Chia Community Health Service Program
Identifying unmet health needs
As Yale-China keeps moving its multidisciplinary health initiatives forward in rural Western Hunan, the Chia Fellowship Program plays an increasingly important role in these efforts. We intend to increase involvement of Chia Fellowship alumni in supporting Western Hunan — where lower socioeconomic levels limit health literacy, recruitment and retention of talent, and infrastructure investment.
These projects supported by the Chia Community Health Services Program conduct exploratory or interventional projects that address unmet health and healthcare needs in rural Western Hunan through collaborative activities of Chia Fellowship alumni.
HUANG Ruixue & YANG Lifen
Magic Lotus Lantern
A randomized controlled trial for early childhood cognitive development
This 2020-2021 Chia Community Health Service project led by 2016 Chia Fellows HUANG Ruixue (associate professor, Xiangya School of Public Health) and YANG Lifen (supervisor nurse, Huayuan County People’s Hospital) suggests a strategy for addressing cognitive delay in children aged 0-3.
The first three years of a child’s life are critical. More than 80% of a child’s brain is formed during their first three years.
Due to a lack of early exposure to languages and other stimuli, a study conducted in rural Shaanxi found nearly half of toddlers tested are cognitively delayed.
LUO Jing & XIAO Chengfeng
AI in Diabetes Prevention
Application of artificial intelligence to assist diabetic retinopathy screening and health education in Western Hunan
This 2020-2021 Chia Community Health Service project led by 2008 Chia Fellow LUO Jing (professor, department of ophthalmology, Second Xiangya Hospital) and 2013 Chia Fellow XIAO Chengfeng (endocrinology, Huayuan County People’s Hospital) uses state of the art technology to advance critical screening and to counteract the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in Western Hunan.
Timely diagnosis and treatment can effectively protect and restore the vision of diabetic retinopathy patients. However… more than 60% of diabetes patients have never undergone fundus examination, and many have lost their vision due to the absence of timely treatment.
This project can increase the screening rate of diabetic retinopathy in the western Hunan region and reduce the burden on patients, families, and society caused by permanent vision loss.