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On 13-14 November 2024, the ADVANCED Symposium and EBM Workshop was held in Hong Kong, co‑hosts by the Chinese EQUATOR Centre at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and the Institute of Health Data Science, Lanzhou University (LZU), and , with support from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Guideline Implementation and Knowledge Translation, Research Unit of Evidence-Based Evaluation and Guidelines of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and other partners.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Yaolong Chen, Executive Dean of the Institute of Health Data Science at Lanzhou University. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Professor Zhaoxiang Bian, Associate Vice‑President (Clinical Chinese Medicine), HKBU, and Professor Jiming Liu, Associate Vice‑President (Research Development), HKBU. Professor Gordon Guyatt and Professor Derek Chu from McMaster University, together with 62 experts, researchers, and students from 15 organizations, attended the event.

In opening remarks, Professor Jiming Liu noted that HKBU and LZU—two highly regarded comprehensive universities in China—have maintained close collaboration in student and staff exchanges and research since 2006, forging nearly two decades of strong ties. He highlighted the synergy between HKBU’s strengths in Chinese medicine and artificial intelligence and Lanzhou University’s excellence in evidence‑based medicine, and expressed hopes for deeper, more extensive cooperation to achieve more impactful outcomes in AI‑empowered medicine. Professor Zhaoxiang Bian noted that faculty and students from LZU have been engaging with the HKBU EQUATOR Centre since 2019, with ongoing collaboration on joint projects, co‑authored publications, and postgraduate training. He highlighted the ADVANCED (AI‑empowered Medical Standards and Guidelines) initiative as a model of substantive collaboration, underscored the importance of cross‑disciplinary integration between the two universities’ strengths, and encouraged the ADVANCED team to deepen research in Chinese medicine to provide intelligent, evidence‑based solutions for Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine hospital, scheduled to open in December next year.

Over 13-14 November, Professor Gordon Guyatt delivered three lectures—“Evidence‑Based Medicine Over the Past 35 Years: What We Have Achieved and What Remains to Be Addressed,” “Values and Preferences in Clinical Practice Guidelines,” and “How to Use Core GRADE in Guideline Development”—offering a comprehensive overview of the progress, opportunities, and challenges in evidence‑based medicine over the past three decades. Professor Derek Chu presented “The Progress and Challenges of Evidence Synthesis,” “Living Systematic Review: The Why, What, When, and How,” and “Network Meta‑analysis: Methods and Examples,” outlining advances in evidence synthesis, living systematic reviews, and network meta‑analysis. Researcher Yu Zhang from Cochrane Hong Kong delivered “Promoting Evidence‑Based Practice: The Work of Cochrane Hong Kong,” introducing the centre’s development, activities, and future plans. Professor Yaolong Chen presented “ADVANCED: From Idea to Products,” describing the ADVANCED team’s background, vision and mission, product suite, target users, and core use cases. Professor Lu Zhang (HKBU) presented “Mapping Large Language Model in Integrative Medicine,” highlighting research progress, opportunities, and challenges in applying large language models to integrative medicine. Professor Long Ge (LZU) delivered “AI Accelerates the Development of Systematic Reviews,” detailing how AI tools can expedite systematic reviews and the current state of related research.

This was the first time that HKBU and LZU co‑hosted a symposium and workshop in Hong Kong. Building on the ADVANCED initiative, the two universities will further explore AI applications in evidence‑based integrative medicine and advance the translation and implementation of related AI products.