Yu-Jia Yang, MD, PhD

Dr. Yu-Jia Yang serves as the Editor-in-chief of Translational Pediatrics (www.thetp.org) and Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics (www.cjcp.org), Consultant of Neonatal Group, Chinese Medical Association (CMA) Academy of Pediatrics, & Neonatal Professional Board of Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA), & Academic Board of the Key Laboratory in Neonatal Disease, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. He is a supervisor for doctoral candidates and enjoys special allowance from State Council of China.

He graduated from Tongji University Medical College (formerly Shanghai Railway Medical College) in 1966, and then received his master degree and PhD degree in Central South University Xiangya Medical College (formerly Hunan Medical College) in 1981 and 1990, respectively.

In 1988, he was trained in Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University under the supervision of Prof. Hanna M. Pappius. He was promoted to professor at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in 1992. He served as the Chairmen of the Department of Pediatrics of Xiangya Hospital from 1994 to 2004. In 1996, he studied in the Division of Neurology, Lund University, Sweden, as a senior visiting scholar; in the same year, he conducted a short- term academic exchange in the Department of Neonatology at University of Maryland School of Medicine for one month. In 1999, Prof. Yang established Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics and has been served as its editor-in-chief till now. Yang served as the Deputy Director of Neonatal Group, Chinese Medical Association (CMA) Academy of Pediatrics from 2007 to 2010 and Director of academic committee of the Key Laboratory of Neonatal Disease of Ministry of Health at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University from 2009 to 2012.

His main research interests include the prevention and treatment of pediatric brain edema and neonatal brain injuries, especially the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy using hyperbaric oxygenation and stem cell transplantation. In late 1970s, under the supervision of Prof. Pei-Lan Yu, a famous expert in pediatric brain edema in China, he participated in the establishment of the animal models of infectious brain edema. In the following decades, he and his research teams conducted massive amounts of research on the pathogenesis of cerebral edema and the molecular mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine in treating brain edema. Prof. Yang and his colleagues for the first time reported that hyperbaric oxygen can stimulate the proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells and promote them to differentiate into neurons in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). They also demonstrated that, with totally different toxicities from high-concentration oxygen, hyperbaric oxygen will not cause retinopathy of prematurity or lung injuries. They also have explored the protective roles of intracranial transplantation of multiple stem cells on neonatal rats with HIBD. Recently they have completed a new study on the treatment of neonatal rats with HIBD using the transplantation of dental pulp stem cells. Prof. Yang has been responsible for or engaged in 18 State-level or province-level research projects on pediatric brain injuries, including 4 projects supported by National Natural Science Fund. He has won 12 State-level or province-level scientific awards, including a National Award for Science and Technology Advancement (2nd Class) in 1990. He has trained more than 20 doctoral candidates.

He has authored several books including Pediatric Cerebral Edema and Increased Intracranial Pressure, Pediatric Stubborn Diseases, National Medical Qualification Examination - Pediatrics, Selected Examination Questions for Pediatrics, Neonatal Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy, and Neonatal Jaundice.

He is also the co-author of two textbooks of pediatrics (one for 8-year program medical students, organized by Ministry of Health, and the other organized by the Ministry of Education) and several other books including Practical Neonatology and Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

He has published more than 100 articles in domestic and international peer-reviewed journals.

Antonio F. Corno

Dr. Corno was born in Italy in a small village (Vedano al Lambro) where his parents’ house was very close to the racing car circuit of Monza, and he learned immediately to watch and support the beautiful red Ferrari cars.

Dr. Corno received his graduate degree from Medical School of University of Pavia in 1975, and then graduated cum laude with the specialist degree in cardiac surgery from University of Padua in 1979 and the specialist degree in thoracic surgery from University of Siena in 1985. Following the Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Glasgow in 1997, the Privat-Docent in Surgery for Congenital Heart Defects from University of Lausanne in 2003, Dr. Corno received Honorary Doctorate in Medicine from University Sains Malaysia in 2017. From 2017-2020, Dr. Corno was Professor/Chair in Congenital Cardiac Surgery at the Cardiovascular Research Centre of University of Leicester and senior researcher of Department of Mathematics at University of Nottingham. From July 2020 to March 2023 Dr. Corno was Research Professor at the Children's Heart Institute of the Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, and at the University Texas Health of McGovern Medical School in Houston, Texas, USA. To move close to his family, following his passion for mathematics and bioengineering, he moved back to Europe as Scientific Collaborator in the Department of Mathematics at the "Politecnico" of Milan, Italy, and as Research Associate in the Department of Engineering at the University of Leicester, England.

Dr. Corno is an internationally respected and successful professor and consultant cardiac surgeon with congenital heart disease expertise, academic prowess and an exceptional track record delivering pioneering scientific/clinical research projects, and building world-class surgical teams for leading universities and hospitals in pressurized, fast-moving settings. Plus he is a charismatic and influential multi-lingual communicator, presenter and published author, with first-class people interpersonal skills.