Infectious Diseases

In 1918, Dr. Wu Lien-Teh, China’s renowned “plague expert,” established Beijing Central Hospital (today’s Peking University People’s Hospital) and served as its first president. Dr. Wu Lien-Teh devoted himself to the diagnosis, treatment, and control of plague, malaria, and other common infectious diseases in China at that time, and was a pioneer in infectious disease prevention and control in China. The Department of Infectious Diseases of People’s Hospital has carried forward the forebears’ spirit of rigorous scholarship and dedication in the field of infectious diseases. Along with the development of the history of infectious diseases in China, several generations have consistently devoted themselves diligently to the diagnosis, treatment, and research of infectious diseases. Professor Wei Lai served as the first director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of People’s Hospital, and Professor Gao Yan currently serves as department director. The department currently has 17 physicians, 24 nurses, 1 doctoral supervisor, 1 chief physician/professor, and 1 associate chief physician.

The Department of Infectious Diseases of People’s Hospital specializes in the etiological diagnosis, treatment, and research of difficult and critically severe infectious disease cases. It relies on the abundant infectious disease case resources of Peking University People’s Hospital, the Laboratory Department’s comprehensive viral testing capabilities, and the microbiology laboratory’s comprehensive bacterial and fungal testing capabilities. In view of the complexity of the pathogens causing infectious diseases and the diversity of the human organ systems involved, the department is organized according to professional specialties into several technically comprehensive teams, including the Viral Group, Bacterial Group, Fungal Group, Communicable Diseases Group, and Viral Hepatitis Group. The clinical services of the Department of Infectious Diseases include the special-needs outpatient clinic (Tuesday and Thursday mornings each week), the expert outpatient clinic (Monday and Wednesday mornings each week), the fever clinic (open 24 hours year-round), the intestinal disease clinic (open 24 hours from 4–10 each year), and the infectious diseases inpatient ward. The infectious diseases inpatient ward mainly treats various infectious diseases, including fever of unknown origin and infections at various sites. Our department undertakes the education and teaching of the 8-year long-term medical program and postgraduate education at Peking University Health Science Center, as well as standardized training and continuing medical education for residents/specialist physicians in Beijing. It also provides consultations for clinical departments both outside and within the hospital, including the rational use of antimicrobial drugs and the diagnosis and treatment of difficult and critically ill patients with fever. In recent years, outpatient visits and hospitalized patients in the Department of Infectious Diseases have continued to increase, and all indicators for medical care, scientific research, and teaching have reached new highs.

In 2014, the Department of Infectious Diseases of People’s Hospital received the National Health Commission Clinical Key Specialty (Infectious Diseases) project; in 2020, it received the Beijing Clinical Key Specialty (Infectious Diseases) Excellence Project. Taking this opportunity, the discipline developed further and, in recent years, has consistently ranked in the top 20 in the Fudan Chinese Hospital Discipline Influence Rankings. The Department of Infectious Diseases of People’s Hospital has grown from nothing to something and from small to large, gradually developing into a department specializing in the pathogen detection, diagnosis, treatment, and research of difficult and critically severe infectious disease cases. This development has embodied the dedication of the older generation of experts and professors and the efforts of the new generation of academic leaders.