In this colloquium, we hear about Tsinghua University researchers' studies on physician-patient trust and satisfaction with health care in China. Professor Shen describes her research on “Social distance and its impact on patients’ trust in their providers in transitional China.” Using 2008 data from over 3500 patients that includes unique measures of patient trust – such as whether or not patients followed doctor recommendations for treatment – Dr. Shen and colleagues find large differences in trust, with patients of lower socio-economic status displaying higher trust in doctors than other groups. Analyses also examine how trust is related to satisfaction with health services, and how patient dissatisfaction in China compares to that in other countries’ health systems. Related research explores patients’ and providers’ attitudes towards separation of prescribing and dispensing, a key component of the 2009 health reforms, and how patient mistrust of providers stems from concerns about both competence and profiteering from overprescribing.

Focus

In 2008, for the first time a majority of the world's population lived in cities. Rapidly rising standards of living and migration are contributing to an unprecedented worldwide surge in urbanization--in China alone, if trends continue, by 2025 more than 220 cities will each have more than one million inhabitants. The explosive growth of cities around the Pacific has widespread implications for energy use and has led to the demand for cities to become both smart and green.

But while billions of dollars of investments are pouring into urban energy solutions, and around the Pacific "low-carbon cities" and "eco-cities" are moving center stage, there are enormous challenges (and opportunities) facing the effective application of information technologies (IT), other innovative technologies and industrial growth.

The intersection of IT and environmental sustainability on the urban scale will require a complex integration of expertise, tools, and know-how from multiple disciplines--from building design and real estate development, to mobility and water systems, IT hardware and software, and energy providers. Although innovations in strategies and implementation are evolving quickly in pockets of excellence around the globe, early results have been highly uneven. Frameworks for understanding and analysis are still fragmented, innovative design and implementation rapidly changing, and best practices have yet to be defined.

Purpose
Led by SPRIE at Stanford University, this conference aims to gather an elite group of experts, decision makers, and thought leaders from across disciplines and geographical boundaries to focus on smart green cities around the Pacific. Participants will:

• Pursue a deeper understanding of the complex interactions among the key drivers that impact the extent that cities are green and smart
• Focus on core challenges of capitalizing on opportunities and overcoming obstacles--technological, economic, behavioral or political
• Explore what innovations in strategy or practice are leading to positive outcomes, including human livability, financial viability, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability
• Discuss implications for the evolution of markets and development of industries 
• Lay the groundwork for future actions, such as industry strategies, research agendas, and policy recommendations

Participants
"Smart Green Cities" will invite a select group of government, business, and academic leaders from the United States and Asia for two days of expert presentations and fruitful discussion at Stanford University. The summit will enable participants to better lead to improved strategy, action, and outcomes for building the next generation of smart green cities.

Agenda
Agenda is preliminary and not all speakers are confirmed. Please download below

Sponsors
Many thanks to our sponsors for making this event possible. 

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