Zhang Boli is a revered educator and leading expert in the field of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases and traditional Chinese medicine.

He began teaching in 1982, and has since supervised the work of over 280 postgraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral students, many of whom went on to excel in their field, and continue to serve the medical profession across China and around the world. Using over 2 million RMB from research funding he had received, Zhang also set up a scholarship program for outstanding students.

Over the last 4 decades, Zhang has headed and conducted over 40 national and provincial level research projects, and has been a steadfast advocate for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. During the outbreak of COVID-19, he travelled to the most-severely affected city Wuhan and worked there for 82 days. From February 14 to March 10, he and his medical assistance team worked in a mobile field hospital in Wuhan. They provided treatment to 564 patients using traditional Chinese medicine, and none of the medical workers were infected.