Dermatology

The Department of Dermatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was established when the former Shanghai First Medical University relocated to Chongqing, and it was one of the first clinical departments opened during the hospital’s initial period of establishment. In the early 1960s, the Department of Dermatology began establishing a pathology laboratory and a mycology laboratory, making it one of the earliest clinical specialty laboratories established among hospital dermatology departments nationwide. In January 1962, the Department of Dermatology Teaching and Research was established. In 1986, the department obtained authorization to confer master’s degrees. In April 2004, it established a dermatologic cosmetic treatment room, which later developed into the Laser Aesthetics Division; it also began offering cosmetic training courses. In 2005, it obtained authorization to confer doctoral degrees. In 2011, it was approved by the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission as a key discipline. It is now a National Clinical Drug Trial Base, a National Demonstration Base for Dermatologic Medical Aesthetics, a vice-chair institution of the Skin Technology Development Branch of the National Health Industry Enterprise Management Association, the Chongqing Cosmetics Adverse Reaction Monitoring and Evaluation Base, a member institution of the Laser Technology Application Research Center of the Dermatology and Venereology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, an Outstanding Demonstration Unit of the Global Psoriasis Monitoring Project, and the China Research Base for Eczema, Dermatitis and Skin Allergy, among others.

Through the concerted efforts of academic leaders Professor Dong Shaohua, Professor Yuan Chengyan, Professor Zhang Fating, Professor Li Guiming, Professor Li Hui and Professor Chen Aijun, together with several generations of medical staff, the department’s medical technology, professional team, scale and academic influence have developed rapidly. As of 2022, the department had more than 50 professional and technical staff members, including 9 with senior professional titles and 4 with associate senior professional titles; 3 doctoral supervisors and 4 master’s supervisors; and 15 staff members with doctoral degrees. Six staff members had pursued further study at Harvard University, the University of Munich in Germany, the University of Chicago in the United States, New York Gelangni Medical Center, and the University of Washington in the United States. The department has nearly 1,300 inpatient discharges and 180,000 outpatient visits annually. It has independent laser aesthetics, surgical treatment, laboratory and pathology facilities. Its outpatient clinics are staffed year-round by nationally renowned experts and specialists with senior professional titles. The department has developed five complete subspecialties: laser aesthetics, dermatologic surgery, dermatopathology, allergic skin diseases and immune-mediated skin diseases. On this basis, it has established 13 specialized disease clinics: acne/vitiligo, rosacea, laser aesthetics, eczema/atopic dermatitis, skin tumors, chronic urticaria, chronic pruritus, minimally invasive dermatology/injectables, superficial skin scars/alopecia, pigmented nevi/skin masses, children/adolescents, psoriasis, and complex or refractory skin diseases. It is a leader in the Chongqing region and extends its reach beyond the city to Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other areas, giving it a strong regional influence.

The Department of Dermatology has always emphasized the education and development of personnel as well as the building of a professional succession structure, and has formed teaching and research teams with continuity across three generations—the senior, middle-aged and younger generations. It was approved as one of the first high-quality courses in Chongqing and has undertaken more than 60 national-, provincial- and ministerial-level research projects, including 11 funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. It has published nearly 500 papers, including more than 100 indexed in SCI. It has hosted academic conferences including the Chinese Medical Association’s 23rd National Academic Conference on Dermatology and Venereology, the Annual Dermatology Conference of the Sichuan–Chongqing Region, the Laser Aesthetic Technology Training Course of the Liangjiang Summit Forum, and the Chongqing Difficult Case Discussion Conference. The department has a number of outstanding academic professionals, including the Third Cohort of Chongqing Academic and Technical Leaders, reserve candidates for Chongqing Academic and Technical Leaders, and high-level young and middle-aged medical professionals in Chongqing. Its members hold influential national academic positions, including Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of the Dermatology and Venereology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and Vice-Chair of the Sixth Committee of the Dermatologists Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. Many members have been invited to attend international academic conferences such as the World Congress of Dermatology, the European Congress of Dermatology and the East Asian Congress of Dermatology, where they have delivered plenary speeches and academic presentations. At present, the department has trained or is training more than 100 postgraduate students, including 13 international students, as well as more than 60 advanced trainees and residents in standardized training; all have become key professionals in their local healthcare systems.

Building on the mature dermatologic surgery and laser aesthetics teams at the main hospital, and integrating the disciplines of dentistry, plastic surgery and geriatrics, the Chongqing Medical Aesthetics Center was established at the First Branch. The center is equipped with a range of advanced aesthetic devices, including Thermage, radiofrequency and gold microneedling. It leads the field of anti-aging aesthetics and is developing a one-stop anti-aging service platform for public hospitals in Chongqing and the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, providing full-lifecycle and whole-process management encompassing assessment and monitoring of aging indicators, facial rejuvenation, hair care, mesotherapy, minimally invasive aesthetic procedures, stem-cell therapy, body contouring and other services. Relying on first-class personnel, first-class facilities and first-class technology, it provides people seeking aesthetic improvement with distinctive, high-quality and comprehensive medical aesthetic services.