Guangzhou OWC 2015 - Plenary Speakers

Emily Chan

Prof Emily Chan is Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Director of the Centre for Global Health at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care of CUHK, and the Founding Director of the Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), which aims to conduct research, teaching and engage in knowledge transfer projects in public health and medical disaster response in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific Region. Professor Chan has served as an Honorary Research Fellow (Emerging Infectious Diseases and Emergency Preparedness) at the Nuffield Department of Medicine in the University of Oxford since 2010, a Research Fellow at the Program on Human Security at François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center at Harvard School of Public Health from 2003 to 2006 and a Fellow of the FXB Center since 2014.

Prof Chan is qualified both as a biomedical engineer and a physician and had undergone academic training in Johns Hopkins University, Harvard School of Public Health, the Hong Kong University, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is now a fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. Prof Chan started her international public health career in the mid-1990s as a frontline emergency relief practitioner, and later as the president for a Nobel-peace-prize-winning medical humanitarian organisation that provides emergency medical relief to victims of wars, epidemics and natural disasters (Médecins Sans Frontières Hong Kong).

Prof Chan is a prolific researcher in evidence-based medical humanitarian crisis, disaster, climate change, injury, and violence epidemiology, having published more than 140 peer-reviewed academic papers in international journals, and obtained the 2007 Nobuo Maeda International Research Award of the American Public Health Association.

Wei Guo 

Prof Wei Guo has been Chairman and Professor of Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Director of Bone Tumor Research Laboratory at The People's Hospital of Peking University since 2002. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Center at The People’s Hospital which has over 20 doctors and 100 beds for tumor patients, is the largest Orthopedic Oncology Center in China.

He has served as Chairman of the Chinese Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (CMSTS) for four three-year terms. He was Chairman of Asia-Pacific Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (APMSTS) from 2006 to 2008, and Chairman of the International Society on Limb Salvage (ISOLS) between 2009 and 2011.

He has been Board Member of the International Society on Limb Salvage (ISOLS) since 2007, Board Member of Asia-Pacific Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (APMSTS) since 2004, Board Member of the Chinese Orthopaedic Association, and Board Member of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology since 2005.

He has been the recipient of more than ten awards for his excellent work in clinic and research over the past ten years, including: Science & Technology Achievement Award,The Ministry of Education (1999); Science & Technology Achievement Award, Beijing Municipal Government (2001); Science & Technology Achievement Award, Beijing Municipal Government(2003); Prize for Science & Technology Achievement, The Chinese Medical Association (2003); Science & Technology Achievement Award, Beijing Municipal Government (2005); Science & Technology Achievement Award, The Chinese Medical Association(2009); Science & Technology Achievement Award, Beijing Municipal Commission of Science and Technology (2011); First Prize for Science & Technology Achievement, The Chinese Medical Association (2013); National Science & Technology Progress Award, Ministry of Science and Technology (2014).

Vilmos Vécsei

Prof Vilmos Vécsei completed his specialisation in general surgery and trauma surgery at the Dept. for Surgery I and at the Dept. of Trauma Surgery, Medical School, University of Vienna, Austria and became  head of the 1st Dept. for Surgery with Trauma Surgery of the Wilhelminen-Hospital of the City of Vienna, Austria, 1982.

He was appointed to full Professor for Trauma Surgery at the Medical Faculty of the University and became Head of the Dept. for Trauma Surgery at the General Hospital in Vienna 1991.

Vécsei published over 400 scientific papers and book chapters dealing with different topics of trauma surgery with following priorities: intramedullary osteosynthesis, interlocking nailing, flail chest, local antibiotic prevention and treatment of infections, biomechanics of the pelvis, cartilage transplantation and to general aspects of the organization and treatment of polytraumatized.

Noteable is also his permanent lecture activity both at home and abroad.

He founded the journal "Osteosynthesis and Trauma Care" (formerly "Osteosynthese International"), official organ of the Küntscher Society 1992 and was Editor in Chief (until 2005).

Professional memberships: founding member of European Working Group on Bone and Joint Infections (today EBJIS) and AIOD International; member of 20 national and international medical societies.

He has been president of the Austrian Trauma Society (1994, 2002), of the “Gerhard-Küntscher Society” (1992 – 1998), of the European Trauma Society (ETS) (2000-2002), vice-president of the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) (2008 – 2012), secretary general of the European Trauma Society (2002 – 2004), chairman of the Board of Trustees and member of the Board of Directors of the “Gerhard-Küntscher-Society” (1998-2004), chairman of the Trauma Committee SICOT (2003 -  2014), AFOR Trustee (2000-2012), Trustee of the AO-Foundation (2003 – 2011), member of the Executive Board of the Austrian Society for Surgery (1997 – 2001).

Vécsei is honorary or corresponding member of 10 European, 2 Latin-American Societies and of the European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery.

Vilmos Vécsei received many professional honours as laureate, visiting professor, honorary doctor and honorary professor of different universities and governmental honours.

He retired on 30 September 2010 from his position as Head and Chairman of the Department of Trauma Surgery of the Medical University Vienna General Hospital.

For his oustanding merits as chairman of the Trauma Committee of SICOT he has been elected as Ambassador and Distiguished Member of SICOT (2015).

Jianguo Zhang

Prof Jianguo Zhang is the chief surgeon of the Department of Orthopaedics in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) and Director of Medical Doctors in Peking Union Medical College. He is active in research and education of spine surgery, especially spine deformity. He is the Secretary of SDSG (Spine Deformity Study Group, China section), Secretary and member of the Spine Society of the Chinese Orthopaedic Association (COA), Standing Committee of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation and member of CSRS (Chinese Scoliosis Research Society), and also reviewer and Board Member of the Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics and Chinese Journal of Spine and Spinal Cord.

In the last 10 years, he has surgically treated around 2,500 cases of spine deformity in total and about 260 cases annually. He has the largest database of hemi-vertebra resection and growing rod technique in China and is the surgeon who first applied osteotomy combined with growing rod in the treatment of severe spine deformity at an early onset. He is a major contributor of the PUMC Classification, a new operative classification of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS).

In 2010, he established the concept of Touched Vertebra (TV), which was defined as the distal instrumented vertebra in the surgical treatment of AIS. Until now, he has published about 30 clinical and basic research papers in domestic and international journals, including Spine, European Spine and New England Journal, and had multiple podium presentations at the annual meetings of SRS and IMAST.

The surgical treatment of congenital scoliosis was awarded “The Best Technical Paper Award” by the Ministry of Health in 2004. In 2006, his serial researches on AIS were awarded “National Award of Advancing Technology” by the government. In 2012, he was presented the “Outstanding Doctor Award” by the Chinese Association of Medical Doctors.