“High-End Workshop on Frontier of Medical Imaging”, the second “International High-End Workshop on Engineering Science and Technology Development Strategy”, co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA), organized by Med-X Institute of Shanghai Jiaotong University and Shanghai Biomedical Engineering Society, was held at Shanghai Jiaotong University from April 15 to 17, 2011. The workshop was presided over by CAE Member Yang Shengli, the Director of the Medicine and Health Academic Division of CAE, at which Mr. Fan Daiming, Vice President of CAE, delivered a speech. CAE Members Chen Yazhu, Wang Weiqi and Wang Hongyang, Mr. Feng Dagan, Member of the Australian Academy of Engineering, Mr. Yang Guangzhong, Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, (RAEng) made presentations respectively at the workshop. 

The development of medical imaging is of great significance to early diagnosis of diseases, efficacy testing, as well as non-invasive and minimally invasive therapy. In particular, the researches into medical imaging methods such as MRI, PET and CT are the international frontier in this field, thus the research focus for many, which have enjoyed rapid development in recent years. However, there still exists a huge gap between us and the advanced level in the world in studies in this field, from which we can see the urgent need for development. As a matter of fact, the objective of holding such a workshop is to narrow the gap between us and the advanced level in the world, and propel the rapid development of this area in China towards the international level, through communication, discussion, interaction and exchanges with high-level foreign medical institutions, as well as leading experts & scholars internationally acknowledged. 

The whole workshop was divided into three modules, namely: the first module was a seminar focused on biomedical image processing and information development; the second module was a summit forum focused on the development strategy of biomedical engineering; and the third module was an international workshop on medical imaging.

Participants benefited quite a lot through close-in discussion and communication with the high-end scientists and engineers enjoying international reputation in their respective fields. Attendees claimed that they got to know more about the potential direction for development of medical imaging and biomedical engineering in the future, also the prospects for application, research and development direction, as well as the research level of their foreign counterparts, which would definitely guide and facilitate their future studies. (By Xu Jin and Han Yuqin, May 2011; translated by Liu Chang)