St. Jude Opens Physician Training Center in China

St. Jude Medical Inc. reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the Asian market this week with the debut of its newest physician training center in Beijing, China.

The St. Jude Medical Advanced Technology Center Asia Pacific officially opened on March 22 in a ceremony attended by Sang Yi, the company’s vice president of Asia Pacific, doctors from the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), Ministry of Health officials, and regional cardiologists.

“I am pleased to celebrate the inauguration of our St. Jude Medical Advanced Technology Center Asia Pacific,” Yi said at the facility’s inauguration ceremony. “St. Jude Medical values our relationship and business with China, and believes that our Advanced Technology Center is an important part of a long and prosperous relationship working with physicians throughout China and the entire Asia Pacific region to improve the health, welfare, and quality of life of the people there.”

The training center in China is the latest in a series of such facilities that St. Jude is rolling out across the globe. The company opened its first center in Brussels, Belgium, in 2008, and broke ground on a manufacturing facility and training center in Malaysia earlier this month. St. Jude is planning to open other training centers in Costa Rica, Japan and the United States.

The Centers educate and train doctors on St. Jude’s cardiology, cardiac surgery and arrhythmia management equipment. The facilities also train physicians to use St. Jude products through lectures, peer-to-peer education and hands-on experience using virtual reality technology, according to the company. The Center’s virtual reality experience allows physicians to simulate different procedures and develop clinical skills in a controlled environment. In this environment, physicians can bring to life previous training, directly experience how they would manage complications during procedures, and learn new advanced cardiac care techniques.

Using St. Jude Medical exclusive virtual reality simulators, physicians practice several different procedures in a human-size simulation. The technology mirrors an operating room environment, allowing doctors to use and familiarize themselves with both the St. Jude Medical products and best practices aligned with different techniques.

“To help treat patients using the latest advances in technology, ongoing learning and training is required,” said Prof. Shu Zhang, Director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Center and Clinical Electrophysiology Laboratory in Beijing Fu Wai Hospital. “With interactive sessions, a virtual reality experience, and curricula developed by Asia’s scientists specializing in arrhythmia management, I believe the training will provide physicians with a unique, hands-on and enjoyable learning experience they can’t find anywhere else.”

St. Jude bigwigs expect more than 2,000 physicians to visit the Center in Beijing each year from throughout Asia; they predict most doctors will come from hospitals in China.

This week’s grand opening of the training Center occurred during an Educational Summit that partnered St. Jude Medical with APHRS and local cardiologists to establish an educational curriculum. The summit was co-chaired by Zhang and included APHRS members from throughout Asia Pacific. The group of leading physicians will help the Advanced Technology Center staff design courses that provide realistic experiences for physicians who help heal cardiac-related illness.

“With all the new developments in the medical industry it is important that corporations such as St. Jude Medical partner with societies, institutions and physicians to help drive continuous learning. APHRS is pleased to partner with St. Jude Medical to help provide a training experience that will be beneficial to clinicians throughout Asia,” said Masayasu Hiraoka, APHRS president.

St. Jude Medical first entered the Chinese market in 1996. Since then, the company’s Chinese operation has grown from fewer than 10 employees to more than 250. In addition to its new Advanced Technology Center, St. Jude has sales offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and both a sales office and distribution center in Shanghai.