NCCD-Lancet Commission on Primary Care in China

The Lancet Commission for Primary Healthcare

In the past, The Lancet has launched commissions on climate change, medical education, HIV/AIDS, and planetary health, with an aim to place a spotlight on neglected, emerging, or seminal topics in global public health. Dr. Normand will serve on a newly announced Lancet Commission, which will inform future policy and research on primary care in China. This is an incredibly important topic in China, which currently lacks a functioning primary care system. Most care in the country is delivered in hospitals, where space, resources, and clinical care teams are increasingly stretched. The rise of non-communicable and chronic diseases in China necessitates a change, and the government has started to invest heavily in village and community health centers to develop a more proactive and responsive primary care system. However, there is a lack of consensus on what China's primary care system could and should look like. This commission will involve partnerships with a number of leading health experts from the US and China to define the scope of the issue and offer recommendations and potential solutions. The end product of the 18-month commission will be a 25-30,000 document with profound academic and policy impacts. 

Mission Statement

To improve health and health care through international friendship, research-generation, and knowledge application. We strive to leverage the strengths of the US and China, through partnership and friendship, to foster meaningful collaboration and mutual understanding—and promote medical and public health advances. We are committed to expanding the scientific knowledge base, accelerating medical breakthroughs and cures, and sharing our findings with a global audience so that what we learn may benefit our countries and the world.