The need is immense. While undergraduate radiologists are growing in number, many years of study and clinical practice are required to gain the necessary experience to perform in a clinical setting, creating an immediate skill shortage. The shortage is particularly significant in the field of MR - the scan quality and range of applications hospitals can offer are not only dependent on the availability of the MR technology, but also on the knowledge, training and expertise of the onsite medical staff in using MR technology.

In addition to answering the need for additional, quality post-graduate MR training, the establishment of the Academy also recognizes an opportunity for China to contribute to the development of the global MR sector and build a strong Chinese MR industry through the country's strengths in research.

"As medical reform in China continues, GE Healthcare will maintain its support of the Academy in order to cultivate a world-class pool of senior MRI experts to meet China's needs within the next five-to-ten years," explains George Cao, General Manager - Marketing, GE Healthcare China. "This will help China's medical sector provide quality services through MRI technology, both within township hospitals nationwide and at the highest levels of R&D."
GE Healthcare's partnership with China isn't a new endeavor. Since 1979, GE Healthcare has been active in introducing high-end medical equipment to Chinese hospitals and popularizing its use. GE Healthcare was the first international medical company to establish a manufacturing factory in China. GE Healthcare was also the first to design, develop and produce high-quality medical equipment such as CT, ultrasound imaging systems and X-ray machines in the country.

Learning opportunities for front-line and research professionals
The Academy will enable medical professionals to create individualized learning programs combining on-site and classroom-based training and e-learning, through the MR Education Center in China. Participants can take advantage of expert lectures and seminars, small-group training sessions, hospital demonstrations, experience sharing forums, videoconference meetings, TV distance learning and computer-based modules.

As part of the larger initiative of the Academy, the existing Sino-US MR Physics Center will help satisfy the need for MRI software and hardware development for clinical and research purposes by promoting multidisciplinary collaboration and cooperation between China's top physicists and their foreign counterparts. The aim is to broaden understanding of the clinical applications of MRI technology and to promote sequence revision and coil R&D through knowledge-sharing and project-based initiatives. It will also help large hospitals train physicians and establish physics teams to serve at university hospitals.

In addition, the Sino-US MR Molecular Imaging Center will promote the very promising area of MR development, bringing together renowned experts both from China and beyond to analyze the molecular mechanism of diseases, discuss the standardization of probe synthesis, explore new directions in statistical analysis of processed MR data and look into the possibilities presented by new molecular probe and animal coil experiments.

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