Griffith’s Centre for Environment and Population Health (CEPH) hosted a noteworthy visit by the Chinese Center for Health Education (CCHE) on 28-30 June 2017. The visit, hosted by Professor Cordia Chu AM, Director CEPH, was an important step for Griffith University to become involved in Healthy China, a nationwide Chinese project central to the Chinese Government’s agenda for health and development.

Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has put health at the centre of the country’s entire policy-making machinery. In August 2016, China held its Global and National Health Conference, which was the most important national meeting on health in twenty years. A key component of Healthy China is
population-based health promotion. This includes building healthy environments, and promotion of healthy lifestyles, to ensure a comprehensive approach to health and well-being. One of the national key priorities is the development of Healthy Cities with a focus on urban development, which integrates city, social-economic and health planning to ensure citizens’ quality of life and sustainable development. One of the key responsible bodies driving this task is the CCHE.

Professor Chu believes there is huge potential for Griffith to develop many opportunities for collaborations within the Healthy China project, stating, ‘This is an opportune time for many of our alumni in key positions responsible for public health and health promotion in national, provincial and municipal levels. CEPH is looking forward to working closely with them to support their career needs.’

Griffith has two alumni already working in key positions within the CCHE, both of whom participated in the delegation. The visitors sought Professor Chu’s assistance in learning good practice from Australia’s experience in health promotion and healthy cities.

So far this year, Professor Chu has hosted 11 Chinese leadership fellows sent by CCHE, Shanghai Center for Diseases Prevention and Control (CDC), Guangdong CDC and Zhejiang CDC for three months focusing on health promotion, healthy cities, risk communication and emergency management. In November 2017, there will be another twenty-five fellows from Guangdong Health coming to Griffith to attend a two-week professional short course at CEPH.