Endocrine Diseases Department

Department Establishment History: The Department of Endocrinology was established in 1991 and is the earliest-established TCM endocrinology specialty and obesity specialty in Shenzhen.

Department Honors: It is a key specialty under the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s “12th Five-Year Plan,” a national TCM advantageous specialty, a high-level key specialty in Guangdong Province, a key TCM specialty in Guangdong Province, a key TCM clinical specialty in Shenzhen, one of the first batch of nationally certified diabetes education and management units, the China Diabetes Retinopathy Screening and Prevention Center, the Endocrine Disease Research Center of the China Association of Chinese Medicine, the first National Famous Department of Endocrinology/Diabetes recognized by the China Association for the Promotion of Chinese Medicine Research, the chairing unit of the Medical Case Professional Committee of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, a central unit of the Lingnan TCM Diabetes Alliance, the Institute of Metabolic and Endocrine Diseases of the Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, the chairing unit of the Diabetes Professional Committee of the Guangdong Association of Chinese Medicine, the chairing unit of the Endocrinology Professional Committee of the Shenzhen Association of Chinese Medicine, the unit chairing the council of the Shenzhen TCM Diabetes and Thyroid Disease Specialty Alliance, and an Ailibi “Best Clinical Specialty.” It is currently an authorized doctoral degree-granting site and a postdoctoral research station for TCM Internal Medicine (Endocrinology) at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.

Department Leadership: Professor Li Huilin and Professor Zhao Hengxia successively served as the department’s administrative directors and academic leaders, making outstanding contributions to its development. Since 2025, Professor Liu Deliang has served as deputy director of the department.

Research Scope: Guided by the TCM holistic concept of syndrome differentiation and treatment, the specialty adheres to studying and applying the classics, combines syndrome differentiation with disease differentiation, and gives equal emphasis to Chinese and Western medicine. It conducts clinical diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and its acute and chronic complications, thyroid diseases, primary and secondary hypertension, gout and hyperuricemia, polycystic ovary syndrome, osteoporosis, pituitary-hypothalamic diseases, adrenal diseases, and various other difficult and complicated endocrine and metabolic diseases.

Department Operations: The department currently has 2 inpatient wards and 5 outpatient clinics, with 66 approved beds and a medical and nursing team of 36 members, including 1 nationally renowned senior TCM expert, 1 instructor in the national mentorship program for senior TCM experts, 1 renowned TCM physician of Guangdong Province, 3 renowned and outstanding TCM physicians of Shenzhen, 4 doctoral supervisors, 4 postdoctoral co-supervisors, and 9 master’s supervisors. It handles more than 80,000 outpatient visits and more than 2100 discharges annually. It operates specialty and disease-specific outpatient clinics, including the Endocrinology Clinic, Diabetic Foot Clinic, Metabolic Bone Disease Clinic, Diabetes Clinic, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Clinic, Thyroid Disease Clinic, Secondary Hypertension Clinic, the specialty clinic for menopausal health care, and the specialty clinic for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. With support from Shenzhen’s “Three Famous” Medical and Health Project, the department has successively introduced the team of Professor Zhang Xuewen, a National Master of Chinese Medicine from Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, and the team of Professor Ni Qing from Guang’anmen Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, thereby enhancing its clinical and research capabilities. To promote the transmission of the academic legacies of renowned senior TCM practitioners, the department has established the National Famous Senior TCM Physician Wang Mengyong Studio and the Guangdong Famous Senior TCM Expert Li Huilin Inheritance Studio.

The department adheres to the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, fully harnesses the advantages of TCM in holistic regulation and the simultaneous treatment of internal and external conditions, and has developed distinctive diagnostic and treatment systems for various endocrine and metabolic diseases, including diabetes and its complications, thyroid diseases, obesity, and polycystic ovary syndrome. It has established comprehensive treatment protocols centered on oral Chinese herbal medicines and combined with various external TCM therapies, including external application of Chinese herbal medicines, fumigation and washing, acupoint application, acupuncture, thread embedding, Chinese herbal medicine-based necrotic-tissue removal and debridement, Bian-stone warming moxibustion, auricular moxibustion, copper-handled gua sha, ocular nebulization, balanced fire cupping, and Governor Vessel moxibustion. It has also developed a series of in-house preparations and agreed-upon prescriptions with definite efficacy, including Zishen Yuzhen Pills, Heqi Pills, Keyitong, Keluo Tong, Kunan Mixture, Wenjing Tongluo Fumigation-and-Washing Formula, Dangying Sanjie Powder, and Zhufu Paste. These are widely used and have demonstrated outstanding therapeutic effects.

In addition, the department starts from actual clinical needs, takes the resolution of clinical problems as its guiding principle, and actively promotes scientific research. It has undertaken more than 40 projects at various levels, including National Natural Science Foundation of China projects and major special projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology, with total research funding exceeding 7 million yuan. It has published more than 200 papers in core domestic and international journals, including more than 40 SCI-indexed papers, with a total impact factor exceeding 150 points. Its regional academic influence and clinical leadership have expanded year by year.

Study the classics deeply, discern yin and yang clearly, devote yourselves to clinical practice, and practice medicine with benevolence and sincerity. Guided by the development of a “national-level integrated Chinese-Western collaborative diagnosis and treatment platform for endocrine and metabolic diseases,” our department will promote the deep integration of clinical diagnosis and treatment, chronic disease management, and academic innovation. Guided by the TCM holistic concept of syndrome differentiation and treatment, we will continue to study and apply the classics, combine syndrome differentiation with disease differentiation, give equal emphasis to Chinese and Western medicine, and continuously refine diagnostic and treatment protocols for diabetes and its complications, thyroid diseases, obesity and related diseases, and other conditions in which we have particular strengths. We will remain patient-centered, implement the core principle of “holistic regulation and long-term benefit,” and work to establish a chronic disease management system of “precise assessment, systematic intervention, and whole-course care,” thereby contributing to the protection of the public’s endocrine health.

Department Group Photograph: