We CPDS group had the pleasure of hosting Prof. Li Zhang, a renowned clinical neurologist, and the Academic Director of the Sleep Medicine Centre at Nanjing Brain Hospital, for a visit to the University of Cambridge. Prof. Zhang brings over 20 years of experience in clinical research, with a particular focus on Parkinson’s disease and sleep disorders. Her research has made significant contributions to the clinical diagnosis, treatment, imaging, and translational aspects of these conditions. She has published more than 50 scientific papers and led several national and provincial research projects.
During her visit, Prof. Zhang gave a seminar on the use of wearable devices to effectively monitor and quantify gait disturbances, a common symptom in Parkinson's disease. Her research underscores the early onset of gait impairment in Parkinson's disease and its progressive nature, offering valuable insights for early detection and monitoring of disease progression. The findings from her work could pave the way for novel approaches to assessing and managing Parkinson’s disease in clinical settings. The seminar attracted a full-house audience from several departments including Engineering, Cavendish, and Computer Sciences, and it generated a lot of interests for future collaborations.
Prof. Zhang also held productive meetings with several departments, including the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, the Department, of Engineering and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, to explore potential collaborations between the University of Cambridge and Nanjing Brain Hospital. During these discussions, we had the privilege of meeting Professor Barker, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, and Group Leader at the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair.
Additionally, we were fortunate to host a highly insightful visit from Dr. Ian Smith, Medical Director of Royal Papworth Hospital.
We look forward to future visits and collaborations between the University of Cambridge and Nanjing Brain Hospital, and to working together on innovative neurological research.