Initial setting up (May 2008 – March 2010) 

Australian Association of Chinese Biomedical Scientists (AACBS) was initiated by a group of volunteers who were biomedical scientists / researches in different institutions at Sydney, Australia (see Table 1). The first meeting held at the Centenary Institute on 28 May 2008 and discussed to establish a Chinese biomedical scientist organization, aiming at the research collaboration within the organisation, as well as between China and Australia, career development and social network. Associate Professor Qihan Dong was kindly agreed to chair the volunteer group.  After a period of preparation, the opening scientific symposium was held on 30 November 2008 at the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute.  Subsequently the volunteer group along with Associate Professor Ming-qi Wei from Gold Coast was successfully organised the PIG (Principal Investigator Group) meeting at Fisherman’s Wharf Seafood Restaurant on 9 January 2009. There were 30 Australian Chinese scholars from NSW, ACT, Victoria and Queensland at the PIG meeting (Picture 1). 

Picture 1Front Row (from Left to right): Dr Bing Yu (NSW), Dr Yue Huang (NSW), xxx, A/Prof.Ming Wei (QLD), A/Prof.Jun-Ping Liu (VIC), A/Prof.Qihan Dong (NSW). MiddleRow(first three from Left to right):Dr Yong Li (NSW), Dr Di Yu (NSW), A/Prof.Pu Xia (NSW); Back Row: A/Prof Wei Duan (VIC, first left) and A/Prof.Rob Yang (NSW, third left). 

Registration stage (March 2010 – May 2011)

The first executive core committee was elected on 19 March 2010 by 13 committee members. The relevant executive roles and responsibility were decided in the first core member meeting on 22 April.

Under the leadership of Dr Yue Huang and Dr Yiping Wang, the organisation revised its name as Australian Association of Chinese Biomedical Scientists (AACBS) and set up the goals, purpose and structure. The most important task was the completion of the registration for the organisation with the great effort from Dr Yiping Wang. AACBS was incorporated successfully on 25 May 2010 and subsequently it has been endorsed as a charity organisation on 3 October 2010, which means that any donation would be tax exempted. 

The first executive core committee has set up a good relationship with the Consulate-General of People’s Republic of China at Sydney and invited Dr Fu-Xiang He, Counsellor for Science and Technologyof the Chinese Consulate-General at Sydney to attend and address the AACBS activities (Picture 2). It becomes routine to hold a general meeting (AGM) and a scientific meeting per year. Student members are encouraged to present their research and competed for the AACBS student awards. 

Picture 2 AACBS Scientific Meeting 2010. Front Row (from Left to right): xxx, Dr Yiping Wang, Dr Fu-Xiang He, Dr Yue Huang, A/Prof.Pu Xia, Dr Bin Wang and Dr Bing Yu;  MiddleRow(from Left to right): Dr JingliHao, Dr Weiwei Xiao, xxx, Dr Nan Yan, xxx, xxx, MsYiqian Chen, Mr Qi Cao, Dr Hong Yu. Back Row: Dr Henry Li (first left), Dr Di Yu, xxx, A/Prof. Qihan Dong, Ms Yong Li, (4^th to 7^thfrom Left), Juntan Lu, Changqi Wang, Junyu Lu and Jacob Qi (9^th to 12 the from left). 

Establishment of friendship and routine activities (May 2011 – May 2013)

The second executive core committee started functioning on 8 May 2011 (See Table 3 and Picture 3) and organisedAACBS AGM2011 at Neuroscience Research Australia on 26 June 2011. Mr Gang Bai, Counsellorfor Education of the Chinese Consulate-General at Sydney attended the meeting and gave the address (Picture 4). He congratulated the achievements of AACBS since the inception and encouraged AACBS to make more contributions to the collaborations among the members as well as with the biomedical researchers in China. It was the first time that this AGM received the financial support from the Education Office of the Chinese Consulate-General, MiltenyiBiotec and Life Technologies with the initiative and effort from A/Prof. Yong Li and A/Prof. Bing Yu. Subsequently, Dr Belamy Cheung and Dr Yiping Wang successfully applied a community grant ($3000) from Chinese Charity Foundation in July 2012. AACBS website was online and updated in 2011 (?). The Annual Scientific Meeting 2011 was held at Centenary Institute on 15 November 2011. Dr Fu-xiang He, Counsellor for Science and Technology of the Chinese Consulate-General at Sydney attended and addressed the meeting (Picture 5). Dr Yue Huang and her family generously donated money to the student awards for this session. AACBS AGM 2012 was held at Kogarah RSL Club on 19 August 2012. The topics of the manuscript writing and reviewing, given by A/Prof. Bing Yu and Prof. Xu-dong Zhang, respectively, were well received. AACBS Scientific Meeting 2012with the theme of “Leaning and exploring in biomedical science” was held at Kogarah RSL Club on 16 December 2012. Dr Michael Tse, Chinese Charity Foundation gave a talk on environmental issues and presented the student awards (Picture 6).

Picture3From Left to right: A/Prof.Pu Xia, A/Prof.BingYu,DrYiping Wang, Mr Gang Bai, Dr Yue Huang, A/Prof.Qihan Dong, A/Prof.Yong Li, MrDeminZheng

Picture4Front Row (first to 7^thfrom Left): A/Prof.Qihan Dong, A/Prof.XianqinQu, A/Prof.Bing Yu, Dr Yiping Wang, Mr Gang Bai, A/Prof.Yong Li, Dr Yue Huang, Dr Bin Wang. 

Picture5AACBS AGM 2012. Top: Dr Yue Huang and the student recipients (Jacob Qi – right). Middle: Dr Fu-xiang He, A/Prof. Pu Xia and Dr Di Yu in their presentations. Bottom: AACBS participants at AACBS Scientific Meeting 2011 at Centenary Institute. 

Picture6 Top: Student award recipients with Dr Michael Tse. From left to right: Jie Ni, Zoe Che, xxx, Dr Michael Tse, xxx, A/Prof. Yong Li.

Middle: Dr Yiping Wang chaired AACBS Scientific Meeting 2012. Dr Michael Tse was preparing the presentation with the help from Dr Yiping Wang and Dr BelamyCheung . Dr Michael Tse presented at the meeting. Bottom: Participants at the meeting. 

Picture7 Front Row (from Left to right): A/Prof  Yong Li, Dr Belamy Cheung, Dr Bin Wang, xxx; Back Row (from left to right): Dr Yiping Wang, A/Prof.Pu Xia, Ms Zoe Che, A/Prof.Bing Yu, Mr Jacob Qi, A/Prof Zhe Li,  A/Prof.Jun Ma, xxx

Picture8BBQ party at Bicentennial Park.From left to right: Far front: xxx, xxx, xxx; Front Standing Row: xxx, xxx, Mr Jacob Qi, A/Prof. Bing Yu, Dr Yiping Wang, A/Prof. Pu Xia, Dr Lei Chang,, Dr Bin Wang, Dr Josef Dick, A/Prof. Yong Li, Dr Henry Li, Dr Jianghua Wang; Middle Standing Row: Ms Ping Gao, Dr Belamy Cheung, Dr XiminFeng, xxx, Dr Jing-li Hao, Dr Yue Huang; Back Standing Row: xxx, xxx, xxx, Dr Jie Ni, xxx, xxx. 

Development and promotion stage (May 2013 - )

The third executive core committee was elected on 19 May 2013 and held its first core meeting on 27 May 2013 (Picture 9). In this meeting, the core members had their roles assigned (See Table 4) and discussed the arrangement of AGM, which designed a special session of “Meet with Mentors” for student members to help their career development. AACBS AGM 2013 was held at the Research and Education Building, St George Hospital on 28 July 2013. This AGM invited Prof. Xiaojia Wang, Counsellor for Education and Mr Demin Zheng, Consul of Education, the Chinese Consulate-General at Sydney, Ms Li Deng, Chief Correspondent and Ms Xiao Wang from Radio China International in Australia and Dr Walton Chu, Director of Great Fortune Investment. Prof. Wang gave the address to the meeting (Picture 10). The AACBS Scientific Meeting 2013 was held at the Research and Education Building, St George Hospital on 24 November 2014. A/Prof. Yong Li put great effort on the fundraising and attracted financial supports from the Prostate and Breast Cancer Foundation, Sigma-Aldrich, Sapphire Bioscience VWR and BGI Tech with the total amount of $7000. Mr Reg Wooldleigh from the cancer foundation attended the meeting, gave a special address and presented the awards (Picture 11). Prof. Rob (Hongyuan) Yang, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW) presented “How to build an independent research program in Australia: a personal perspective”. Prof. Xu-Feng Huang, School of Health Sciences, University of Wollongong talked about “Essentials to building up and manage a research group”. These two talks were very well-received by the AACBS members (Picture 11). BGI Tech also gave a brief introduction in the meeting. 

Picture9Third executive core member(from Left to right): Dr Bin Wang, Dr Jianmin Wu, A/Prof.Bing Yu, Dr Belamy Cheung, and A/Prof/ Yong Li 

Picture10AACBS AGM 2013. Top: Prof.Xiaojia Wang, Consul of Education of the Chinese Consulate-General at Sydeny, addressed the AGM (left). There is a unique session of “Meet with mentors” at this AGM (right); Middle: Prof.Xiaojia Wang and MrDeminZheng talked to A/Prof.Bing Yu and A/Prof.Yong Li before AGM. A/Prof.Yong Li talked to Ms Li Deng, Chief Correspondent and Ms Xiao Wang from Radio China International in Australia. Bottom: Participants at AACBS AGM 2013. 

Picture11Top: MrRegWooldleighwithMsSelina Sutton, the student award recipient and MrJie Ni, the student award runner-up. Middle: A/Prof.Bing Yu, Prof.Rob Yang and Prof.Xu-feng Huang spoke at AACBS Scientific Meeting 2013. Bottom: Tea Break at the Scientific Meeting. MrRegWooldeleighhad a photo withA/Prof.Bing Yu and A/Prof.Yong Li.

Picture12Chinese New Year Professionals’ Party 2014. Top: AACBS members and their spouses at the Sydney Chinese New Year Party 2014. From left to right: Dr Jianmin Wu, Dr  Yiping Wang, Dr XiminFeng, Dr Li Wang and A/Prof.Yong Li. Bottom: All Chinese professional organisations at the Sydney  Chinese New Year Party 2014. 

Picture 13Left: Dr Bin Wang talked about the prevention of infectious disease. Right: Dr Yue Huang presented how to prevent the senile dementia.