On 7 September, the 4th International Training Program on Leprosy for Developing Countries opened in Tai’an, Shandong. The event was sponsored by the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and co‑organised by Shandong First Medical University &Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Affiliated Dermatology Hospital (Shandong Provincial Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, Shandong Provincial Dermatology Hospital), and Shandong Provincial Association for Leprosy and Dermatology Prevention and Treatment.
Lu Lin, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of SDFMU; Wang Haiming, Deputy Director and Second‑Class Inspector of Shandong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention Bureau; and Zhang Xingwang, Chief Engineer of Shandong Provincial Department of Science and Technology attended the opening ceremony and delivered addresses. Professor Sundeep Chaitanya Vedithi, Vice‑President of the International Leprosy Association from the University of Cambridge, UK, and Professor Roch Christian Johnson, former President of the International Leprosy Association from University of Abomey‑Calavi, were also present at the ceremony.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Zhang Furen, Director of the Affiliated Dermatology Hospital (Shandong Provincial Institute of Dermatology and Venereology, Shandong Provincial Dermatology Hospital), President of the China Leprosy Association, President‑Elect of the Dermatology‑Venereology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and principal investigator of the program.
In his address, Lu Lin noted that leprosy, one of the ancient skin‑related Neglected Tropical Diseases (skin NTDs), has afflicted humanity for thousands of years. Back in 1994, Shandong Province took the lead in achieving the basic elimination of leprosy at county‑level across China. Leveraging the university’s disciplinary strengths, the team from Shandong First Medical University Affiliated Dermatology Hospital has yielded a series of original achievements in the field of precision prevention against leprosy and skin‑related NTDs, making vital contributions to their prevention and control. Given that prevention and control of leprosy and skin‑related NTDs remains an arduous task, he expressed hope that this academic exchange will serve as a bridge to facilitate wide application of new prevention‑and‑treatment technologies in developing countries and jointly build a world with better skin health for all.
Wang Haiming fully acknowledged Shandong’s remarkable progress in leprosy prevention and control. He pointed out that Shandong has continuously improved its prevention‑and‑control network for leprosy and skin‑related NTDs in recent years. A three‑tier provincial‑municipal‑county prevention‑and‑control system has been built based on traditional dermatological prevention‑and‑control institutions. Meanwhile, cooperating with dermatology departments from 189 hospitals province‑wide, Shandong has established an “integrated new system for dermatological prevention and treatment” covering a population of roughly 100 million. This system enables effective identification and management of early‑stage leprosy, skin‑related NTDs and emerging or recurrent infectious skin diseases. It also secures definite diagnoses for numerous patients with severe and complicated dermatological conditions. Local residents in Shandong can access high‑quality medical services within the province without travelling to Beijing, Nanjing or Shanghai.
Zhang Xingwang reviewed China’s accomplishments in fighting leprosy and skin‑related NTDs, and specifically recognised Shandong’s technological breakthroughs in precision prevention and molecular diagnosis. China’s scientific and technological innovation has drawn growing global attention and become a remarkable calling card for win‑win international cooperation. As an initiative of China’s science‑and‑technology‑driven foreign‑aid efforts, the International Training Program on Leprosy for Developing Countries aims to strengthen prevention‑and‑control capacities against leprosy and skin‑related NTDs in developing countries through in‑depth academic exchanges and sharing of practical technologies, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the global fight against NTDs.
Professor Dr. Lucinda Claire Fuller, Consultant Physician at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, President of the International Skin Foundation and representative of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS), and Professor Marco Andery Cipriani Frade from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, President of the Brazilian Leprosy Association, delivered speeches as faculty representatives.
This two‑week training programme brings together top global scholars specialising in leprosy and skin‑related NTDs. Twenty‑two participants from 12 countries will receive systematic, cutting‑edge technical training. Since its launch in 2019, this well‑established international flagship project has held three previous sessions, training a total of 67 professionals worldwide. Its high academic standards and practical value have won wide international recognition.
The urgency behind this initiative is underscored by striking WHO statistics: each year, there are as many as 4.69 billion new cases of skin diseases worldwide, affecting nearly 60 per cent of the global population. In 2025, the 78th World Health Assembly historically designated skin diseases as a global public‑health priority. As a special disease cluster within this scope, leprosy and skin‑related NTDs represent critical gaps that must be addressed in global prevention‑and‑control systems.
This training programme embodies China’s sincere commitment to share decades‑long real‑world experience for global public health, and stands as a vivid example of public‑health soft‑power building under the Belt‑and‑Road Initiative. When trainees from diverse national contexts return home with tailored solutions, they bring back not only disease‑control techniques, but also transferable, replicable pathways for eliminating leprosy and skin‑related NTDs. Offering Chinese solutions to global challenges and taking solid steps toward shared future, this programme represents a heart‑felt and substantial public‑health practice for building a community with a shared future for mankind.
