Today, Jiahui International Hospital (JIH), Partners HealthCare International (PHI) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) announced the extension of a long-term collaborative partnership between JIH and PHI to include the development of a women's health center of excellence at JIH. In July, JIH, BWH and PHI signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) that initiated discussions about a women's health affiliation, which includes the development of obstetric, gynecology, and in vitro fertilization programs, as well as a neonatal ICU and integrated women's health. JIH envisions a full complement of integrated services focused on the health of the whole woman at the new women's health center of excellence.
BWH, a founding member of Partners HealthCare, has one of the most advanced women's health centers in the world, which is committed to the discovery, dissemination, and integration of knowledge on women's health and sex and gender-based differences; applying this knowledge to the delivery of care; and developing the next generation of clinicians and scientists in women's health research and clinical care.
"We aim to redefine and redesign health care for women in China, offering a full range of care that tailors to their needs at different stages of life," said Feng Ge, Chief Executive Officer of Jiahui International Hospital. "Chinese women today value convenience, clinical quality, and a patient-centric experience. Many are looking for a high-caliber healthcare provider partner who not only empowers them to live a healthy lifestyle and seek preventive care, but someone who is also capable of handling both normal and complex cases that require the close collaboration of multiple medical subspecialties."
"As global citizens, we are committed to forging meaningful partnerships that allow us to share our clinical, scientific and teaching expertise for the benefit of people around the world," said Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, president of Brigham and Women's Healthcare. "We look forward to working with Jiahui International Hospital to improve the health and well-being of women in China."
BWH's approach to women's health is multidisciplinary, organized around all of the resources that a woman may require for a specific condition, from diagnosis to coordination of care and accessibility of information. In addition to the traditional fields of obstetrics, gynecology, and breast and gynecological cancers, the Women's Health Center of Excellence at BWH is unique in its integration with other specialties, including collaborative clinical, research and educational programs in cardiology, neurology, bone and joint diseases, lung cancer and pulmonary disease, and mental health.
"We know that there are differences between men and women in the risk, prevalence and manifestation of many different diseases, and that the response to treatment and the outcomes also differ by sex. This is especially true in some of the most prevalent diseases in women such as cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, depression and Alzheimer's disease," said Paula A. Johnson, MD, Executive Director of the Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "At BWH, we are committed to building local and global awareness of issues related to women's health and gender biology, to deepening our understanding of how disease differs in women, and to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care to women across their lifetime."
"We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Brigham and Women's Hospital, a world recognized leader and innovator in women's health. The expertise available at Brigham and Women's will help us develop a program that will not only elevate, but transform the level of health care services that women are currently offered in China," said Ge.
"This marks yet another important milestone in our 5-year partnership with JIH. In addition to this newest development, our efforts in Shanghai have also included important contributions from other Partners member hospitals, including, Massachusetts General Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and North Shore Medical Center," said Dr. Gilbert H. Mudge, President and CEO of PHI.
The proposed Women's Health Center of Excellence is the second such collaboration with member institutions of Partners HealthCare. Last October, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center (MGHCC) signed a MOU with JIH and PHI to co-develop a center ofexcellence in breast cancer, tailoring MGHCC's patient-focused multidisciplinary approach to address the needs of Chinese breast cancer patients and their families.
