Liu Guanjian or Wu Taixiang, Associate Professors
E-mail: liu@hotmail.com, or txwutx@public.cd.sc.cn or ceuwcums@mail.sc.cninfo.net
Fax: +86 28 5542774

The Clinical Epidemiology in our university is one of the General Program Areas of World Bank Loan (WBL) on Medical Education and has been directly paid much attention and supports from Ministry of Health and authorities of various levels of West China Medical Centre of Sichuan University. On 1983, the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, the first in our country, was established in our university and was approved as one of the earliest Clinical Epidemiology Units (CEUs) by the INCLEN, and is reputes the place of origin of clinical epidemiology in China by our Chinese colleagues. Dr. David L Sackett, the world famous scholar and one of the creators of international clinical epidemiology, and his colleagues has been making many visits to our university and giving very useful instructions.

Since 1981, under the leading of heads of university and the support of INCLEN and Rockefeller Foundation, 11 well qualified scholars studied early or late in the first generation CERTCs in Canada and Australia and had been conferred upon the degrees of Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology. So that, the first batch of highly qualified professionals of high level in clinical epidemilology in China have been formed Afterwards, a batch of young scholars were dispatched to the SEACLEN CERTCs in Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia to study for the degrees of Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology. In this way, an academic echelon with great academic attainments, rigorous style of study and rational structure has been forming. On 1983, our department was the first one to open the teaching course of clinical epidemiology for the clinical postgraduates in China. Since then, the serial teaching materials have been compiled and gradually perfected. On 1984, National DME Training Centre was set up in our university which on the base of our department of clinical epidemiology experts from abroad. The first seminar for the presidents and vice presidents of 13 MOH affiliated medical universities was conducted at our university on 1984 under the great assistance of WBL and 9 clinical epidemiology experts from abroad. The first nation-wide DME training course was opened in our DME training centre on March 1985; afterwards many training courses of long or short duration had been conducted at national, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the popularisation and quick development of clinical epidemiology in China. Since 1993, under the support of INCLEN, Phase II Training Centre (transitional) was established in our school and then to start the preparation for the opening of the training program on 1994. Since 1994, we have trained key personnel for MOH affiliated medical schools in the purpose of establishing Phase II CEUs in China hopefully on 1997 according to the plan of INCLEN. In order to strengthen the academic construction on disciplinary basis, we had compiled the monograph for the "Physician's Library", named. It has produced very big impact on Chinese circle of clinical medicine, and accelerated forcefully the promotion of the level of clinical research in our country. On 1989 we proposed and achieved the construction of China clinical epidemiology network (CHINACLEN) that has the MOH affiliated medical universities as her key member units with the taking part of more than 40 medical schools, qualified hospitals and research institutes as member units of clinical epidemiology. Our university was elected as the Chair member unit. On 1993, The Society of Clinical Epidemiology of Chinese Medical Association was established and Professor Wang Jialiang of our university was elected as the first chairman. Since 1996, the CEU of WCMSU has been upgraded to be the Regional Clinical Epidemiology Resources and Training Centre (Regional CERTC) of INCLEN, becoming one of the centres and bases of training faculty members and disciplinary key personnel, and popularising the disciplinary knowledge in our country.

The R-CERTC of our university offers two basic types of training and educational programmes conducted in English:

-Degree programmes (MSc, MD) to prepare candidates for research and executive positions in clinical medicine, drug research, public health and health policy development.
-Short courses for training and education in clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, evidence based medicine and evidence based laboratory medicine.

Master of Science (MSc) training programmes are organised in clinical epidemiology, health services research, philosophy, social medicine, medical informatics and biostatistics. These programmes provide a first semester English courses and the course on "How to use the local computer facilities" are also organised. In the second semester, a research project is carried out and a research protocol is prepared under the guidance of a tutor. In specified instances candidates can conduct the required research project at their home situation under the joint guidance of the R-CERTC. At the beginning of the second semester, the courses "medical writing", "statistical software", and "health economicology" are offered. The MSc programmes be completed in one academic year. During the following three years, the participant should pass the national examination of English and comprehensive medical test, and complete his/her research and graduation thesis. Successful completion will lead to a Sichuan University MSc Degree.

The R-CERTC offers Doctor of Medicine programmes for those who have successfully completed a Mater of Science programme and who meet further requirements as set by the university Doctor of Medicine admissions committee. The MD participant will proceed with the MD courses and with research project for a period of four to six semesters. Participants will finally prepare and publically defend a thesis, consisting of papers published in the international, scientific journals.

Professor Wang Jialiang, MD, MSc, director Associate
Professor Li Jing, MD, MSc, vice-director