Background | China-Africa Neurosurgery Specialist Training Program:

In accordance with General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions in the "Eight Major Initiatives" of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), in order to strengthen health cooperation and train medical professionals for Africa, China will train medical specialists in the fields of neurosurgery, cardiovascular medicine, obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics. Under the guidance of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, the Post-Graduation Medical Education Department of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA) has joined hands with Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, Union Hospital Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University and First Hospital of China Medical University, The China-Africa Neurosurgery Specialist Training Program was officially launched in 2018, aiming to train specialists in the field of neurosurgery for African countries and alleviate the severe shortage of neurosurgeons on the African continent. The program is supported and assisted by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) and the Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS). The first group of trainees came from seven African countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Guinea, Tanzania, Liberia, Chad and Gambia. Dr. Isabella Opoku, from the Republic of Ghana, the first and so far the only female trainee of the China-Africa Neurosurgery Specialist Training Program, successfully completed a four-year program in the Department of Neurosurgery at Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University during December 2018 and November 2022. She will recently return to Ghana to work as the first female neurosurgeon in Ghana.

On December 16, Dr. Isabella Opoku's graduation ceremony and Prof. Dr. Ling Feng’s awarding ceremony of Special Citation of Honor of the Republic of Ghana were held in the department of neurosurgery of Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, in a combination of online and offline fashion. Dr. Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, Ghana’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People’s Republic of China, Gu Zhiqiang, Division Chief of African Affairs in Department of International Cooperation, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Prof. Dr. Mahmood Qureshi, President of Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS), Qi Xuejin, Vice-Chairman of Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA), Prof. Dr. Ma Lu, Division Chief of International Exchange and Cooperation of Capital Medical University, Prof. Dr. Zhao Guoguang, dean of Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Prof. Dr. Ling Feng, Chief Specialist of the Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, and Prof. Dr. Zhang Hongqi, Director of the Department of Neurosurgery of Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.

At the graduation ceremony of Dr. Isabella Opoku's specialist training, Prof. Dr. Zhang Hongqi, Director of Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University Training Center, China-Africa Neurosurgeons’ training Project and Director of the Department of Neurosurgery, presented Dr. Isabella Opoku the certificate of graduation of her neurosurgery specialist training. The certificate consists of 16 pieces of modules, each corresponds to the 16 training rotations of neurosurgery specialist training, representing that the trainee has successfully completed all the training programs and has reached the criteria of a qualified neurosurgery specialist. Prof. Dr. Ling Feng, Chief Specialist of the Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Prof. Dr. Zhao Guoguang, dean of Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University and Prof. Dr. Ma Lu, Division Chief of International Exchange and Cooperation of Capital Medical University delivered speeches to praise Dr. Isabella Opoku for her tireless efforts and outstanding completion of her four-year specialist training. They also thanked Dr. Isabella Opoku for bringing cultural diversity to the team and providing valuable experience and suggestions for the improvement of the program in the future.

Dr. Isabella Opoku receiving certificate photo

Under the guidance of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Prof. Dr. Ling Feng actively liaised with neurosurgical training bases in China, and actively communicated with the World Federation of Neurosurgeons (WFNS) and the Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS), and was one of the co-sponsors of this program. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the training of neurosurgeons in Ghana and other African countries, the Republic of Ghana entrusted Dr. Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, Ghana’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People’s Republic of China, to present Prof. Dr. Ling Feng with the "Special Citation of Honor of the Republic of Ghana". Ambassador Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, Prof. Dr. Mahmood Qureshi, President of Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS), Qi Xuejin, Vice-Chairman of Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA), and Gu Zhiqiang, Division Chief of African Affairs in Department of International Cooperation, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, delivered speeches to recognize the contribution of Prof. Dr. Ling Feng in promoting the training of neurosurgeons in Africa and to express the friendship of the Chinese people to the African people. They also looked forward to further deepening cooperation between China and Africa.

Prof. Dr. Zhang received the honorary certificate on behalf of Prof. Dr. Ling Feng

Dr. Penghao Liu received the award on behalf of Dr. Tao Wang