Recently, the awarding ceremony of the 6th Maternal and Child Health Science and Technology Award and the 2nd China Women and Children's Health Medical Science and Technology Conference was held in Beijing. The research achievement "Genetic Basis and Pathogenesis of Childhood Autism" by Professor Xia Kun's team from the University of South China won the First Prize of the Natural Science Award of the 6th Maternal and Child Health Science and Technology Award.

The National Science and Technology Award for Maternal and Child Health is a national science and technology award approved by the National Health Commission. It is selected every two years, aiming to commend scientific and technological achievements and outstanding scientific researchers who have made original and leading breakthroughs in the field of maternal and child health. It is the most authoritative award with the largest scale, highest level, and widest influence in China's maternal and child health field, representing the highest level of scientific research innovation and technological application in this field.

Professor Xia Kun's team has long been committed to exploring the etiology and pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and researching precise diagnosis and treatment strategies. They have achieved a series of influential results in the fields of genetic basis, molecular classification, and pathogenic mechanisms, which have attracted extensive attention from peers at home and abroad. In 2023, Professor Xia Kun led the establishment of the Key Laboratory of Pediatric Rare Diseases at the Ministry of Education. This award fully demonstrates the team's continuous innovation ability and solid scientific research strength in the field of children's autism research.

Maternal and child health is one of the advantageous and characteristic directions of the school's "medical brand". It has the Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention of the National Health Commission, and has been committed to the research, prevention, and construction of prevention and control networks for birth defect-related diseases. In recent years, the school has continuously made efforts in women and children's health science popularization, basic research, clinical diagnosis and treatment, and public prevention and control network construction, achieving abundant results. It has also hosted sub-forums of rare diseases at the International Industry-University-Research Cooperation Conference and the Chinese Women and Children's Health Medical Science and Technology Conference, and its social service capabilities and influence have continued to improve. In the future, the school will continue to focus on the national children's health strategic needs, further deepen scientific and technological research and development and achievement transformation, promote the application of outstanding scientific research results in a wider range, and contribute more to the construction of "Healthy China".