HAIKOU, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- A hospital in China's southern-most island province of Hainan has employed Gregg L. Semenza, winner of the world-class medical Lasker Award, as its chief scientist.

The BOAO International Hospital is now home to a workstation for Semenza, a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine in the United States, after a signing ceremony on Saturday.

"Semenza will help introduce high-level talent and advance frontier research in biology, genetics and genomics to seek more cures to benefit more Chinese patients," the hospital said.

Semenza said he was happy to provide his research techniques in stem cell therapy.

The Lasker Award is the most prestigious biomedical award in the United States. It is the second prize worldwide in the medical profession, after the Nobel Prize, and has gained a reputation for identifying future winners of the Nobel.

The Boao International Hospital is located in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone. In 2013, China introduced a batch of favorable policies to accelerate the development of the pilot zone, including fast approval of imported medical apparatus and medicine.