Digestive Center

The Digestive Center specializes in endoscopic interventional (minimally invasive) diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the esophagus, gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tract, and pancreas. It is a comprehensive digestive disease diagnosis and treatment center integrating medical care, education, research, and translation, and is a leading institution in China with an international reputation. In 2014, the Center was approved as the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive System Diseases. It is also an affiliated institution of the Department of Gastroenterology of Capital Medical University, a national key discipline (cultivation), a national key specialty, and a key discipline of Beijing. The Center continues to innovate and achieve repeated breakthroughs in the pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and precision treatment of difficult digestive system diseases and tumors, and has ranked among the “National Best Gastroenterology Rankings” for five consecutive years.

The Center currently has three campuses—Xicheng, Tongzhou, and Shunyi—with 176 open beds. The Digestive Endoscopy Center has a total area of 5,383 square meters, receives approximately 180,000 outpatient visits annually, admits more than 5,000 inpatients annually, and performs approximately 150,000 endoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic procedures each year. The Center has a well-structured talent pipeline and brings together top domestic professionals in digestive endoscopy and gastroenterology. Its disciplinary structure is comprehensive, and its core team, led by chief physicians, professors, and doctoral supervisors, provides a solid foundation for discipline development. It encompasses multiple specialist groups, including early gastrointestinal cancer, biliary and pancreatic diseases, neurogastroenterology and motility disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, Helicobacter pylori and acid-related diseases, acute and critical digestive diseases, endoscopic weight loss, gastrointestinal fistulas, enteral and parenteral nutrition, pediatric gastroenterology, and new digestive drugs, devices, and clinical trials.

For decades, the Center has focused on core areas including endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of early gastrointestinal cancer and endoscopic minimally invasive treatment of biliary and pancreatic diseases. Key technologies such as ESD, ERCP, and EUS have reached a top domestic and world-class level. Clinically, the Center focuses on digestive endoscopic interventional (minimally invasive) diagnosis and treatment and performs procedures including endoscopic resection of early cancers; stent placement for advanced cancers; band ligation and embolization for bleeding due to cirrhosis; endoscopic hemostasis for ulcer bleeding; endoscopic stone extraction for bile duct stones; endoscopic treatment of pancreatitis and its complications; and endoscopic treatment of gastrointestinal fistulas. At the same time, it is actively developing cutting-edge technologies, including endoscopic weight loss and digestive endoscopy robots. In 2017, the Center took the lead in China in establishing a registry-based research cohort for early gastrointestinal cancer. It subsequently established a series of specialized disease diagnosis and treatment cohorts for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic atrophic gastritis, colonic adenomas, gastrointestinal bleeding, and other conditions, laying a solid foundation for precision diagnosis and treatment and clinical research. In 2003, the hospital integrated the advantageous resources of the Department of Gastroenterology, Department of Hepatology, and Department of General Surgery to establish the Beijing Digestive Disease Center, further strengthening its comprehensive diagnostic and treatment capabilities for digestive system diseases. The Center adheres to the mission of “direct express access for acute and critical illnesses, one-stop services for difficult diseases, intervention and blockade of precancerous diseases, and simultaneous advancement of medical care, education, and research,” providing patients with full-process, high-quality diagnostic and treatment services.

In terms of research platforms and innovation capabilities, in 2024 the Center was approved as the National Key Laboratory for Digestive Health. It also possesses a complete range of technology platforms, including the Beijing Key Laboratory of Precancerous Lesions of Digestive Diseases, the Beijing Key Laboratory for Drug and Medical Device Research and Development for Early Gastrointestinal Cancer, the Beijing Engineering Research Center for Digestive Diagnosis and Treatment Technologies, and the Beijing Digestive Medicine Quality Control and Improvement Center. It has undertaken numerous major national-level scientific research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the “863” Program, the “973” Program, the national key special projects of the “12th Five-Year,” “13th Five-Year,” and “14th Five-Year” Plans, and the Ministry of Health Public Welfare Fund. It has cumulatively published more than 100 academic papers and more than 350 SCI papers. Over the past ten years, it has led or participated in the development of more than 20 domestic and international industry guidelines and consensuses, and led or participated in dozens of clinical research projects on new drugs and new devices. The total number of projects ranks among the highest nationwide.

In education and talent development, the Center annually co-organizes the Beijing International Digestive Disease Forum with the Chinese Medical Doctor Association’s Gastroenterologists Branch (22 sessions had been held as of 2025), and undertakes the National Gastroenterology Physician Advanced Training Program commissioned by the Ministry of Health (60 sessions have been successfully held). It regularly conducts special seminars and “hands-on” training courses in gastroscopy, colonoscopy, ESD, EUS, and ERCP. The “‘Friendship’ Digestive Express—Journey Across China” was selected for the second round of the Ministry of Health’s “Ten-Year, Hundred-Project” program. As of the end of January 2026, it had held a total of 180 activities, covering 30 provinces and 105 cities, traveling 444,000 kilometers, and training more than 12,000 physicians. The Center innovatively implements a four-level “computer—model—animal—clinical” training system, standardizes digestive endoscopy operating standards nationwide, and promotes coordinated development in the digestive field across Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. It conducts the “Belt and Road” Face-to-Face Advanced Gastroenterologist Lecture Series and the “Belt and Road” Hands-on Advanced Digestive Endoscopist Training Course, helping improve medical standards in primary-level and remote areas at home and abroad.

In terms of team development and honors, the Center is united, progressive, and committed to innovation, and has been recognized as an advanced department of the hospital for many consecutive years. The Digestive Endoscopy Center was selected for two consecutive terms (2021–2025 and 2026–2030) among the World Endoscopy Organization (WEO) “Top 20 Global Endoscopy Centers” (WEO Centers of Excellence, CoE). It has received numerous honors, including the National Pioneer Workers’ Unit, the National “March 8” Red-Flag Collective, and the National Advanced Learning-Oriented Team.

The Center has achieved remarkable results in academic influence and talent development. Its experts have successively held important academic positions, including Executive Council Member of the Chinese Medical Association, President of the World Chinese Gastroenterologists Association, Chair of the Chinese Medical Association Digestive Endoscopy Branch, President of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association Gastroenterologists Branch, Deputy Chair and Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Medical Association Gastroenterology Branch, and Chair of the Digestive Endoscopy Branch/Gastroenterology Branch of the Beijing Medical Association. It has cumulatively trained and graduated more than 300 postgraduate students and three postdoctoral fellows, and currently has 108 enrolled postgraduate students and one postdoctoral fellow. It has trained more than 5,000 specialists in gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy and more than 30 international students for the country, and has received important awards including the Second Prize of the National Education Achievement Awards, the First Prize of the Beijing Education and Teaching Achievement Awards, and the First Prize of the Beijing Science and Technology Progress Awards. After generations of dedicated effort, the Digestive Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital has developed into an internationally renowned and domestically first-class discipline with comprehensive subspecialties, a well-developed talent pipeline, strong clinical and research capabilities, and advanced hardware and software facilities. Looking to the future, the Center will continue to innovate, strive for excellence, and work vigorously toward higher-level leapfrog development, making an even greater contribution to the development of digestive disease diagnosis and treatment in China.