BEIJING — Some Chinese universities are beefing up efforts to build schools related to public health management amid the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Last week, the Shenzhen-based Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) announced the building of the School of Public Health and Emergency Management.

The university signed a memorandum of understanding and a cooperation agreement on the joint construction of the school with the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of SUSTech.

SUSTech President Chen Shiyi said the school is aimed at cultivating more top-notch medical talent to meet the demand for social development.

Tsinghua University established a School of Public Health to help "enhance China's capabilities in public health management" on April 2.

Margaret Chan, former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), will be the first dean of the school that will focus on research fields including preventative medicine, comprehensive healthcare, big data in healthcare, and public health policy and management.

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in mid-March held a meeting on the establishment of a public health school.

Noting the important role of traditional Chinese medicine in beating the novel coronavirus, Zhai Shuangqing, vice president of the university, said the university was obliged to train more Chinese medicine professionals in public health and preventive medicine.