Psychiatry

The Department of Psychiatry of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was established in Chongqing in 1958 by renowned experts, including Zhang Fengchun, Ling Yonghe, Zhang Yongfang, Zhou Huizhang, Tian Shouzhang, and Yuan Tinggan, who had moved west from the former Shanghai First Medical College (now Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University). It is a comprehensive discipline integrating medical care, teaching, research, and prevention. In the “China Hospital Science and Technology Influence Ranking—Psychiatry,” it has ranked among the top 10 nationwide for five consecutive years. In Fudan University’s “China Hospital Best Specialty Reputation Ranking,” it has received the Discipline Reputation Nomination Award for ten consecutive years, remaining firmly in the “first echelon” of domestic psychiatry.

Medical Capacity The department is centered on the main hospital campus, with specialized areas including the sleep ward of the First Branch Hospital and the psychological counseling outpatient clinic at the Jinshan Campus. It is equipped with advanced medical instruments and equipment, including medical event-related potential instruments, near-infrared brain functional imaging systems, magnetic-navigation robotic positioning systems, polysomnography devices, modified electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy, transcranial direct-current stimulation, transcranial alternating-current stimulation, group biofeedback therapy, virtual-reality cognitive training, and more. Its medical equipment has reached a leading level in China. The department has developed 6 mature subspecialty directions: child and adolescent psychiatric disorders, severe mental disorders, geriatric psychiatric disorders, psychosomatic disorders, sleep-related disorders, and neuromodulation for psychiatric disorders. In 2018, it was approved as a Chongqing Municipal Clinical Key Specialty; in 2022, it was approved as a National Clinical Key Specialty Construction Unit. It is actively applying to become a National Regional Medical Center (Psychiatry).

Talent Development Discipline leader Zhou Xinyu is a recipient of the Chongqing Outstanding Young Scientists Fund, a Chongqing Yingcai distinguished teacher and renowned expert, and a Chongqing leading talent in scientific and technological innovation. Professor Kuang Li, Director of the Psychiatry Center, currently serves as Vice Chair of the Psychosomatic Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and a Standing Committee Member of the Psychiatry Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, among other academic positions. The discipline also has a large number of renowned experts with outstanding academic accomplishments and extensive clinical experience, including leading experts of Chongqing Young Experts’ Studios and high-level medical talents among young and middle-aged professionals in Chongqing.

Research Achievements Over the past 10 years, the department has undertaken more than 200 vertical research projects at various levels, including the major special project of the Brain Initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology, key projects of the Ministry of Health, and projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. It has published more than 1,000 academic papers, including articles in authoritative SCI journals such as Lancet, World Psychiatry, Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, and JAMA Network Open; the highest impact factor for a single article was 202.7. Its faculty has served as chief editor or deputy chief editor of 20 textbooks and monographs and has contributed to more than 50 others. The department has received, among others, the China Youth Science and Technology Innovation Award, the First Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award, the First Prize of the Chongqing Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Second Prize of the Chongqing Science and Technology Progress Award. Professor Zhou Xinyu, the discipline leader, currently serves as Director of the Ministry of Education’s Key Laboratory of Major Brain Diseases and Aging.

Teaching Achievements The discipline has developed a complete psychiatry talent-development system covering bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral training, and has supplied large numbers of psychiatric medical professionals to regions throughout China. In 2018, it led the establishment of the Department of Psychiatry at Chongqing Medical University. In 2022, its Psychiatry program was approved as a National First-Class Undergraduate Program Construction Site, and its Psychiatry (Chinese-Foreign Cooperative Education) program was approved. It is a national key training base for standardized residency training. Professor Kuang Li serves as a member of the Ministry of Education’s Teaching Steering Committee for Psychiatry Programs in Higher Education Institutions.

Social Services The department has participated more than 20 times in psychological assistance for major public events, including psychological rescue after the 5/12 earthquake and efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. It led the establishment of the “Sunshine Heart Words” Volunteer Service Team of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University to care for the mental health of left-behind children. It innovatively proposed the “1234 Medical+” assistance model, visited more than 20 districts and counties across Sichuan and Chongqing, conducted more than 50 group psychological counseling sessions, and served more than 20,000 person-visits by left-behind children. It subsequently received such honors as the National Gold Award of the China Youth Volunteer Service Competition, a Key Funded Project of the Red Cross Society of China, and the Second Prize of the Sichuan–Chongqing Rural Revitalization Competition. Professor Zhou Xinyu has received the China Youth May Fourth Medal, been named a 2023 China Public Welfare Figure, and been recognized as a National Model Young Professional.