Recently, Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital, Tongji University, the first university-affiliated rehabilitation hospital in Shanghai (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), opened in Songjiang District, Shanghai, marking a big step forward in the cultivation of high-end rehabilitation medical talents in Shanghai.

LI Jian’an, former President of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, international member of US National Academy of Medicine and vice president of Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital, and other experts in the rehabilitation field delivered keynote speeches in the following Rehabilitation Education Summit. Participants had in-depth discussions on how to improve the cultivation of high-end rehabilitation talents in China.

Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital, Tongji University was established in 2007 and subject to Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation. It is a provincial third level disabled rehabilitation center, one of the first occupational injury rehabilitation demonstration institutions, and a National Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center. In 2013, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was set up under School of Medicine, Tongji University as the result of joints efforts by the hospital and the university. Bachelor’s degree program in rehabilitation medicine was offered soon afterwards, a groundbreaking move in China between a rehabilitation hospital and a leading university.

The hospital is the first municipal rehabilitation hospital in Shanghai and the first one affiliated to a top leading university. The cooperation between the hospital and School of Medicine, Tongji University has created a new mode of exploring rehabilitation medicine talent education, which is in line with the national major development strategies for the sectors of rehabilitation, care for the elderly and sports, and meets the new demands for people's livelihood. It is an important measure taken by Tongji University and Shanghai Disabled Persons’ Federation to serve the society, support the national strategy and promote university disciplinary development, which is of profound significance in building top rehabilitation medicine in China, improving the level of rehabilitation service in Shanghai and cultivating outstanding rehabilitation talents.