Prof. Han Qide, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and President of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) met visiting Dr. James Willerson, President of Taxas Heart Institute, USA, in the Great Hall of the People on August 21. Mr. Sun Mengxin, Deputy Director-General, Department of International Affairs of CAST was present at the meeting.

During the meeting, Dr. Willerson briefed Prof. Han on his Institute and the achievements it has made in cardiovascular research in the past years. He hoped to be able to conduct exchange and cooperation with relevant Chinese medical institutions in the field of cardiovascular research, so as to foster future Chinese experts.

Prof. Han expressed in return his willingness to explore the potentials of the proposed cooperation with relevant Chinese institutions, and hoped that the cooperation could gain rapid progress.

Dr. James Willerson graduated from the University of Taxas at Austin, and gained his MD at the Baylor College of Medicine. As an outstanding expert on heart disease, he once served as the President of the Research Committee of the American Heart Association (AHA). From 2001 to 2008, he was the Director of the University of Taxas Health Center. And he was Editor-in-Chief of the “Circulation”, the premier journal of AHA, for 11 years. Dr. Willerson visited China in 2007. He promoted the cooperation between the University of Taxas Health Center and China during his term as Director of the Center.

Taxas Heart Institute was founded by Dr. Denton Cooley, a renowned cardiology expert, and is a top medical institute in the field of cardiovascular research. Its prominent achievements include the first successful heart transplantation in the US and the first artificial heart.