Gastroenterology

The Department of Gastroenterology of Renji Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, was founded in 1984 by Academician Jiang Shaoji and Professor Xiao Shudong. It is one of the major medical, research and teaching bases for gastroenterology in China. Renji Gastroenterology is a national (Ministry of Education) key discipline, a key discipline of the Shanghai Municipal Government, the Shanghai Clinical Medical Center for Gastroenterology, the Shanghai Clinical Quality Control Center for Gastroenterology, and a National Health Commission key laboratory for gastroenterology. In 2011, it entered the ranks of the “National Clinical Key Specialty” with the No. 1 result in the national evaluation by the Ministry of Health, and entered the construction ranks of the “National Clinical Key Specialty (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health)” with the No. 2 result. In the same year, the discipline became one of the first major clinical medical centers in Shanghai. Renji Gastroenterology has ranked first in the gastroenterology specialty category of the Best Hospital Specialty Reputation Rankings in China for 4 consecutive years. Renji Gastroenterology (East, West and South Campuses) has 166 inpatient beds, a 4600-square-meter clinical endoscopy center, 1600 square meters of laboratory space, and complete, advanced basic and clinical research equipment. In recent years, annual outpatient visits have exceeded 700,000, consistently ranking first nationwide, and the department has attracted patients with difficult and critical conditions from all over China, developing a series of distinctive clinical diagnosis and treatment services for gastrointestinal tumors and precancerous diseases, chronic liver diseases (autoimmune liver disease, drug-induced liver disease, fatty liver disease and severe liver disease), Helicobacter pylori and related diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, psychosomatic diseases of the digestive system, small intestinal bleeding, and the diagnosis and treatment of early cancer under endoscopy. More than 260,000 endoscopic examinations and treatments are performed annually, including capsule endoscopy, enteroscopy, narrow-band imaging and chromoendoscopy, magnifying endoscopy, laser confocal endomicroscopy, autofluorescence endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic mucosal resection techniques (EMR, ESD, POEM), digestive tract stricture dilation and stent placement, and endoscopic treatment of esophageal and gastric varices. It is one of the institutions in China offering the most comprehensive range of endoscopic diagnosis and treatment procedures. The people of Renji Gastroenterology have not only upheld the mission of practicing benevolent medicine and saving lives through treatment, but have also written the Renji experience into the history of health in China and globally. The discipline currently has 1 active chair professor, 3 national-level high-caliber talents, 13 doctoral supervisors, and 18 master's supervisors. Over the years, it has received more than 200 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects and published more than 500 SCI papers; as the primary completion institution, it has received 4 National Science and Technology Progress Awards and approximately 30 provincial- and ministerial-level Science and Technology Progress Awards. The discipline has taken the lead in formulating and drafting multiple clinical guidelines and expert consensuses in the field of digestive diseases, including the “Chinese Consensus on Gastritis,” the “Chinese Consensus on Colorectal Cancer Prevention,” the “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis,” the “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Drug-Induced Liver Injury,” the “Consensus Opinions on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” and the “Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Helicobacter pylori,” among others. The discipline not only has a leading advantage domestically, but also enjoys a high academic standing and influence internationally. The quadruple therapy independently developed by the discipline in the field of Helicobacter pylori became the only treatment regimen from China to be included in international guidelines; the pioneering use of thalidomide to treat bleeding from small-intestinal vascular malformations was strongly recommended by international guidelines of the American College of Gastroenterology; and research on diagnostic criteria for autoimmune liver disease conducted by the discipline has been cited and promoted in international guidelines. Renji Gastroenterology has consistently been committed to promoting the growth of primary-level specialists and improving medical standards, thereby achieving the standardization of clinical diagnosis and treatment. The discipline has organized more than 20 continuing education courses, including “Imbalance of Intestinal Homeostasis and Colorectal Cancer,” “Training Course on Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Autoimmune Liver Disease,” “Advanced Training Course on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Gastrointestinal Cancer,” “Advanced Seminar on Basic Research and New Clinical Technologies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” “Advances in the Diagnosis, Treatment and Research of Chronic Gastritis,” and “Key Technologies in the Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment and Health Management of Nonviral Liver Diseases,” among others. Every year, it trains more than 100 specialized gastroenterology professionals from across China, greatly improving the comprehensive clinical diagnosis and treatment capabilities of primary-level specialists and enabling them to better serve the general public.