Rheumatology and Immunology Department

The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Tongji Hospital is the earliest-established specialty department for rheumatic and immune diseases in Hubei. It is the institution that has served as the chairing unit of the Rheumatology Branch of the Hubei Medical Association from its first term to the present, a standing committee member and committee-member institution of the Rheumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and the institution affiliated with the Hubei Provincial Quality Control Center for Rheumatology and Immunology. It is the department of rheumatic and immune diseases in Hubei with the strongest technical expertise, the most comprehensive medical equipment, and the most advanced diagnostic and treatment capabilities. The department has 3 independent inpatient units (2 at the main campus and 1 at the Sino-French New City Campus) and 2 laboratories (a clinical laboratory and a research laboratory). It has introduced advanced clinical diagnostic and treatment technologies, including musculoskeletal ultrasound, nailfold microcirculation testing, plasma exchange, and testing for autoantibodies and immune- and inflammation-related markers. It provides patients with rheumatic diseases with standardized, high-quality, and innovative diagnostic and treatment services and has become a treatment base for patients with difficult and critical rheumatic diseases in Hubei Province and Central China. The department has strong technical capabilities and has resolved diagnostic and treatment challenges involving numerous rheumatic and immune diseases, including IgG4-related disease, Sjögren syndrome, severe systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune disease-associated hemophagocytic syndrome, immune-related thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease and/or pulmonary arterial hypertension, polymyositis/dermatomyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, adult Still's disease, gout, osteoporosis, systemic sclerosis, osteoarthritis, vasculitis, and difficult-to-diagnose arthritis. Its diagnostic and treatment capabilities for IgG4-related disease are already among the international leaders. The department currently has 3 doctoral supervisors and 6 master's supervisors, as well as outstanding young and middle-aged professionals, including 1 Ministry of Education New Century Excellent Talent, 1 Wuhan Young and Middle-aged Medical Backbone Talent, 1 National Overseas High-Level Young Talent, 1 Hubei Medical Young Top Talent, and 1 Wuhan Huanghe Talent. Professor Dong Lingli is the academic leader. She serves as a committee member of the Rheumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, a committee member of the Rheumatology and Immunology Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, chair of the Rheumatology Branch of the Hubei Medical Association, and chair of the Expert Committee of the Hubei Provincial Quality Control Center for Rheumatology and Immunology. Professor He Peigen served as a standing committee member of the 6th and 7th terms and a committee member of the 4th and 5th terms of the Rheumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; he also served as chair of the 1st and 2nd terms of the Rheumatology Branch of the Hubei Medical Association. Professor Hu Shaoxian is currently honorary chair of the Rheumatology Branch of the Hubei Medical Association. He previously served as a committee member of the 8th, 9th, and 10th terms of the Rheumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; a committee member of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd terms of the Rheumatology and Immunology Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; and chair of the 3rd and 4th terms of the Rheumatology Branch of the Hubei Medical Association. The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology is firmly rooted in clinical practice and focuses on research development and talent cultivation. The department has been approved for more than 30 national- and provincial-level research projects, including 15 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects, 1 New Century Excellent Talent Fund of the Ministry of Education, and 2 Ministry of Education fund projects. It has also participated multiple times in projects such as the national “973” projects, the National 11th Five-Year Plan Science and Technology Support Program, and key research and development programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Since 2000, department personnel have published nearly 300 papers as first or corresponding authors in academic journals at various levels, including leading international rheumatology journals such as The Lancet Rheumatology and Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The highest impact factor of a single SCI paper was 35.482. The department has published 4 monographs, including IgG4-Related Disease and Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases (1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions), and has been granted more than 30 national patents. Statistics are current as of April 2023.