director of Global Health Program. She brings with her exceptional expertise in infectious diseases and health technology innovation, and we are delighted to have her onboard

We greatly enhanced and deepened our strategic partnerships in 2024., Together with the China International Knowledge on Development Center (CIKD), the Innovation Lab for Vaccine Delivery Research hosted an international symposium in Beijing. It brought together nearly 100 representatives from six countries to discuss challenges in achieving universal vaccine coverage, equitable access to vaccines and immunization services, and introducing new vaccines. A joint project with Singapores Duke-NUS Medical School to enhance access to innovative in vitro diagnostic (IVD) technologies in developing countries is about to launch. Strategic collaborations with leading universities in the Philippines and Romania are under discussion. Stronger bonds with our regional stakeholders were further enhanced through many new initiatives and engagements.

Looking ahead, our future work will be shaped by new emerging trends, such as climate change, disease X, and new AI technology. This new landscape will require us to be more agile and responsive to new challenges and new opportunities. We are excited about the new year as we continue our journey toward the mission to achieve equitable access to healthcare for all.