Former head of department receives the highest distinction for contributions to China’s development

For the third time, a researcher from Aarhus University has received one of China’s highest awards for foreign researchers and experts who have contributed to the development of the country.

On 14 October, Emeritus Professor Jens Christian Djurhuus was presented with the Chinese Government’s Friendship Award.

This is the highest distinction awarded to foreigners who have made an extraordinary contribution to the development and modernisation of Chinese society.

Close ties for 40 years

Jens Christian Djurhuus’s close ties with the Chinese research environment began when he began collaborating with a Chinese PhD student some 40 years ago.

As a result, Jens Christian Djurhuus developed a close collaboration with the university in Zhengzhou, capital of the province of Henan, which has around 130 million inhabitants and is home to the largest hospital in the world.

The collaboration developed into research and study collaboration agreements between the Chinese hospital, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital.

Inspired the Chinese 

From 1986 to 2012, Jens Christian Djurhuus was head of the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University, and he helped to inspire the Chinese to set up a department in Zhengzhou according to the Danish model.

He was thus also an important element in the establishment of the cooperation agreement that the Department of Clinical Medicine and Aarhus University Hospital entered into in 2013 with the University Hospital in Zhengzhou, which amongst other things provided increased opportunities for the exchange of both knowledge and staff members.

Jens Christian Djurhuus is one of several international recipients of Chinese honours for 2021 – though due to China’s strict travel restrictions in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, he had to wait for a while to receive his medal.

The award was finally made at a dinner at the Chinese Embassy in Copenhagen, to which he was invited by the Chinese ambassador and his wife.

“It was a solemn ceremony, but it was also a very pleasant experience with good conversations between us all,” says Jens Christian Djurhuus, who was accompanied by his family at the dinner.

Third recipient from AU

As a researcher, Jens Christian Djurhuus has been responsible for more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and has, amongst other things, contributed to revolutionising the treatment of children’s urination problems.

In addition to his position as head of the Department of Health and Medical Sciences, the now pensioned professor has held numerous positions of trust, including as both vice-chair and chair of the Research Council, as well as chair of the board of the Danish Council for Independent Research.

Previously, Lars Bolund, professor at the Department of Biomedicine, and Flemming Besenbacher, emeritus professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, have received the Chinese Government’s Friendship Award.

50 prizes are awarded annually to researchers and experts all over the world, and almost 1,800 persons have received the award since it was established in 1991.

Further information

Emeritus Professor Jens Christian Djurhuus
Mail: jcd@biomedicin.dk