Professor Sean Sylvia from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill visited the Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD) at Peking University on December 26, 2023. He delivered a lecture titled "Global Health Economics, China, and the Science of Health Care Delivery in the Digital Age." The lecture was chaired by Professor Liu Guoen, the Director of IGHD and a tenured professor at Peking University's School of National Development.

During the lecture, Professor Sylvia delved into the impact of digitization on global health and the healthcare sector in China. He pointed out that the healthcare market is undergoing unprecedented transformations with the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital platforms, the Internet of Things, human computing, and blockchain. He particularly emphasized the impact of e-health on the labor market for doctors, the changing skill set required for doctors in the era of artificial intelligence, and the impact of these technologies on health disparities.

Professor Sylvia focused on how digitization reduces costs in various aspects such as search, replication, transportation, and verification, the benefits of digital health in healthcare, and how low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can leapfrog the traditional models of developed countries.

Furthermore, Professor Sylvia introduced his research projects in digital healthcare, including the "Health Futures" initiative.

The lecture not only provided participants with eye-opening insights into the digital health field in the context of China and LMICs but also opened new perspectives on the prospects of global healthcare reform.

(Interpreted by Waverly Shi)