AWARDEE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AND MATERIA MEDICA PRIZE

ZHONG NANSHAN

Dr Zhong Nanshan was born in October 1936 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. He is now a professor and doctorate tutor, and an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering. In 1960, he graduated from Beijing University Medical School and worked at the School. During 1979 to 1981, he studied at the Edinburgh University and London University as a fellow scholar, majoring in research of hyperoxia and hypoxia and their impacts on pulmonary blood circulation. Currently, Dr Zhong is the Head of Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Chief Committee Member of Society of Respirology to Chinese Medicine Association, Medical Tutor of Smoking and Health WHO, vice-director of Dept.of Medicine and Healthcare, Chinese Academy of Engineering, vice chairman of Guangdong Society of Scientific Technology, chairman of Guangzhou Society of Scientific Technology, Committee Member of the 8th and 9th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress and a Representative of the 15th CCPC.
For long, Dr Zhong has been working in the fields of clinical practices, teaching and scientific research of respiroloy. He initiated an easy method of airway responsiveness determination with histamine to be used in epidemiological investigation, firstly documented the concept of masked asthma, established the technique for synchronized dynamic monitoring of diaphragmatic function under progressively increased submaximal exercise, invented a patented instrument for assessment of diaphragmatic function. Unprecedentedly, he elucidated the incidence of protein-energy malnutrition in 60% of patients with COPD in China, concluded on the relationship between pulmonary ventilation and energy consumption, and drew up a calibrated formula on basic energy consumptions for nutrition in COPD, and developed “Nutrients” (a nutritional product adjusted for Chinese individuals). Cumulatively, Dr Zhong has completed more than 20 national or provincial research issues, and some of his achievements lead to distinguished awards from the State. He has published more than 70 papers in core journals worldwide. Some of his works include An English-Chinese-Japanese Illustrative Medical Dictionary, Modern Progress in Respiratory Diseases and Asthma.
Led by Prof Zhong, the key labs in Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases have become outstanding units in researches of asthma, COPD, pulmonary infections, respiratory critical care medicine and microinvasive chest surgery. During the 2003 outbreak of SARS, Dr Zhong, together with his team, proposed to admit all the critical SARS cases in Guangdong province into his institute. He made out a management protocol known as “3 propers” (proper use of corticosteroids, proper application of non-invasive ventilation and proper addressing of secondary infections). The Guangdong Guidelines for SARS Prevention and Management, of which he was one of the main professionals in the institution, was accepted as a blueprint for Guidelines of SARS Prevention and Management issued by Health Ministry of China. Dr Zhong also appealed for international cooperation and common sense promotion for fighting SARS. Due to his extraordinary experiences during SARS epidemic, Dr Zhong was awarded the National Labor Medal and entitled the honor of “Special Contributor” to the anti-SARS campaign.