(By Zhifeng Gao)On May 13-14, 2019，invited by Columbia University to Jiahong Dong academician team, Lai Wei, director of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Center, and Yuan Huang, director of Department of Hepatobiliary Medicine of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, led a 13-member delegation of physician, anesthesiologists and nurses from intensive care unit and colleagues from information section, management and other related departments to New York Presbyterian Hospital affiliated to Columbia University for a two-day exchange visit. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges about the mechanism and system of multidisciplinary combined diagnosis and treatment (MDT) for organ transplantation, as well as the division of staff and collaboration among related participating departments.

Emond, the professor of Transplant Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, first introduced the overall structure and function of Columbia Transplant Project at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Professor Wagener, Pereira, and others, gave comprehensive presentation on organ transplant anesthesia, intensive care, post-transplant infection, hepatology and oncology at Transplant Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, respectively. Afterwards, all team members attended the ‘Liver Transplantation - Liver Selection MDT Symposium’ organized by Columbia University and Cornell University.

On the next day, Professor Zheng and Professor Kato shared their experiences of organ allocation, MDT team works, role of nursing team in liver transplantation, pathology, interventional radiology and other aspects. Our interventional doctors and hepatobiliary surgeons presented the characteristic hepatobiliary surgery diagnosis and treatment technology of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital to the experts of Transplant Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital. Our transplantation, information, anesthesia, and operating room personnel visited the relevant departments separately to hold a more in-depth discussions and exchanges on the specific implementation of MDT.

Through this exchange visit, the MDT department team of the hospital and Columbia University New York Presbyterian Hospital, an international first-class medical institution, discussed in depth the relevant systems and norms of the establishment of MDT for organ transplant surgery. As an early established MDT team for liver diseases in China, this exchange has important implications and insights for further development. In the future, our hospital will conduct in-depth cooperation with Columbia University in clinical, teaching, scientific research and other aspects through academic forums, telemedicine and other forms.

Lai Wei, Director of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Center of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, presented a memorial to Emond, Professor of the New York Presbyterian Hospital Transplant Center

Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital Delegation visited Columbia University New York Presbyterian Hospital(Reviewer Runqing Li)