From March 3 to 8, Prof. Tom Wainwright, President of the UK Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society, Professor of Orthopaedics at Bournemouth University, and Deputy Director of the Orthopaedic Research Institute, was invited to visit the First Hospital of Lanzhou University (LZUFH) for an in-depth academic exchange.

     On the morning of March 4, a meeting was held with Prof. Tom Wainwright, attended by Prof. Bai Ming, President of LZUFH, and Vice Presidents, Prof. Meng Wenbo and Prof. Hou Xiaoming, along with heads of relevant departments and offices. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Hou Xiaoming.

    Prof. Bai Ming stated that since the hospital formally signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Bournemouth University Higher Education Company in May 2025, bilateral cooperation has progressed steadily with initial achievements. The project jointly submitted by Prof. Wainwright and the hospital's Orthopaedics Department, titled "An Orthopaedic Enhanced Recovery System Combining Wearable Devices and AI," has been approved as a Gansu Provincial Key International R&D Cooperation Project. Positive progress has also been made in student and faculty exchanges. This visit will initiate the selection process for visiting scholars to the UK and include in-depth discussions on ERAS database development, research output, and high-quality ERAS practice. He expressed hope that continued and in-depth academic interaction would lead to more cooperative achievements benefiting clinical practice and patient services.

     Prof. Tom Wainwright expressed optimism about the future of bilateral cooperation, noting that with the hospital's support, the existing foundation could yield even more high-quality results. He stated that after returning to the UK, he would continue to advance follow-up collaboration, take the lead in building interdisciplinary exchange platforms, and facilitate precise connections between professors in relevant fields and the hospital.

     During the week-long exchange, Prof. Wainwright visited departments including Orthopaedics, General Surgery, Rehabilitation Medicine, and Nursing, holding discussions on core topics such as the ERAS database and patient symptom assessment. In the Orthopaedics Department, discussions focused on perioperative management pathways for spinal surgery, covering key areas such as preoperative assessment, perioperative care, and postoperative rehabilitation training. Given the high demand for functional recovery after orthopaedic surgery and the significant impact of early mobilization on prognosis, they explored strategies to promote early functional recovery and faster return to daily activities. In the General Surgery Department, Prof. Wainwright, noting the large surgical patient volume and the significant impact of complications and infections on recovery, worked with the team to optimize the full-cycle surgical rehabilitation process. In the Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Prof. Wainwright reviewed case reports on sports rehabilitation and progress updates on collaborative projects, providing on-site guidance on sports rehabilitation assessment and treatment procedures. The Nursing Department held a special symposium with Prof. Wainwright on the targets and methods of perioperative health education, patient prehabilitation duration and measures, and ERAS economic issues, which provided suggestions for ERAS nursing research topic selection.

     At the Global Vision Lecture Series, Prof. Wainwright gave a special talk titled "Mining Research Data" for medical students. Using rich examples, he explained the logic of data utilization and communication strategies in orthopaedic rehabilitation assessment, inspiring students to reflect on the value of medical data.

     This academic visit will further promote bilateral cooperation and exchange in ERAS system development, research project collaboration, and talent cultivation, contributing to enhanced clinical service capabilities.

Edited by the Office of Foreign Affairs