A book of hope in a time of fear

Born in Beijing, he graduated with a doctoral degree in oncology from Peking University. Wang then went to Shanghai for postdoctoral research and has been working at the thoracic surgery department of Shanghai General Hospital since March.

Around nine years ago, when he followed his doctoral mentor at the outpatient clinic, watching and learning, they started answering medical questions raised online and writing articles based on frequently asked questions.

There were not many doctors doing this at the time and soon they discovered that many patients came to them in hospital because they'd read the articles and trusted them.

Through the years, trust and respect are what Wang values as essential to an efficient communication between patients, families and doctors, which will ultimately benefit treatment. Writing and speaking are ways he seeks, outside the confines of a hospital, to establish mutual understanding.

The current medical environment may not be satisfactory, but the doctors and patients need to find a middle ground. Ultimately it's about interaction between individuals, he says.

Apart from creating the second volume of his medical novel, Wang's also preparing for an online open course and a corresponding book on the medical way of thinking beyond offering advice, explaining how a doctor views things and bridging medical knowledge and clinical practices.

Contact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn