Challenges for China's medical education in the coming post-COVID-19 era

The year of 2020 has been overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical workers throughout China have played critical roles in battling severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and saving lives. The whole of society has now fully realized the significance of medical workers and many began to think about medical education in China: How can we further improve medical education for the next generation of clinicians, medical scientists, nurses, public-health workers and administrators related to medical care, so that they are well prepared to meet societal needs for medical care in the ever-changing world? In this panel discussion, medical-education experts from several prominent medical schools in China gathered to discuss the reform and future development of China's medical education. Xiang Chen [Image: see text] President of Xiangya School of Medicine, Vice President of Central South University, Changsha, China Baorong Chi [Image: see text] Professor of Norman Bethune Health Science Center of Jilin University, Changchun, China Yiqun Hu [Image: see text] Vice Chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China Yang Ke [Image: see text] Professor of Peking University Health Science Center, former Vice President of Peking University, Beijing, China Ming Kuang [Image: see text] Vice President of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China Mengfeng Li [Image: see text] President of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China Hongbing Shen [Image: see text] President of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China Xuehong Wan [Image: see text] Professor of West China Medical Center, Vice President of Graduate School of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China Hong Yan [Image: see text] President of Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Vice President of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China Guoqiang Chen (Chair) [Image: see text] Chancellor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China