From April 17th to 26th, Chen Xiang, Executive Vice President of Central South University and Dean of Xiangya School of Medicine, led a delegation on a visit to the United States, Barbados, and the Bahamas. The aim of the visit was to foster collaborations with partner universities and organizations abroad, sign cooperative agreements, engage with overseas alumni, and promote cultural exchanges. Joining the delegation were leaders from Xiangya School of Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, the Second Xiangya Hospital, and the School of Basic Medical Sciences.

During their stay in the United States, Chen Xiang and the delegation met with Prof. Peter Salovey, President of Yale University, Prof. Nancy J. Brown, Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, and Mr. John Frisbie, President of the Yale-China Association. H.E. Governor Mao Weiming of Hunan Province attended these meetings and highlighted the enduring friendship between Hunan, Yale University, and the Yale-China Association as a model of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. They discussed plans to further strengthen cooperation between the two sides, particularly in medicine, healthcare, education, and research, to enhance bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

Chen Xiang also extended an invitation to Prof. Peter Salovey from Prof. Li Jiancheng, President of Central South University, to visit the university and participate in the 110th anniversary celebration of Xiangya Medical Education. Chen Xiang expressed his commitment to deepening cooperation with Yale University through broader and more intensive exchanges to enhance mutual understanding and friendship.

During their visit to the United States, the delegation also visited the headquarters of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) and held discussions with Dr. Ami E. Simunovich, Executive Vice President of BD. In the presence of H.E. Governor Mao Weiming, Zhang Xin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Xiangya Hospital, and Li Ping, Vice President of BD for Government Affairs & Market Access, Greater China, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish an Advanced Medical Innovation Center. The agreement aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of key medical device technologies and enhance the quality of medical laboratory testing and talent development in Hunan Province.

Additionally, the delegation met with Dr. Cheng Yan Davis, Co-founder and President of the Forum for World Education, as well as representatives from the Xiangya Overseas Alumni Association and the Yan Fuqing Family. Chen Xiang expressed gratitude to the Xiangya Overseas Alumni Association and the Yan Fuqing Family for their contributions to the prosperity and development of Central South University.

During the visit to Barbados, Chen Xiang participated in separate meetings with Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, and Hon. Santia J. O. Bradshaw, Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados. He also signed a memorandum of understanding with Prof. R. Clive. Landis, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, to promote student and faculty exchanges, academic exchanges, and research cooperation, contributing to international educational cooperation and cultural exchanges. Chen Xiang stated that Central South University will work with the University of the West Indies to implement specific cooperation projects, injecting new impetus into the construction of a community of shared future between China and Barbados.

In the Bahamas, Chen Xiang and the delegation were received by Hon. Philip E. Davis, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Bahamas. They also attended the launching ceremony of the "Brightness Action" in Nassau. The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University will conduct a cataract charity clinic at the Princess Margaret Hospital in the Bahamas for about a month, organizing ophthalmic experts and technical backbones to perform 200-300 cataract surgeries, bringing light and warmth to the people of the Bahamas suffering from cataracts.

Furthermore, the delegation visited the University of the Bahamas and attended an education cooperation exchange meeting between Hunan and the Bahamas. In the presence of H.E. Governor Mao Weiming, Chen Xiang and Janyne Hodder, President of the University of the Bahamas (Acting), signed a memorandum of understanding. According to the memorandum, the two sides will further enhance academic, cultural, and scientific research exchanges and mutual learning on the basis of consolidating existing achievements, and establish sound mechanisms for academic exchanges, research cooperation, and talent cultivation between the two places. Chen Xiang stated that Central South University will innovate cooperation mechanisms with the University of the Bahamas to write a new chapter in higher education cooperation and exchanges between Hunan and the Bahamas.

During the visit, Chen Xiang and the delegation also paid visits to the New York, Greater Washington (DC Area), and Dallas chapters of the Xiangya Overseas Alumni Association. They met with the newly appointed President, Dr. Liao Wei, and had enthusiastic interactions with overseas alumni, inviting them to join in celebrating the 110th anniversary of Xiangya Medical Education back home.