About

An experienced professional in cross-border clinical project and alliance management, I’m Dr Amanda Mao, Founder and Managing Director at Acurit Medical Communications.

Helping Western biotech companies with post-deal alliance management for cross-border partnerships, we ensure that a partnership delivers on its strategic, operational, and commercial goals after the deal is signed.

We help Western consumer health companies deliver end-to-end clinical trials in China. Based on the resulting robust clinical data, we also support manuscript development for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Our end-to-end approach offers a powerful way to strengthen your brand credibility and accelerate commercial success.

We get it—being on the ground in China matters. That’s why Acurit has a CRA in Beijing, a project manager and a regulatory affairs specialist in Shanghai. With me in Australia, the rest of the team in key cities in China, and you in the West, it’s a perfect setup across time zones and cultures to speed up your project success.

When my family moved to Australia in 2015, I thought finding a job would be easy. I had a PhD in Biochemistry from the U.S., and eight years of scientific and leadership experience in global companies in China.

Yet every interview ended with the same question:
“Do you have local experience?”

I didn’t. And that one missing piece kept doors closed. Despite my qualifications and experiences, I couldn’t get a single job offer.

Ironically, the very disconnect I was facing mirrored what many of my clients struggle with today:
They bring incredible expertise—but underestimate how critical China fluency is. Success in China isn’t just about industry expertise—it’s about understanding the communication styles, how trust is built, how timelines are handled, and how decisions are really made.

Then everything changed.

A company—facing serious breakdowns in Chinese partnerships—reached out for help.

Through a connection, I stepped in.

I decoded expectations, solved problems, and managed risks. The project got back on track—and fast.

That’s when I knew: This wasn’t a job search anymore. It was the business I was meant to build.

So I built it.

At Acurit, our vision is a healthier world powered by cross-border collaboration.

We help Western biotech and nutrition companies collaborate with China smoothly and effectively via bridging cultural, communication, and operational gaps, so that you can accelerate impactful health innovations for patients and consumers.

Career

• Co-Founder, Asia Pacific MedComms Network
• Co-Founder, Melbourne Chapter, Global Healthcare Dialogues
• Eight years of scientific and managerial experience in Medical and Clinical Affairs in China
  • Senior Medical Manager, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Asia Pacific
  • Head, Science Communications, Biostime, now part of H&H Group, the parent company of Swisse Wellness
• Have studied and worked in Australia, the U.S., Europe and China
• Fully Chinese-English bilingual. Native writer of Simplified Chinese; native speaker of Chinese Mandarin; write in American, British and Australian English

Education

• PhD (Biochemistry & Molecular Nutrition), University of Missouri – Columbia, U.S.
• MA (Medical Anthropology), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• MSc (Biochemistry), Nanjing University 南京大学
• BSc (Pharmaceutical Analysis), China Pharmaceutical University 中国药科大学

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Page last updated: March 19, 2026