To strengthen collaboration between NKU and world-leading scholars, Professor Liu Chunhua from NKU School of Medicine invited Academician Zhu Yizhun, Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and Associate Vice President of Macau University of Science and Technology, for an academic exchange visit. On the afternoon of January 6, 2025, the Appointment Ceremony for Visiting Professorship & Academic Exchange Symposium was held in Meeting Room 204 of the Siyuan Hall. The event was attended by Li Hua, Deputy Director of NKU Office of International Affairs, Duan Feng, Vice Dean of NKU School of Medicine, and faculty and student representatives from the university. The proceedings were chaired by Associate Research Fellow Liu Chunhua.

        Vice Dean Duan Feng delivered remarks on behalf of NKU and NKU School of Medicine. In his address, he emphasized that building a high-caliber academic workforce and strengthening international cooperation are of paramount importance for enhancing NKU's research capabilities and advancing disciplinary development. Through this visiting professorship, Academician Zhu Yizhun, who has made outstanding contributions to academia, will undoubtedly bring cutting-edge international perspectives to our faculty and students. In closing, Duan Feng expressed his hope that Academician Zhu would maintain sustained and in-depth exchanges and collaboration with our faculty and students, and provide a new intellectual impetus to enhance our research capabilities.

        On behalf of NKU, Deputy Director Li Hua presented Academician Zhu Yizhun with the Letter of Appointment as Visiting Professor, and Vice Dean Duan Feng conferred the Visiting Professor Trophy in recognition of this academic honor.

    Associate Research Fellow Liu Chunhua, a former student of Academician Zhu Yizhun, has been serving on the faculty at NKU School of Medicine since graduation. She highlighted that the European Academy of Sciences and Arts ranks among the world's most prestigious academic organizations, alongside institutions such as the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.K. Royal Society, and the German Academy of Sciences. Academicians of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts represent distinguished scholars with exceptional academic achievements and reputations, constituting the elite of Europe's academic community. To date, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts counts 36 Nobel laureates among its members, standing as one of the scientific academies with the highest proportion of Nobel Prize recipients. Afterwards, Liu Chunhua provided a detailed introduction to the main academic achievements of Academician Zhu Yizhun. Academician Zhu has been honored with multiple prestigious titles, including National-Level Talent designated by the Ministry of Education, recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, chief scientist of the National Basic Research Program (973 Program), member of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, honorary president of the Macau Chinese Medical Association, and vice president of the Macau Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Association (MCTCMA). Academician Zhu has long been engaged in cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease research and pharmaceutical development, with two first-in-class innovative drugs developed under his leadership currently progressing through Phase I clinical trials in China and Phase II clinical trials in the United States, respectively. Academician Zhu has to date published over 330 scientific papers with more than 19,000 citations (h-index 74, index 268), and has been recognized among the world's top 100,000 scientists, included in Stanford University’s World's top 2% Scientists list, and ranked in global top 0.5% by ScholarGPS. Notably, he was profiled by the journal Science as one of the pioneers in China's innovative drug research.

    Following the appointment ceremony, Academician Zhu delivered an academic lecture titled Precise medicine and new mechanisms of inflammation and immune response. During his presentation, he emphasized the pivotal role of precise medicine in advancing personalized therapeutics, while engagingly presenting his team's research achievements and unique insights in this field with characteristically witty delivery. Afterwards, Academician Zhu shared his team's latest research achievements in the field of inflammatory immunity, providing a detailed exposition on their successful experience in developing innovative drugs derived from small-molecule active substances of traditional Chinese medicine origin and ultimately translating these discoveries into clinical applications. The lecture received enthusiastic responses from the participating faculty and students who actively sought Academician Zhu's insights and exchanged ideas with him on topics of particular interest from the presentation. Academician Zhu patiently answered their questions in detail, offering invaluable recommendations and suggestions.