James J. Heckman, the Nobel Prize winner and professor of economics at the University of Chicago, was invited to give a lecture on early childhood development at the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC).

Wang Guoqiang, vice-minister of the NHFPC, attended the lecture and exchanged ideas with Professor Heckman about the government and society’s responsibilities in early childhood development. Experts and heads from the China Development Research Foundation, National Maternal and Child Health Research Institute, and departments of international cooperation and maternal and child health at the NHFPC also attended the lecture.

Hosted by Zhang Shikun, director-general of the department of maternal and child health, the lecture was co-organized by the departments of maternal and child health and international cooperation.