Asia Spotlight: Beijing Forum

Analysis Group helped organize a conference with more than 100 government officials, academics, and industry stakeholders from around the world to discuss medical big data, health economics, and health technology assessment (HTA) research.

Presenters at the Forum, which took place in 2018 in Beijing, included leading academics from some of the foremost universities and medical institutions in China, the US, and the UK, as well as senior officials from government organizations. The conference was organized jointly by the Medical Big Data Center (an entity formed by Tsinghua University’s Center for Statistical Science and Analysis Group) and Fudan University’s Health Technology Assessment Center.

The Forum was chaired by Professor Ke Deng, Deputy Director of the Center for Statistical Science at Tsinghua University. Professor Xihong Lin, Head of Harvard University’s Department of Biostatistics and Co-director of the Center of Statistical Science at Tsinghua University, delivered opening remarks. In an academic session focused on the current status and prospects of, and international cooperation related to, HTAs in China, discussion topics included the reform of the medical insurance access system in China; techniques for identifying optimal target populations; the current status of HTAs in China; and HTA collaboration between China and Britain. In a session focused on the technological frontier of medical big data research, presenters discussed the prospect of combining electronic medical records (EMRs) with genomic data, the application of big data technology in medical practice, and innovation in personal medical data sharing.

The Forum also featured a roundtable discussion with several experts about the challenges of incorporating health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) results into medical insurance reimbursement, improving research quality, and strengthening the cooperation between China and the US with respect to HTAs. Closing remarks were presented by Professor Yingyao Chen, Vice Dean of Fudan University’s School of Public Health and Director of the Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment (National Health and Family Planning Commission). ■

Selected speakers from the Beijing Forum

Current status, prospects, and international cooperation related to HTAs in China

Xianjun Xiong (Keynote)

Secretary, Social Insurance Management Center, China Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security

Gordon Liu (Keynote)

Director, China Center for Health Economics Research, Peking University National School of Development; Affiliate, Analysis Group

Eric Q. Wu

Managing Principal, Analysis Group

Praveen Thokala

Research Fellow, University of Sheffield

The technological frontier of medical big data research

Wing Hung Wong

Professor in Science and Human Health, Professor of Statistics, and Professor of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University

Shan Wang

Professor of Surgery, Peking University People’s Hospital

Simeng Han

Director of China, Analysis Group

Hui Xiao

Chief Application Officer, CEC DATA Systems

Roundtable discussion on HEOR challenges

Jing Wu (Discussion Leader)

Professor of School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University