Gastrointestinal Surgery

The Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Tongji Hospital is one of the earliest specialized gastrointestinal surgery departments in China, established under the guidance of Academician Qiu Fazhu, a renowned Chinese medical scientist. Following years of development, it has become a top-tier gastrointestinal surgery center in China integrating medical care, teaching, research, and the translation of research achievements into practice. Its specialized technical capabilities and level of disciplinary development rank among the leading in China, and it has significant academic influence in the field of gastrointestinal surgery both domestically and internationally. After years of development and consolidation, building on the foundations laid and leadership provided by Academician Qiu Fazhu and renowned professors Wu Zaide, Yang Chuanyong, Gong Jianping, Hu Junbo, and Cao Zhixin, and under the leadership of its current director, Professor Wang Guihua, the department has gradually developed a comprehensive disciplinary system featuring coordinated development across multiple subspecialties, with robotic and laparoscopic minimally invasive treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies as its core specialty, while also encompassing the treatment of acute and critical gastrointestinal conditions, bariatric and metabolic surgery, pelvic floor and anorectal surgery, hernia and abdominal wall surgery, surgical nutrition and enhanced recovery, the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal diseases, and intestinal microecology therapy. The department has four specialized diagnosis and treatment centers: the Intestinal Microecology Center, the Pelvic Floor and Anorectal Center, the Bariatric and Metabolic Center, and the Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery Center. In 2025, it successfully obtained approval to establish the Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Neuromodulation, marking a major breakthrough in the development of a provincial-level scientific research platform. The department has a strong and well-structured team of professionals. It currently has 40 physicians, 110 nurses, and 13 medical technicians and other personnel, distributed across a total of 5 wards at the Main Campus, Optics Valley Campus, and Sino-French New City Campus. It has 247 authorized beds and implements consistent quality of care and integrated management across all three campuses. One hundred percent of the physician team holds doctoral degrees, including 24 physicians with overseas study experience; 12 hold senior professional titles and 16 hold associate senior professional titles. The team includes 2 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 1 recipient of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, 1 Ministry of Education New Century Excellent Talent, and 1 young or middle-aged expert with outstanding contributions recognized by the National Health Commission, among other high-level national talents. In clinical diagnosis and treatment, the department performs more than 7,000 operations annually, with minimally invasive procedures accounting for 80%. The team was among the first in China to propose and systematically apply a gastrointestinal tumor surgical system based on the concept of “membrane anatomy (Membrane Anatomy).” The associated procedures offer advantages including less bleeding, thorough lymph node dissection, and excellent oncological outcomes, and have received broad recognition in China and abroad. The gastrointestinal endoscopic surgery team has repeatedly been invited to perform surgical demonstrations and deliver plenary presentations at international academic conferences in the United States, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil, doing so more than 20 times and receiving high acclaim. The department focuses on developing a personalized, precision-based, and standardized diagnosis and treatment system for gastrointestinal tumors, and has established a multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment model integrating surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, significantly improving patients’ quality of life while ensuring treatment efficacy. In addition, the department has developed significant technical advantages in minimally invasive surgery for obesity with concomitant metabolic diseases, minimally invasive treatment of various hernias and gastroesophageal reflux, comprehensive management of acute and critical digestive tract conditions, the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor and anorectal diseases, intestinal microecology therapy, and surgical nutrition and enhanced recovery surgery. Its overall medical service capacity remains among the leading in China. In teaching, the department is an important base for surgical education and talent development at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. It undertakes the education of undergraduates in 5-year, 6-year, and 8-year programs, as well as standardized training for surgical residents. In 2025, it completed 180 teaching hours, provided internship and clinical-observation supervision for 566 undergraduate and international student placements, trained 33 physicians pursuing further training and 55 resident physicians in standardized training, and trained an average of 14 master’s and doctoral students annually. In 2026, the department has 6 doctoral supervisors and 10 master’s supervisors. The department has strong research capabilities and has established stable research directions in cell-cycle regulation, the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and tumor progression, tumor metabolism and immunity, neuro-oncology, and intestinal microecology. In recent years, it has undertaken 6 subprojects of the National 973 Program, 3 projects of the National Key Research and Development Program, 2 Distinguished Young Scholars Fund projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 1 Excellent Young Scientists Fund project, and more than 50 key, general, and young investigator projects. Its research findings have been published in Cell, Cancer Cell, Cell Metabolism, Nature Cell Biology, Cell Stem Cell, PNAS, and other leading international academic journals. The department places great importance on interdisciplinary innovation at the interface of medicine and engineering and on the translation of scientific and technological achievements. In 2023, the value of scientific research achievement transfer reached RMB 20 million. In 2025, a project led by Professor Wang Guihua won First Prize and the Most Investment Value Award at the 4th Hubei Province Life and Health Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. More than 10 important clinical studies are currently being advanced toward translation, with notable results in the integrated development of research and clinical practice. Looking ahead, the department will aim to build a top-tier and internationally renowned gastrointestinal surgery center, continue to promote the coordinated development of medical care, teaching, research, and the translation of research achievements, deepen multicenter clinical research and interdisciplinary medical-engineering innovation, provide patients with gastrointestinal diseases with higher-quality, more precise, and more efficient medical services, and lead sustained innovation and development in the field of gastrointestinal surgery in China.