Jiahui International Hospital and NYU Shanghai's Silver School of Social Work officially launched a new practicum site during a signing ceremony on October 18, 2025. The ceremony, held as part of Jiahui Health’s Pink Ribbon Day event, marks a significant step in integrating professional social work services into the patient care ecosystem to address the psychosocial needs of individuals and families.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. John Hsiang, Chairman of Jiahui Health Executive Committee, and Dr. Qingwen Xu, Professor at the NYU Shanghai Silver School of Social Work and Coordinator of NYU Silver’s Master of Social Work (MSW) Program. They were joined by nearly one hundred healthcare professionals, patients, and family members.
Pictured: Dr. John Hsiang (right), Chairman of Jiahui Health Executive Committee, and Dr. Qingwen Xu (left), Professor at the NYU Shanghai Silver School of Social Work and Coordinator of NYU Silver’s MSW Program, jointly unveiled the collaborative program.
Selecting the Ceremony Date to Coincide with Pink Ribbon Day
The decision to launch the partnership on Pink Ribbon Day underscores a shared commitment to comprehensive breast cancer care. Breast cancer patients face not only physical challenges during treatment but also require psychological counseling, family support, and the effective integration of social resources. Social work professionals can fill these gaps in psychosocial support, that are undersupplied by conventional medical services.
Dr. John Hsiang said, “Jiahui Health has always followed two key principles: patient-centeredness and team medicine (multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment). Jiahui International Hospital provides a comprehensive, multi-dimensional diagnosis and treatment system. And with our partnership with NYU Shanghai, we aim to create a warmer, stronger support network combining medical, social, and psychological services.”
Pictured: Dr. John Hsiang delivering a speech at the ceremony.
The collaboration builds on a foundation of previous successful collaborations where NYU Shanghai social work graduate students provided valuable psychosocial support to patients and families within the Jiahui International Cancer Center. This official launch marks the beginning of a new, more systematic and standardized phase in the collaboration between the two parties. The program will gradually establish standardized psychosocial support services, ultimately benefiting every patient and family.
Integrating Social Work into the Multidisciplinary Clinical Care System and Strengthening the "Whole-Person" Care Model
Jiahui’s "Team Medicine" approach brings together diverse specialists—including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists, and pharmacists—to support patients through every stage of their healthcare journey.
In the field of cancer treatment, Jiahui boasts a leading team of surgical experts in China, international medical oncologists, and cutting-edge precision radiotherapy technology. For difficult and complex cases, we offer multidisciplinary team (MDT) consultations, bringing together specialists in surgery, internal medicine, radiotherapy, imaging, and pathology to collaboratively develop optimal treatment plans.
Jiahui’s support goes beyond curing cancer — it extends to caring about the patient’s recovery and quality of life. A professional rehabilitation team and a Traditional Chinese Medicine team help patients solve postoperative lymphedema problems, and the Reproductive Center provides fertility-preservation options for patients of childbearing age.
This summer the hospital welcomed Dr. Xuan Linli, Chief of Medical Oncology at Jiahui International Cancer Center, who brings nearly 30 years of oncology experience from the United States. Along with exceptional clinical skills and multidisciplinary collaboration expertise, she brings a deeply rooted commitment to patient-centered care. Her arrival has strengthened Jiahui’s “whole-person, whole-journey” approach and added both depth and warmth to the team’s clinical and compassionate work.
Now, with social workers formally joining the team, this system is even more complete — enabling better communication with patients and their families both inside and outside the clinic, and helping them feel less alone.
Pictured: Dr. Xuan Linli (left), Dr. John Hsiang (middle), Dr. Qingwen Xu (right)
United in Care, Safeguarding Every Patient
Looking ahead, Jiahui will focus on building a standardized system of psychosocial support services. Social workers will be integrated throughout the patient care continuum—from diagnosis and treatment to recovery—providing counseling, facilitating family-medical relationships, and connecting patients with community resources, ensuring that patients and families feel truly heard and cared for.
Through this extensive collaboration with NYU Shanghai, Jiahui International Hospital moves closer to its promise of not only treating disease but also safeguarding each patient's overall quality of life.
"As the pink ribbon symbolizes, we are tying together a network of care and passing on a message of hope," added Dr. Hsiang. "We believe that with the support of our professional team, our community partners, and the courage held by every patient and their families, we can walk this path together, going further and more steadily."
