Otolaryngology

In the medical firmament of Qilu, the Department of Otolaryngology of Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University is like a brilliant pearl; having traversed nearly a century, it still shines brightly. From its faltering beginnings before liberation to its present place among the advanced ranks nationwide in the field of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, the department, under the leadership of successive academic leaders such as Luo Zhaoping, Fan Zhong, and Liang Meigeng, has written one moving hymn in praise of life after another. Once, with a pioneering spirit of daring innovation, the department was among the first in China to perform acoustic neuroma resection via a retrolabyrinthine approach; moreover, through its intracranial facial nerve combing procedure for treating hemifacial spasm, which won the National Invention Award, it established multiple firsts in China’s otolaryngology field. Today, this large otolaryngology–head and neck surgery center, integrating medical care, teaching, and research, continues to guide the direction of the discipline’s development with consummate medical skills, top-tier equipment, and profound humanistic care.

Department Overview: A Century of Accumulation Forges a New Chapter for the Times

The Department of Otolaryngology of Shandong Provincial Hospital is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of a century-old hospital, draws on the essence of traditional medicine, and integrates the strength of modern science and technology, thereby forming a distinctive disciplinary system. The department has modern outpatient clinics at both the hospital’s Central Campus and East Campus, three standardized inpatient wards, and more than 150 beds in service. Its annual outpatient volume exceeds 200,000 visits; it discharges more than 11,000 patients and performs more than 8,000 surgeries each year. Both its scale and efficiency rank among the top nationwide.

Elite Team: The elite team consists of more than 70 physicians, including 14 chief physicians and 17 associate chief physicians, forming a professional medical team with highly educated and highly titled personnel as its backbone, a rational structure, and extensive experience.

Teaching and Research: As a site authorized to confer doctoral and master’s degrees for Shandong First Medical University, Shandong University, and Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the department adheres to the philosophy that “teaching and research mutually reinforce each other” and has trained a large number of backbone professionals in otolaryngology for the country. Working closely with the Research Institute of Otolaryngology of Shandong Provincial Hospital, it undertakes multiple national-level continuing education programs and national-level and provincial/ministerial-level research projects, and has built a three-in-one innovative development model of “clinical care–research–teaching.”

Hardware Facilities: The department is equipped with a complete suite of internationally advanced endoscopic systems, high-definition microsurgical platforms, a da Vinci robot-assisted system, and precision diagnostic equipment, providing solid support for precision medicine. From the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases to tackling difficult and critical illnesses, the department has always remained true to its original aspiration of “revering life, saving the dying and healing the injured,” and has established an outstanding brand image in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery.

Subspecialty Development: Meticulous Cultivation Creates a Multidimensional Landscape

Guided by a patient-centered service philosophy, the Department of Otolaryngology of Shandong Provincial Hospital has built a distinctive subspecialty system covering three core fields: otology, nasal and skull-base surgery, and pharyngolaryngeal and head-and-neck surgery; it has more than ten professional groups under these fields, enabling refined and individualized diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Talent Development Program:

The department has built a talent echelon combining older, middle-aged, and younger professionals, with holders of doctoral and master’s degrees accounting for more than 90%. Through international exchanges, continuing education, and research collaboration, its medical personnel constantly update their knowledge base. Over the past five years, the department has led more than 20 national-level and provincial/ministerial-level projects, published more than 100 SCI papers, and obtained grants for more than 10 patents. In teaching, the department has innovated a mentor-responsibility training model, emphasizing the dual cultivation of clinical practice and scientific research thinking, and building a reserve of outstanding talent for the discipline’s sustainable development.

Technical Innovation System:

Building on traditional advantageous techniques such as intracranial facial nerve combing, the Department of Otolaryngology of Shandong Provincial Hospital continues to advance technical innovation. Endoscopic endonasal skull-base surgery reduces trauma to a minimum, CO2 laser treatment of laryngeal cancer enables rapid recovery, and cochlear implantation technology enables the silent world to hear beautiful notes again. Through a multidisciplinary collaboration model, these techniques enable the best treatment plan to be tailored to each patient.

Future Outlook: Benevolence and Medical Expertise Compose a New Chapter

Standing at a new historical starting point, the Department of Otolaryngology of Shandong Provincial Hospital will continue to place people’s health at the center, take discipline development as the cornerstone, scientific research and innovation as the driving force, and high-level talent cultivation as the guide. The department will further improve its subspecialty structure, enhance its ability to treat difficult and critically ill patients, deepen the application of minimally invasive techniques and robotic surgery, strengthen the development of distinctive fields such as voice medicine and skull-base surgery, and promote the discipline of otolaryngology to a higher level.