Harvard delegation begins public health study trip to China

A delegation of faculty members and students from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health attended the opening ceremony of the Harvard China Trek 2026 at Peking University on Wednesday, marking the start of a two-week exchange program focused on medical and public health collaboration.

Over the next two weeks, the 25-strong Harvard delegation will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangdong province and Haikou in Hainan province for discussions, and site visits to hospitals and research institutions.

Yu Changxue, director-general of the China Center for International People-to-people Exchange under the Ministry of Education, said exchanges between Chinese and United States universities hold particular significance for US-China relations and global stability. He said the delegation's focus on public health is especially relevant, as medicine and public health are shared challenges for all of humanity. Yu added that new programs will continue to promote relations between the two countries.

David Crumpacker, a faculty representative from Harvard and assistant professor of psychiatry at Texas A&M College of Medicine, said that the delegation came not to present answers, but to ask better questions together. He expressed particular interest in learning how China is approaching dementia care at the community and system level, including family support, early detection and research infrastructure.

Hagan Black, a student representative and master of medical sciences candidate at Harvard Medical School, outlined three areas he is most eager to explore with his Chinese counterparts: healthcare delivery and system reform, biomedical innovation and clinical trial infrastructure, and the governance of health AI and digital health.