The second season of Nankai University's "Medical Frontiers and Challenges", a general elective course taught by academicians, kicked off on September 29. Zhang Boli, a master of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and recipient of the national honorary title "the People's Hero", gave the first lecture to the undergraduates of Nankai University online, with the theme of "Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Cultural Confidence". 

Cao Xuetao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Deputy Director of the National Health Commission, is mainly in charge of this course. At the beginning of the lecture, he expressed his hope that through this course, students could generally grasp the frontiers and development trend of medical discipline while improving their knowledge structure and logic system. The lecture was moderated by Wang Lei, Vice President of Nankai University.

From global and national perspectives and in conjunction with the practical cases, Zhang Boli systematically explained the contribution of TCM in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion of the TCM, the modernization and industrial development of TCM as well as the bottleneck of TCM development.

Zhang Boli explained in detail the role of TCM in fighting against the pandemic by introducing the combination of TCM and Western medicine throughout the treatment when curing COVID-19 patients. He pointed out that the use of TCM throughout the treatment and the combination of TCM and western medicine contributed significantly to the prevention and control of the pandemic in China. He stressed that we should develop innovative and effective TCM for treating COVID-19 patients by making full use of the multi-targeted and integrated effects of TCM in regulating the body immunity and protecting multiple organs.

Speaking of the current situation and future trend of the TCM industry, Zhang Boli noted that we must vigorously promote the refined cultivation of pollution-free traditional Chinese medicinal herbs and ensure the healthy development of the herbs industry. It was also necessary to employ modern sciences in research to make clear the efficacy and mechanism of TCM. Zhang Boli emphasized that TCM must develop in conjunction with modern sciences and technologies in the new era and the related research results need to be commercialized with the development of industry.

Zhang Boli also pointed out that the complementary and coordinated development of TCM and Western medicine was a significant advantage of China's medical and health care system and could better access to the goal of healthy people and healthy China.

The "Medical Frontiers and Challenges" is one of the general elective courses taught by  academicians launched by Nankai University so as to deepen the reform of undergraduate education and improve the teaching quality. 

(Edited and translated by Nankai News Team)