Field Report: Chronic disease management and multi-sector solutions for health-induced poverty are working, but China’s big hospitals are holding back primary care

Dinda Elliott, Executive Director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, shares insights from Dr. Winnie Yip, Faculty Director of the Harvard China Health Partnership, regarding China’s rural healthcare improvements and health-related poverty elimination. These observations were drawn from Dr. Yip’s field visit to rural villages in Yunnan, China this spring. Read more in the new field report here.

New Publication: Estimating causal effects of physical disability and number of comorbid chronic diseases on risk of depressive symptoms in an elderly Chinese population: a machine learning analysis of cross-sectional baseline data from the China longitudinal ageing social survey

Summary Objective This study aimed to explore the causal effects of physical disability and number of comorbid chronic diseases on depressive symptoms in an elderly Chinese population. Methods Cross-sectional, baseline data were obtained from the China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey, a stratified, multistage, probabilistic sampling survey conducted in 2014 that covers 28 of 31 provincial areas in China. 7496 subjects who were 60 years of age or older and who…

New Publication: Understanding Impacts of Online Dual Practice on Health System Performance: A Qualitative Study in China

Abstract The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the global development of online healthcare platforms. An increasing number of public hospital doctors are providing online services on private third-party healthcare platforms, creating a new form of dual practice—online dual practice. To explore the impacts of online dual practice on health system performance as well as potential policy responses, we undertook a qualitative approach that uses in-depth interviews and thematic…

Researcher Profile: Hanmo Yang (杨涵墨)

Meet Dr. Hanmo Yang, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Part of an occasional series of windows into the lives of researchers on the Harvard China Health Partnership. How did you become interested in researching ageing in China? Throughout my undergraduate and master’s studies in government and public policy, I’ve always been passionate about policy-related issues that have the potential to make a positive impact on society. Trained as an economist, I’ve come…

Harvard China Health Partnership Hosts Fudan University Delegation

The Harvard China Health Partnership (HCHP) hosted a delegation of professors from Fudan University School of Public Health to visit Boston from May 11th to 12th, 2023. The delegation featured Professor Wen Chen, Associate Professor Min Hu, and Associate Professor Luying Zhang. The delegation met with Winnie Yip, Faculty Director of HCHP and Professor of Global Health Policy and Economics, and William Hsiao, K.T. Li Professor of Economics Emeritus, to…

Professor Winnie Yip Joined the Third Meeting of the Tsinghua-Lancet Commission on Health and Poverty Alleviation in China

On April 13, 2023, Professor Winnie Yip joined the third meeting of the Tsinghua-Lancet Commission on Health and Poverty Alleviation in China in Yunnan Province. The meeting was organized by Tsinghua University’s Vanke School of Public Health, a longstanding partner institution of the Harvard China Health Partnership. Professor Yip also conducted field visits in Huize County alongside other commissioners. They spoke in-depth with rural households, village doctors, and other medical staff.…

New Publication: The ‘medical city’ and China’s entrepreneurial state: Spatial production under rising consumerism in healthcare

Abstract The role of hospitals has significantly changed over the past decades and the ‘medical city’ has emerged as a new urban phenomenon in China. However, research on the significance of the medical city to China’s urbanism is limited. This paper situates China’s medical city in the theory of state entrepreneurialism and rethinks consumerism in healthcare. Particularly focussing on the state–market and production–consumption dyads, the paper argues that the state…

New Publication: Medical institutions in the geography of innovation: evidence from public tertiary hospitals and biotech start-ups in Chinese cities

Abstract Concerning China’s growth in biotechnology, the research on biotech start-ups in China yields significant implications. However, studies have not given enough attention to hospitals, which are critical players in the biotech industry. Because of the hospital-centric healthcare system, public tertiary hospitals in China are important partners for biotech start-ups. This study investigates the geographical relationship between public tertiary hospitals and biotech start-ups in Chinese cities. The findings suggest evidence…

New Publication: Third-child fertility intention and its socioeconomic factors among women aged 20–34 years in China

Summary Background The low birth rates and rapid population aging has drawn considerable attention in China. In 2021, China launched the policy and supportive measures that allow up to 3 children per couple. This study aims to explore the influencing factors of the third-child fertility intention among women aged 20–34 years in China. Methods We draw data from the National Fertility Survey conducted in 2017. The nationally representative survey adopts…

CHP Seminar – Academic Medicine Development in China: Prospects and Challenges (Zhi Min Sim)

On May 2nd, 2023, the Harvard China Health Partnership invited Zhi Min Sim to discuss ongoing developments of academic medicine in the context of China’s healthcare system and reform. Zhi Min is the Director of Partnerships and Strategy at Tsinghua Medicine — Tsinghua University’s newly formed academic medical center overseeing five Tsinghua constituent schools and three affiliated hospitals. He reflected upon the lessons learned in his role and what challenges…