It is our great honor to invite you to the 3rd Asia-Pacific Medical Student Symposium(APMSS), which will be held at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan on February 9-13, 2011. This is a can’t-miss opportunity for medical students from Asia-Pacific area to keep up with the latest medical advancement, to exchange ideas and to share values on pressing issues in various aspects of medicine.
　　We are now on the turning point of modern medicine:medical techniques and knowledge rapidly

develop, the globalization makes health issues worldwide interrelated, and the physician-patient relationship is changing every moment. While physicians, with a repertoire of diverse measures, are able to give much more efficient medical treatment in comparison with the past time, still, unprecedentedly complex is the situation now we must face. Therefore, it is time for us to assemble in the international symposium to collect thoughts and seek solutions together.
　　The theme of the 3rd APMSS is “Challenges and Prospects in Modern Medicine”. We hope to offer a chance for enthusiastic medical students from Asia-Pacific region to contribute opinions and insights on current medical issues, to compare conditions of different medical systems, and ultimately to build basic future collaboration. Topics from various aspects of medicine will be covered during the symposium, including biomedical science and research experiences, public health and policy, humanities and ethics, as well as international health service. Distinguished scientists and renowned scholars from Taiwan and abroad will be invited to give academic speeches and to lead panel discussion in the program. Also, all the participants will have a chance to give presentations on topics they are dedicated to. Moreover, in-depth discussion will proceed in 8-12 parallel working group discussion sessions, in which the students will work as a team to produce a communiqué or poster documenting their conclusions. Additionally, in clinical skill workshop, participants are going to compare different practice style and to use basic surgical techniques. Finally, we will arrange culture-experiencing activities, such as visiting famous attractions in the city of Taipei.

　　We look forward to your participation in the symposium!

Tsung-Che Wu
Chief Director of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Medical Students Symposium