Peking University, Beijing, May 27, 2010: Elsevier, the world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products, tools and services, announced a new initiative for the Chinese market which involves the establishment of a strategic cooperation with the School of Distance Learning for Medical Education of Peking University Health Science Center (PUHSC).

Beijing MEDTIME Technology Development Co., Ltd, a company affiliated to PUHSC and Elsevier, signed an agreement Wednesday to form a joint venture to provide continuing medical education (CME) services to the School of Distance Learning. Additionally, Elsevier and PUHSC set up a Development Fund for Senior Management to lay a solid basis for sustainable development.

Peking University Health Science Center is the top domestic medical education brands in China. Its School of Distance Learning for Medical Education is one of the only five units that are licensed by the Chinese Ministry of Health to provide online CME to health professionals.

According to China’s medical reform, improving the quality of medical professionals is crucial and education is the most significant way of achieving it. The partnership between Elsevier and PUHSC aims to provide top standard education to China’s professionals and fully bring PUHSC’s high academic base into play. Moreover, this partnership provides global perspectives by adopting CME materials from Western medical content and by introducing better and more current medical information resources into local programmes.

Prof. Ke Yang, Executive Vice President of Peking University and PKU Health Science Center said, “Elsevier and Peking University have cooperated for several years, and the contract signed today is in line with our continuous commitment to contribute to medical education, clinical and academic research, and healthcare in China.”

“Elsevier has extensive experience in offering online CME, based upon our extensive network of accredited organization and societies,” said Mr. Hansen, Global CEO of Elsevier Health Sciences. “Together with Peking University, we hope to make a real difference to favorably impact the quality of healthcare in China.”

The signing ceremony was held Wednesday in the Lakeview Hotel at Peking University; attendees included the following:

    Prof. Ke Yang - Executive Vice President, Peking University; Executive Vice President, Health Science Center, Peking University; 

    Victor Lam - Managing Director, Elsevier Health Sciences, Greater China and Korea.

About Peking University Health Science Center

Since 1912, PUHSC has built a unique campus culture that advocates diligence, rigor, objectivity and creativity. The faculty and graduates of PUHSC are known for their devotion to the country and to the health profession. With strong support from the central government, this first public medical school in China will continue to offer quality medical education to Chinese health professionals. Its highest goal is, with all its heart and all its might, to create an internationally recognized medical institute of excellence and to offer first-class medical education for the well-being of all human beings.

Established on Oct. 10, 2000, the School of Distance Learning for Medical Education of Peking University (SDLME, PKU) is the University’s subsidiary entity in charge of implementing distance education for medical sciences. It is one of the only five units authorized by the Ministry of Health to provide online CME to health professionals in China.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and   Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Edited by: Jacques

Source: PKU News (Chinese) and Elsevier