Meeting Report
The 24th International Meeting of Physical Therapy Science in China
The 24th International Meeting of Physical Therapy Science in China was held on Saturday, November 10th and Sunday, November 11th at the large lecture hall of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital Affiliated Jilin University.
It was our first meeting held in Jilin Province, China, and it was co-hosted by the Society of Physical Therapy Science and the China Jilin Rehabilitation Medicine Society.
The venue of this meeting, Jilin University, has its headquarters in Chaoyang District, Changchun City, Jilin Province. Jilin University has 12 undergraduate programs, and is one of the key National Universities, ranking with universities such as Tsinghua University, Peking University and Renmin University of China. It is a prestigious institution, and many politicians have graduated from Jilin University. Some of the school buildings were built by the Manchukuo government during the Manchurian era, the period of Japanese colonization.
Jilin University hospital is one of the largest hospitals in China, and it has facilities at three locations: the first, second and third hospitals, respectively. The China-Japan Friendship Hospital Affiliated Jilin University, at which this International Meeting was held, is the third hospital. It is a very big hospital with wards housed in three tall buildings located in very spacious grounds.
The International Meeting of Physical Therapy Science was co-hosted by the Society of Physical Therapy Science and the China Jilin Rehabilitation Medicine Society. The Japanese chairman was Dr. Maruyama (Vice president of the International University of Health and Welfare) and the Chinese chairman was Zhao Guoqing.
The meeting was held over two days, Saturday, November 10th and Sunday, November 11th. On the first day, registration took place and a welcome reception party was held. It was a day for the attendees to get to know each other. The academic presentations were on the second day and 250 people attended. The venue was the hospital's large lecture hall, and the opening ceremony took place at 8:30. To start the meeting, opening remarks were made by Dr. Maruyama and Zhao Guoqing, the chairpersons from Japan and China. From 9:00, seven special lectures were given. The afternoon session started with 33 poster presentations which were followed by 2 special lectures and 7 oral presentations.
The poster presentations deserve a special mention. The 33 poster presentations were divided into 5 booths, and in each booth active discussions were held with questions and answers. Poster presentations were not common in China five years ago, but it seems that this presentation format has become established in China.
The closing remarks were made by Dr. Yu Huiqiu of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital Affiliated Jilin University, from China, and Dr. Shigeko Fujisawa, Manager of the Department of Rehabilitation of Peking University Rehabilitation Hospital, from Japan. They both spoke about the future vision of physical therapy to close the meeting.
In the evening, a party was held at the restaurant of the hospital to celebrate the success of the meeting and to thank the organizing committee, presenters, and attendees for their efforts. At the party, many expressed hope for the continuation of this meeting next year. I hope that this meeting becomes a bridge of friendship between Japan and China.
Hiroshi Nobori
Teikyo University of Science
