From December 2nd to December 13th,2024, Shenzhen University (SZU) Medical School hosted a two-week International Winter School at the Lihucampus. A total of 23 international students from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University participated in the program. The International Winter School was organized by Shenzhen University Medical School in collaboration with the Shenzhen-Almaty Joint Laboratory for Frontiers of Medical Science (salFMS), which was inaugurated in October at Shenzhen University. The laboratory aims to promote exchange and collaboration among graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and young scientists. It will also offer a three-month hands-on course in medical science for young scientists.The winter school was led by Dr. Gulnara Kapanova, head of the Department of Politics and Health Organization atAl-Farabi Kazakh National University.

Profs. Xingzhi Xu (left) and Baohua Liu (right) delivered welcome remarks

The opening ceremony was held at A7-501 on December 2nd, 2024. Professor BaohuaLiu, Dean of the School of Basic Medical Sciences, chaired the session and delivered welcome remarks, introducing the background and significance of the International Winter School Program. ProfessorXingzhi Xu, Executive Dean of Shenzhen University Medical School, briefly highlighted the development of Shenzhen, a young city regarded as China’s first Special Economic Zone and a key city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. ProfessorBaohua Liu then officially announced the start of the winter school program.

Over the course of the two weeks, students attended academic lectures on topics such as "Gene Instability and Disease," "DNA Damage Response," "Genetically Engineered Mice and Human Disease," and "Microfluidic Technology and Its Biomedical Applications." Professors Xingzhi Xu, Shunichi Takeda, Xinhai Pei, Tiantian Kong, Huayan Yang, and Baohua Liu, among others,delivered lectures for the winter school participants. Additionally, theKazakh students registered for and participated in the 2ndNational Graduate Academic Forum in Life Sciences & Health,   organized by Shenzhen University Medical School and the Chinese Society for Cell Biology.

Academic lectures

At the closing ceremony on December 13th, student representatives actively shared their experiences of studying and living at Shenzhen University over the past two weeks and selected their "Favorite Teacher" of the International Winter School Program. Drs. Jingzhu Zhang, Wen Su, Xingzhi Xu, Xinhai Pei, and Bin Peng from SZU Medical School were honored with the award. Following the ceremony, Professor Xingzhi Xu presented certificates to the students and expressed that the winter school had been a success. He also conveyed his hope that more outstanding students from around the world would participate in exchange activities at SZU in 2025.

Closing ceremony

The 23 students were all from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.The winter school marked substantial progress in the collaboration between SZU and Al-Farabi following the signing of Memorandums of Understanding in 2023.Looking ahead, the two universities plan to develop a double-degree PhD program in Basic Medicine, leveraging the PhD program in the first-level discipline of Basic Medicine at Shenzhen University.

Group photos of the 2024-2025 Academic Year International Winter School Program