Neurosurgery

The Department of Neurosurgery of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was officially founded in 1955 by Academician Qiu Fazhu and Professor Jiang Xianhui after they moved from Shanghai to Wuhan. It is one of the earliest neurosurgery departments in China and the cradle of neurosurgeons in Hubei and neighboring regions. Tongji Hospital Neurosurgery established the first master's program in the third-level discipline of neurosurgery in Central China (supervisor: Professor Jiang Xianhui, 1978), the first doctoral program in the third-level discipline (supervisor: Professor Jiang Xianhui, 1985), and the first clinical postdoctoral station (1995). Its profound history and cultural heritage have trained a large number of outstanding professionals at different levels nationwide, especially in Hubei and surrounding regions, including more than 300 master's graduates, more than 200 doctoral graduates, nearly 20 postdoctoral fellows who completed their programs, and more than 1,000 visiting physicians. It has also successively established a number of doctoral training bases represented by Wuhan General Hospital of the Army, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, and the Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University in Xinjiang. Today, Tongji Hospital Neurosurgery remains Hubei's earliest and only National Ministry of Health Clinical Key Specialty (2011), the earliest standing committee unit of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association (1986), and one of the first specialist physician training bases of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (2015). It is also one of the first core medical-technology leading units in Wuhan's effort to build an international medical innovation hub (the only one in neurosurgery). For many years, it has cooperated with leading international universities including the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the University of Duisburg-Essen, the University of Marburg, the University of Freiburg, and Heidelberg University in Germany to jointly train doctoral students and conduct postdoctoral research. The department currently has three campuses (Hankou, Guanggu, and Sino-French New City), with 400 open beds, an independent neurological intensive care unit (NICU), and advanced supporting neurocritical-care equipment, effectively meeting individualized, refined, high-level medical needs. It currently has 14 operating rooms, including a routinely used intraoperative magnetic-resonance operating room and a dual-C hybrid operating room, equipped with internationally first-class imported high-end operating microscopes and the latest neuronavigation systems. In addition, intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring, intraoperative ultrasound, CUSA, and mobile intraoperative MRI, among other equipment, safeguard more than 12,000 operations annually, providing comprehensive functional monitoring and protection and strongly ensuring patients' best outcomes. Independent video EEG and AI-assisted 3D motor-function assessment rooms also provide strong support for research in frontier areas such as EEG monitoring, neuromodulation, and brain-computer interfaces. Under the leadership of successive directors including Professors Jiang Xianhui, Li Ling, Xue Delin, Hu Wen'an, Lei Ting, and Shu Kai, Tongji Neurosurgery has gradually promoted subspecialization since 2003. With the expansion of the department and its growing influence, it now has comprehensive subspecialties including neuro-oncology, skull-base microsurgery, cerebrovascular disease, craniocerebral trauma and neurocritical care, functional neurosurgery, spinal cord and spine surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, neurointervention, peripheral nerve diseases, neuroendoscopy, and neuroradiology (in cooperation with the Department of Oncology), covering all types of neurosurgical diseases and establishing a series of disease-specific centers. With the hospital's guidance and support, the department also undertakes construction of the hospital's clinical research ward for brain-computer interfaces, neuromodulation center, epilepsy center, and other projects. It was the first in Central China to establish specialized research wards and clinics in international frontier fields such as brain-computer interfaces and neuromodulation, leading new trends in neurosurgical treatment concepts and technological breakthroughs and greatly promoting intelligent, precise, and minimally invasive neurosurgery. Neurosurgery adheres to improving clinical competence as its foundation and strengthening research literacy as its basis; it is courageous in exploration and skilled in innovation. It has ranked first in Hubei Province in the Fudan national specialty rankings for many consecutive years. Based on mature research and training platforms including the Sino-German Neuro-Oncology Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory (established in 1997), the V-EEG and electrophysiology laboratories, and the Microsurgical Anatomy Laboratory (established in 2020), the department currently undertakes 52 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, multiple key R&D projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and numerous provincial and ministerial projects. It publishes more than 50 SCI papers annually, including nearly 30 high-level SCI papers with IF>10 over the past three years, and ranks eighth nationwide in scientific and technological value and first in Hubei. It holds multiple microsurgical neurosurgery training courses every year, widely praised by physicians from primary hospitals, greatly improving the surgical skills of neurosurgeons in Hubei and surrounding areas. Through annual international academic forums and mobile medical-service activities in primary areas, its international academic influence and regional leadership continue to grow. Tongji Hospital Neurosurgery has a high-level medical, teaching, and research team: 73 physicians (72 with doctoral degrees), 4 second-level professors and 3 third-level professors in higher education, 1 recipient of the State Council Special Allowance, 2 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, more than 10 talents including overseas young scholars and Chutian scholars, 17 doctoral supervisors, and more than 20 master's supervisors. It has trained 208 doctoral students, including eight-year-program students, and 305 master's students, including seven-year-program students. There are 13 professors/chief physicians, 26 associate professors/deputy chief physicians, 24 attending and resident physicians, 7 postdoctoral fellows, 5 specialist technical staff, and 175 nursing staff. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Neurosurgery received honors including the Provincial Health Commission's “Advanced Primary Party Organization (Neurosurgery Party General Branch),” Tongji Hospital's “Outstanding Comprehensive Team,” Tongji Hospital's “May Fourth Youth Group,” and Tongji Hospital's “Top Ten Graduate Papers.” The current director is Professor Shu Kai; the Party General Branch secretary and deputy director is Chief Physician Niu Hongquan; the chief expert is Professor Lei Ting; the deputy director for research is Professor Zhang Huaqiu; the deputy director for medical affairs is Associate Professor Wang Junwen; the deputy director for teaching is Associate Professor Zhu Mingxin; the deputy director of the Guanggu campus is Professor Wang Yu; the deputy director of the Sino-French New City campus is Chief Physician Jiang Wei; and the deputy director for clinical research is Professor Ye Fei. Led by this core team, the department will continue to follow the hospital's development, carry forward the spirit of “respecting teachers and valuing education, unity and cooperation, hard work and perseverance, and constant innovation,” and steadily advance toward becoming a world-class discipline. Data updated August 2026.