Haematology

The Department of Hematology of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University was established in 1959. It is a National Key Clinical Specialty; the Shandong Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for Hematological System Diseases; the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Hematology and Immunology; a Level III Key Laboratory of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and the Shandong Provincial Innovation Studio for Leading Scientific and Technological Talents.

The Department of Hematology has 1 national-level leading talent, 1 professor in the Taishan Scholars Climbing Program, 2 specially appointed Taishan Scholars professors, 1 recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 1 Ministry of Education New Century Excellent Talent, 4 Shandong University professors in second-level positions, 2 outstanding discipline leaders in the Shandong Provincial health system, 1 key young and middle-aged scientific and technological talent in the Shandong Provincial health system, 1 medical leading talent in Shandong Province, 1 scientific and technological leading talent in Shandong Province, 4 Taishan Scholars Young Experts, and 7 doctoral supervisors at Shandong University.

The hematology subspecialty system is well established and includes thrombosis and hemostasis, leukemia, red blood cell diseases, lymphoma/myeloma, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and myelodysplastic syndromes, among others. The Department’s medical services are comprehensive, including hematology wards, specialist outpatient clinics, health-care outpatient clinics, emergency care, in-hospital consultations, free medical consultations, and medical assignments for major social events. The hematology specialist outpatient clinic is located in the new outpatient clinic on the third floor of the Huamei Building at our hospital and is staffed by experts at the rank of associate professor or above. The Hematologic Disease Research Laboratory and Hematologic Disease Treatment Room perform bone marrow aspiration, cytology, coagulation and bleeding series tests, leukemia MICM classification, and other examinations for inpatients, outpatients, and patients from outside hospitals. All physicians at the rank of associate professor or above participate in third-line on-call duty. Specialist outpatient clinics remain open during public holidays.

The hematology research laboratory system is comprehensively configured, including the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Laboratory, Stem Cell Laboratory, Cell Culture Laboratory, Flow Cytometry Laboratory, Molecular Biology Laboratory, Central Laboratory, Genetics Laboratory, Basic Testing Laboratory, and others. Over the past 5 years, the Department has undertaken more than 30 research projects at or above the provincial/ministerial level, with total research funding of nearly 30 million yuan, and has received 3 first prizes and 6 second prizes at the provincial/ministerial level. It has published more than 200 academic research papers and trained more than 100 graduate students. It has led more than 10 nationwide multicenter prospective randomized controlled clinical studies, the results of which were published in BLOOD, the most authoritative journal in hematology (impact factor 16.562); one of the studies was named one of the TOP 10 most important studies of 2017.

Featured research areas include primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and acute leukemia (AML). In the areas of ITP pathogenesis, specific diagnosis, and targeted intervention strategies, the Department is at an internationally advanced and nationally leading level; in research on abnormalities in the biological behavior of leukemia, drug resistance, and reversal through intervention, it is at an advanced level nationally. An expert team represented by Professor Hou Ming led the development of 4 editions of the Chinese guidelines for ITP diagnosis and treatment. In recent years, the Department has conducted systematic and in-depth research into the pathogenesis of immune abnormalities in patients with ITP and possible intervention measures, yielding a series of original research findings published in core journals in China and abroad, including Blood, Heamatologica, Br J Haematol, J Clin Immunol, J Thromb and Haemost, the Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine, and the Chinese Journal of Hematology; 15 of these papers were published in Blood, an authoritative international hematology journal. Vice President Ji Chunyan took the lead in establishing the Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment of Hematological Diseases, which is dedicated to developing an artificial intelligence diagnosis and treatment system for hematological diseases. It integrates diverse resources from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, the Institute of Software of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the School of Mathematics of Shandong University, the School of Public Health of the Cheeloo College of Medicine, and other sources; uses genomics and big-data analysis technologies to develop a predictive system for molecular markers of primary resistance in hematological diseases; seeks to accurately and rapidly predict treatment responses in hematological diseases; establishes an internationally and domestically leading technical system for the precision diagnosis and treatment of refractory hematological diseases; and carries out clinical demonstration, validation, and application. It has received 1 first prize for scientific and technological progress in Shandong Province.

The Department of Hematology operates under an integrated industry–academia–research and open exchange and cooperation management system, adhering to the operating mechanism of “openness, mobility, competition, collaboration, and efficiency,” fostering a work atmosphere of “initiative, rigor, relaxation, and pragmatism,” and establishing a development mechanism characterized by “depth in longitudinal research, breadth in expanding international cooperation, a virtuous cycle, continuous upward progress, and pioneering initiative.” It has always been committed to building an innovative medical base with an international reputation that integrates clinical care, scientific research, talent development, and the promotion and demonstration of technological achievements.