“In July 2024, I boarded a plane to New Haven for the first time, carrying with me a deep passion for nursing informatics and elderly care. From the moment I arrived at Yale, language became my first real challenge. I started from the very basics — practicing daily greetings, learning how to craft an elevator speech, working through sentence structures and paragraph writing in class, and spending long hours in the library sharpening my listening and speaking skills. Slowly, English stopped feeling like a barrier and became something more — a window through which I could truly feel and understand this new world around me. Every conversation, every lecture, every debate quietly expanded the boundaries of who I was. And through it all, the Yale-China Association made sure I never felt alone. It was through the Association that I found myself hiking through hills blazing with autumn color alongside friends from across the globe, sitting in a chapel letting the resonance of a pipe organ wash over me, and laughing around a dinner table, telling stories of home in my still-imperfect English. These moments may have seemed small, but they were the quiet strength that carried me through my time far from home.”

“Inside the classrooms of Yale School of Nursing, something shifted in me. I audited courses in quantitative research methods and healthcare innovation, attended lectures on NIH grant writing and case analysis, and sat alongside scholars from around the world to discuss how digital health could genuinely serve the needs of older adults. Every discussion felt like a beam of light falling on the question I cared about most deeply — how could technology be made gentle enough to truly understand the lives of elderly people, and how could frontline healthcare workers be given tools that were both intuitive and precise? It was here at Yale that I saw, more clearly than ever before, the vast and promising intersection between nursing informatics and elderly care. The memory of morning sunlight streaming through the nursing school windows, falling across a desk full of lecture notes, still lives clearly in my mind — a reminder of why I had come, and what I had found.”

“When I returned home, I carried that clarity with me. The research I had been developing — a graphical assessment tool for evaluating the capabilities of community-dwelling elderly — moved forward with renewed purpose, nourished by the methods and insights I had gathered at Yale. Then in September 2024, I took what felt like the most meaningful step of my professional life: I formally began my doctoral studies in nursing, committing myself to the deep integration of elderly care and nursing informatics as my academic mission for the years ahead. On the late nights when the research is hard and exhaustion sets in, I find myself thinking of the warmth the Yale-China Association showed me, of the generosity of my teachers at Yale, of the trust Xiangya Hospital placed in me when they let me go, and of my family, waiting quietly for me on the other side of the world. Gratitude, to me, is not something you simply say — it is something you earn, slowly, through every honest step you take forward. One hundred and twenty-five years ago, the Yale-China Association planted a seed of connection across oceans and cultures. One hundred and twenty-five years later, that seed is still growing, still blooming, in the stories of people like me. I am so grateful to be even a small leaf on that tree. May this bond endure, and may it continue to bring warmth to all whose lives it touches.”

— LI Jing, Chia Health Fellow (Yale, 2024-’25)

Li Jing is a supervising nurse at Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, specializing in nursing informatics and elderly care. She visited Yale School of Nursing from July to December 2024.

“A Spark That Finds Its Ground — For Yale-China’s 125th Anniversary

My name is Wu Yujiao, from the People’s Hospital of Huayuan County—a remote corner of western Hunan. When I was named a 2026 Western Hunan Chia Fellow, I left my hometown with a pounding heart. The truth is, I was terrified. On my first day at the Third Xiangya Hospital, my colleague Peng Qian and I walked into Professor Xie Jianfei’s research group. We didn’t know what to expect. Then we saw the cake. “Welcome to Sweety Town,” the theme read. In that small, warm ritual, I felt something I had not dared to hope for: You belong here. The fear did not disappear all at once, but it began to loosen. Days turned into weeks—graduate courses, research design, clinical shifts. Then came March 14th: the 120th anniversary of Xiangya Hospital and the 24th Chia Fellowship Annual Conference. I listened to leading experts and past Chia Fellows. My heart swelled. But the moment that broke me was Professor Xie’s own speech: “Our story is a testament to how small lights ignite a prairie fire. I carry forward Mr. Chia Peiyuan’s love—across mountains and oceans. I choose to be a spark, burning on Chinese soil, generation after generation.” And then she wept—out of gratitude, not sorrow. In the audience, I wept with her.Today is my 66th day here. I am no longer the timid nurse who arrived from a faraway county. I feel lucky. More than luck, I feel rooted. I now know that I can become a spark too—one that will travel back to western Hunan, to the people waiting for care. Let me become light. Let us pass this light on, unbroken and undimmed. That is how we remember. That is how we love.”

— WU Yujiao, Chia Health Fellow (Xinagya, 2025-'26)

“A Precious Journal at Yale

In 2019, I was fortunate to participate in a visiting program at Yale University sponsored by the Yale China Association. This precious journey left me with countless warm memories and profound inspiration. This photo perfectly captures a joyful moment from our gathering and certification ceremony. During my time at Yale, I immersed myself in an open and inclusive academic environment, exchanged ideas with outstanding scholars and kind-hearted friends from diverse backgrounds, and gained valuable insights far beyond textbooks. Every conversation, discussion, and shared experience broadened my horizons, reshaped my perspectives, and filled my heart with warmth and joy. I am deeply grateful to the Yale China Association for this extraordinary opportunity, which allowed me to step onto the world-renowned campus, connect with wonderful people, and grow both academically and personally. I also cherish all the sincere friendships I made there. This meaningful experience has become a precious treasure in my life, encouraging me to keep learning, exploring, and moving forward with a broader vision.”

— ZHENG Feng, Chia Health Fellow (Yale 2019-'20)

“王 思文

回望过去，作为雅礼协会的贾氏学者已经10年了。虽然因为个人原因，离开了原单位。但时至今日，我都能够很骄傲的说：我是一名贾氏学者。当初年仅25岁的我，有幸成为贾氏学者，开展的课题是《脑卒中患者的早期康复护理》，在湘雅学习阶段，我的导师陈华给了我很多帮助，她总是那么温柔体贴、Lucy杨老师也会经常关心我们，因为深知走出大山不容易、学习到新的知识不容易，所以我倍加珍惜，我学习了专业的知识，提升了专业的技能。当我带着所学知识回到原单位时，创建了康复专科，使更多的脑卒中患者能够回归社会，回归家庭，重拾自信，减轻家庭负担。那时候的我，连晚上做梦都会梦见这个病人手可以抬起来了、这个病人可以走路了等等。到目前为止，我一直以我是雅礼协会的贾氏学者为傲，当今年刚好面临换工作，面试官问我贾氏学者是什么？我依然可以很骄傲的说出贾氏学者的由来。我想，没有雅礼协会，就没有现在的自己，很感谢有这个机会，让我去学习本不可能接触的专业知识，愿雅礼。协会发展的越来越好，愿人类永远健康 。”

— WANG Siwen, Chia Health Fellow (Xiangya 2014-'15)

“I really appreciate the Yale-China Association!”

— ZHANG Haiyan, Chia Health Fellow (Yale 2010)

“感恩此次美丽的遇见
冯胜十

四月十二日，我来长沙学习已经整整六周了。

日子过得真快。快得让我有些慌张，仿佛每天睁开眼，就有太多东西涌进来，脑子还没来得及装下，天就又黑了。第五周开始，身体就不太听话。起初以为是鼻炎犯了，脑子昏沉沉的，也没太在意。到了这周二，咳出浓痰来，自己加了抗生素，却一点用也没有。最折磨人的是夜里——气道像被什么东西掐住了，一咳起来就止不住，整片肺叶都恨不得震出来。有时咳得狠了，胃里的东西都呕出来了，可那口气还是缩在那里，不肯松开。昨晚只迷迷糊糊挨了一个小时，天就亮了。

天亮之后，我还是去了湘雅医院。今天是第十一届精益护理质量管理大会的分会场，我守的是第五会场——科研创新与精益管理，科教楼一楼一百零八室。地址我反复确认了好几遍，生怕走错了。一夜没怎么睡，人反倒有一种奇怪的清醒，像绷紧的弦，又像踩在棉花上。累是真的累，可我还是去了。

为什么呢？

我想，是因为心里那份想与科研创新再走近一步的决心吧。以前也零零散散地学过一些，尝到过一点点甜头，但始终是碎片，拼不成完整的图。没有系统，就不会融会贯通，做起来总是别扭的、吃力的。我知道自己进步得太慢了，可又偏偏心急；而静下来想，我做的努力，确实还太少。

会场上十堂课听下来，统计学那部分像一团浓雾，模模糊糊抓不住；临床试验流程，总觉得那是离我很远的、够不着的领域，听着听着就走了神。但剩下的八堂课，满满的都是干货。那些站在台上的专家，谈吐间自有一种光彩，是真正的人中龙凤。我坐在台下，心里生出一种朴素而强烈的情绪——崇拜。不是仰望，是那种想靠近、想成为的崇拜。

可今天这篇日记，我执意要取一个名字——“感恩此次美丽的遇见”。因为来长沙学习本身，就是我与贾氏基金会最美丽的遇见。这份遇见，让我看到了世界上多一面的美好，也让我那颗想进步的心，找到了最合适的摇篮。不管旁人从世俗的角度如何评说，我对自己与这份平台之间那份纯真的感情，始终抱有美好的期望。它像一位天使，引我走进一个更真、更善、更美的、热爱健康事业的女性群体。吴迪主任的倾心策划，蔺莹主席的悉心安排，吴疗芳老师的爱心执行——这些名字背后，是一个集体的温度，是人文关怀的具象。

我甚至开始浮想联翩：如果学好英语，能去美国长长见识，该多好啊。离那些优秀的人再近一步，该多值得啊。三十八岁的年纪，有人说“只有十几年就要退休了，还折腾什么呢？”可我还是觉得，只要活着，再晚也有追求进步的自由。

此次遇见，还有幸遇见了熠熠生辉的湘雅医院。正值建院一百二十周年，十二是一个圆满的数字，十个十二，便是十全十美。我站在这座巍峨的建筑面前，觉得“美好”这个词都不够用了。它的付出与伟大，是刻在岁月里的。“公勇勤慎”是大义，“诚爱谦廉”是大爱，“求真求确，必邃必专”是对医学极致的虔诚。它像医疗领域的定海神针，为人民的健康航船掌舵。

而更让我此生难忘的，是报到那天与导师们的初见。

吴疗芳老师领着我走进重症医学科。穿过熟悉的病房走廊，脚步匆匆的医护人员、此起彼伏的监测警报、那些随时可能跳动的危险数字——这一切我太熟悉了，却又觉得陌生，因为这一次，我是以学员的身份走进来。殷俊老师从忙碌中抽身，笑盈盈地迎过来，像一道光。那一刻我就知道，我找到了队伍。

推开护士长办公室的门，又是一番繁忙景象。王青霞护士长正在与人全神贯注地商讨着什么，像司令部的指挥。导师介绍我们相识，四目相对，自然而然地说起了家乡话。那种感觉——熟悉的、安心的、喜悦的、激动的——我找不到一个词能完全概括。只记得王青霞护士长亲切地交代了工作，最后说了一句：“有什么困难都可以来找我，就叫我青霞姐吧。”

我笑着点头，有些害羞。可心里翻涌着感动——感动于他乡遇故人的温暖，感慨于如此优秀的人竟这般平易近人。我甚至悄悄地把“能喊一声青霞姐”当作了一种骄傲。她身上那些优秀的品质，才是我该去耳濡目染的。我的导师，青霞姐。

再后来，接到了书写项目计划书的通知。短短几天，对我而言是莫大的挑战。没日没夜地琢磨，终于等到护理学院肖老师来指导。我鼓起勇气，把自己的项目书拿出来当“改错的范本”。肖老师看起来年龄不大，朴素，思维却像刀锋一样清晰。她讲的每一个点，我都努力记下来，那些理念像烙印一样打在心里——只是脑子偶尔会死机，得回去慢慢捋、慢慢嚼、慢慢咽，最后变成肚子里的墨水。她是美国贾氏学者，腹有诗书气自华，说的就是她吧。

座谈会上，护理部岳丽青主任、李丽副主任、吴疗芳老师细细询问我们的学习生活。我一时激动，脱口而出：“感觉自己像掉进了大米缸的老鼠，学也学不完。”大家笑了，事后我有点后悔这个比喻不够雅观。可那份真实的幸福感，已经种在了心里。

更大的惊喜在后头。导师通知我，曹岚老师会来指导我的项目书。曹岚老师——重症超声界的偶像，湖南的骄傲，护理人的骄傲。来之前我读过她许多文章，科研达人，产量骄子。能见到她，这次学习的价值已无法估算。见面时，她话不多，却字字真经，三下五除二就把我的项目书理得清清楚楚。顿悟，就是那一刻的感觉。

还有张春艳老师，带我入科培训，像朋友一样关心我，把自己的鞋柜分我一半；杨清老师，大家都叫她“清妈”，语气温柔，教学耐心；赵春光教授，查房时思路清晰，激情澎湃，随时随地拿起笔就在墙上画，把复杂的病理生理揉碎了讲，时不时幽默几句，和同学们俏皮互动。跟这样的老师学习，是快乐的。我感受过了。

时间啊，过得太快了。二十周的学习，余额只剩十四周。我只求它慢一点，让我在这美好的相遇时光里，多存一点故事，留给以后慢慢品尝。

感恩此次美丽的遇见——遇见贾氏，遇见湘雅，遇见青霞姐、殷俊老师、肖锦荣老师、曹岚老师及遇见每一位照亮我的师长。更感恩那个在咳嗽与疲惫中依然选择走进一百零八室的自己。

三十八岁，不是终点，甚至不是中点。只要还在路上，就永远有遇见的可能。

而每一次美丽的遇见，都是生命赠予勇者的回响。”

— FENG Shengshi, Chia Health Fellow (Xiangya 2025-'26)

Celebrating Halloween at Yale-China with Yale-China staff members Leslie (left) and Theresa (center)

“We truly appreciate the Yale-China Association for making my visit at Yale University so warm, welcoming, and enriching—both academically and personally. Thanks to their thoughtful support, we had wonderful opportunities to join in American holiday celebrations and connect more deeply with everyday life and culture in the U.S.”

— QIU Tieying, Chia Health Fellow (Yale 2024-'25)

“以微光赴山海，以医者暖乡野
凤凰县人民医院 李弦

百年雅礼薪火不息，相传，长期深耕湖湘基层医疗公益多年。我参与的事业。雅礼协会贾氏卫生奖学金项目，自2012年起扎根湘西，专注持续资助本土女性基层卫生工作者进修成长提升，为偏远山区培育留得住、用得上的本土医疗力量，让规范、优质的医疗服务真正扎根乡土、惠及乡民。

参与项目前，我的工作十分单一，只是机械执行医嘱，日常做做打针、量体温这类基础常规护理。那时的我以为，踏踏实实做好本职工作，就是职业生涯的全部。直到2014年，我有幸加入湘西贾氏学者卫生项目，获得了系统学习全新护理专业知识的宝贵机会。起初面对新知识、新理念，我满心茫然、无从下手，在持续的学习与实操中，慢慢熟练掌握各项专业技能。这个项目不止侧重理论教学，更注重落地实践，让我真正实现了专业上的蜕变与成长。在学习过程中有困难、有茫然、有不解最终在老师的帮助下

学成归来，我满怀收获与底气，将项目所学的专业理念与规范技术全面运用到日常临床工作中。为补齐县域伤口护理的短板，我率先在县级医院牵头成立压疮管理小组，把从项目中学到的标准化护理知识、实操技巧毫无保留地分享给同事，带动科室整体提升压疮预防与处置水平，让更多住院患者受益于规范、优质的护理服务。凭着持续的钻研与实践积累，三年后我成功牵头开设伤口造口护理门诊，这也是湘西地区县级医院中首个由护士独立开展的专科护理门诊。从此，本地伤口、造口患者无需辗转外地，在家门口就能得到专业、系统的护理诊疗服务，切实解决了群众就医难的问题。一晃十年过去，我始终坚守初心、深耕专科护理领域，持之以恒精进专业技术、优化服务质量。十年坚守、久久为功，如今我的护理门诊收获了无数患者的真诚锦旗与高度认可，也多次获得医院及上级部门的表扬肯定，在全县专科护理领域树立了良好标杆，推动了我县伤口造口专科护理规范化发展，在县域医疗服务体系中发挥了重要作用。与此同时，我始终牢记基层服务初心，坚持下沉一线开展入户随访、免费义诊与健康科普，用朴实的乡土语言普及伤口管理、伤口营养护理等健康知识，慢慢扭转了村民陈旧的健康观念。

于我而言，雅礼卫生项目带来的不仅是专业能力的提升，更有坚守基层的底气与信念。一批批湘西本土卫生工作者在项目赋能下成长起来，我们接续坚守、深耕乡土，把专业知识转化为惠民实效，持续完善乡村卫生服务，守护一方百姓健康。

从迷茫彷徨到坚定笃定，从被动履职到主动担当，我与雅礼协会卫生项目相伴同行，在山野间坚守初心、默默耕耘。未来，我也将带着这份馈赠继续前行，以微光护民生，以医者之力守护乡土安康。 ”

— LI Xian, Chia Health Fellow (Xiangya 2013-'14)

“This photograph captures me at the 120th anniversary of Xiangya Hospital and the 24th Annual Conference of the Chia Fellowship Health Program, administered by the Yale-China Association and funded by the Chia Family Foundation. On the screen behind me, in quiet letters, is my deepest gratitude: “Thank you, my Chia project mentor, Professor Joanne Iennaco.”

But that moment was not merely a presentation on rural elderly care, nor the sharing of our digital innovations now reaching western Hunan (2024-2025). It was the living evidence of a journey that began more than a decade ago.

In the winter of 2013, I arrived in New Haven as a Chia Fellow, hosted by Yale-China. There, Mr. Chia Peiyuan gathered four of us and shared the founding vision of the Chia Health Program—a vision, born years earlier, of planting seeds of health and hope across China. I still remember the cold outside, and the warmth inside that room.

That seed grew into my first Chia project (2013-2014): systematically adapting behavioral activation for rural elders. Then came a China Medical Board project (2023-2025) on clinical education and community practice. And now, a second Chia project—bringing digital innovation and behavioral activation deep into the mountains of western Hunan.”

“Throughout these years, Professor Joanne Iennaco never stopped guiding me. Her mentorship did not end when my Chia project officially concluded; instead, it has continued across time and oceans—through every challenge, every new direction, every step forward. Along the way, I have moved from a clinical nurse to a doctoral advisor, a Chia program mentor here in western Hunan, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Two of my mentees, Wenling Yang and Yujiao Wu, chose to stay in western Hunan—now serving our rural elderly with their own hands. And my
master’s student, Gang Gan, has stepped into the very role I once held: a new Chia Fellow.

Together, we care for the mental health of older adults in China’s most remote regions. We carry with us not only clinical skills, but the memory of that winter in New Haven, and the bridges Yale-China has built across the Pacific—bridges of education, medicine, and public health.

So I offer this picture as a small flame. Not for myself, but for what it represents: a spark that was lit in 2013 and has never gone out. May it ignite others. May it travel across mountains and seas, from generation to generation. For I choose to be a spark of Yale-China—here on Chinese soil, burning on, and on.”

— XIE Jianfei, Chia Health Fellow (Yale 2013-'14)

Professor Joanne Iennaco and her former Chia Fellow Xie Jianfei, stand together in the Century‑old History Museum of Xiangya School of Nursing — a shared moment within red walls, where our continued fellowship speaks across time

A blessing from two Chia hearts in Xiangya’s hundred-year-old hall,

Where nursing first heard her call,

This photo keeps our quiet trace—Your gentle steps, my warm embrace.

Dear Joanne, we stood in red-walled light,

A mentor's heart, a fellow’s might.

And in Yale’s library, time stands still—Two red-brick worlds, one shared will.

From Yuelu’s pines to East Rock’s height,

From Xiangjiang’s waves to Atlantic’s night,

One river learns the ocean’s name— Not waters changed, but love the same.

Medicine climbed the mountain road,

Public health shouldered a heavy load.

Education lit the darkest chart,

And nursing held the healing heart.

Red roofs still stand, no more apart,

They lean toward a modern start.

Step by step, through breeze and year,

We’ve come to heal, to hold, to cheer.

So light one more candle, steady and wise—One hundred and twenty-five autumns rise.

From Xiangjiang to ocean, from hill to hill,

Yale-China, we love you. Always will.

XIE Jianfei, Chia Health Fellow (Yale 2013-'14)