Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

In 1995, at the initiative of Professor He Guojun, a renowned respiratory medicine expert, the Respiratory Department of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital was established as an independent department, separate from the former pulmonary medicine department; in 2018 it was renamed the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. It is currently a National Clinical Key Specialty, a national model unit for standardized respiratory and critical care construction in Grade III hospitals, a Shanghai top-priority clinical key discipline, and a Shanghai clinical key specialty. In 2018 it ranked fourth nationwide in the China Hospital Science and Technology Evaluation Metrics (STEM) ranking for respiratory medicine, and in 2019 it was nominated in the Fudan rankings.

The Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has 3 inpatient wards, a respiratory ICU, and a respiratory disease laboratory. It currently operates 156 open beds, including 28 beds in the respiratory monitoring unit, and provides over 150,000 outpatient and emergency visits per year. It is co-chair unit of the National Bronchiectasis Care and Research Alliance, chair unit of the Yangtze River Delta Respiratory Specialty Alliance, and a member of the China Rare Disease Alliance and the National Critical Care Collaboration Group. The department has established 3 care centers — a clinical research center for difficult pulmonary diseases, a center for chronic airway disease diagnosis and treatment, and an asthma targeted care center — as well as specialty clinics for bronchiectasis, sarcoidosis, pulmonary fungal disease, sleep-disordered breathing, asthma, desensitization, and more.

The department undertakes more than 20 national-level projects, including National Natural Science Foundation Distinguished Young Scholars projects, major research programs, and key projects, and has drafted or participated in formulating more than 10 clinical practice guidelines and expert consensus documents. It has received talent programs and awards including the National Outstanding Young Scientist Fund, Shanghai Leading Talent, Shanghai Outstanding Academic Leader, Pujiang Talent, Shuguang Scholar, Shanghai Young Science and Technology Star, the municipal health system Outstanding Young Talent, and the "Silver Snake Award."

The current department director and academic leader, Professor Xu Jinfu, is a National Distinguished Young Scholar and a Shanghai Leading Talent. The department has 38 physicians, including 6 of senior rank and 11 of associate senior rank. Nursing: 63 nurses in total, including 8 nurse-in-charge; 1 deputy chief nurse; 1 master's graduate and 36 with bachelor's degrees. The department has abundant expert resources, including standing committee members and members of the Respiratory Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, deputy chair of the Young Committee of the Respiratory Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, deputy head of the Interstitial Lung Disease Group of the Respiratory Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, deputy chair of the Young Committee of the Respiratory Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, deputy director of the Interstitial Lung Disease Working Committee of the Respiratory Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, deputy chair of the Respiratory Branch of the Shanghai Medical Association, head of the Interstitial Lung Disease Group of the Shanghai Medical Association's Respiratory Branch, deputy chair of the Chronic Disease Management Branch of the Shanghai Medical Association, vice-chairman of the Shanghai Young Health Professionals Association, and member of the Respiratory Specialty Branch of the Shanghai Medical Doctor Association. He serves as deputy editor-in-chief of Respiratory Research; deputy editor-in-chief of Clinical Respiratory Journal; editorial board member of Clinical Microbiology and Infection; deputy editor-in-chief of the Chinese edition of Thorax; and editorial or corresponding editorial board member of Chinese journals such as the Chinese Journal of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases.

The department has long undertaken respiratory medicine teaching for Tongji University and the internal medicine teaching office of the pulmonary clinical medical school, carrying out clinical, research, and teaching tasks in respiratory diseases. The Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has trained large numbers of advanced respiratory trainees from across the country and master's and doctoral students of Tongji University, many of whom have obtained opportunities for further study abroad. Every year the department holds the Yeyuan Respiratory Summit Forum, the National Course on Advances in Respiratory Infection Diagnosis and Treatment, and the Course on Advances in Difficult Pulmonary Diseases, which are warmly received by peers nationwide.

For many consecutive years the department has been honored as an Advanced Collective, Youth Civilization Unit, Women's Civilization Post, Yangpu District Youth Commando Team, and Yangpu District Youth Work Safety Model Post. Actively responding to the national call for medical poverty alleviation, it dispatches outstanding physicians each year for counterpart medical assistance to Tibet and Yunnan, and actively participates in paired support of Fenghua People's Hospital in Zhejiang, Nantong Sixth Hospital, and Zhengzhou People's Hospital.

Looking ahead, under the leadership of its academic leader, the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital will strive forward in unity, stay true to its original aspiration, forge ahead, and make every effort to build a respiratory medicine specialty with an international voice, a strong national standing, and first-class standing in Asia.