Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine Department

I. Basic Overview of the Specialty, Qualifications and Honors The Department of Orthopedics of Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, is a National Key Clinical Specialty Construction Project, a Fujian Provincial Key Specialty Construction Project, and was nominated for the Orthopedics Specialty in East China in the Fudan-version China Hospital Specialty Reputation Ranking. It is the only National Clinical Key Specialty Construction Project in southwestern Fujian and is the Xiamen Orthopedics Quality Control Center. As an advantageous orthopedic subspecialty, the Department of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine has been designated a Xiamen Municipal Medical Key Specialty Construction Unit and a Xiamen Municipal Leading Medical Discipline Construction Project. It is a member unit of the National Orthopedic Medical Center Femoral Head Necrosis Diagnosis and Treatment Alliance and the National Orthopedic Medical Center Osteoporosis Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment Alliance; a Regional Demonstration Center for Enhanced Recovery in Joint Surgery; a pilot hospital for enhanced recovery in orthopedic surgery of the National Health Commission; the China Medical Education Association Shoulder and Elbow Sports Medicine Standardized Training Base (Southwestern Fujian); and the former National Health and Family Planning Commission Orthopedic Arthroscopy Training Base. It is also a member unit of the Fujian Orthopedic Alliance and one of the first-batch member units of the Fujian Elderly Hip Fracture Rapid Treatment Alliance. The department houses the Xiamen University Institute of Osteoarthropathy, the Wang Kunzheng Famous Physician Studio and the Wang Shaojie Employee Technical Innovation Studio. It currently operates two wards with 92 beds, equipped with internationally advanced imported medical instruments, surgical instruments and diagnostic and treatment equipment. Its talent structure is well balanced and its technical strength is strong. The Department of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine of Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, became an independent department in 2008. It was the earliest independently established level-four discipline in the orthopedic field of Fujian Province and was subsequently designated a Xiamen Municipal Medical Key Specialty Construction Unit and a Xiamen Municipal Leading Medical Discipline Construction Project. Under the leadership of its founder, Professor Xia Chun, and academic leader, Professor Wang Shaojie, the department has continued to develop in coordination with the hospital’s general orthopedics department and has pursued innovation and excellence. In 2020, it was selected as the Xiamen Artificial Joint Replacement Quality Control Center, making a major contribution to the development of joint surgery in Xiamen. In 2022, the Department of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, together with the hospital’s other orthopedic specialties, was approved as a Fujian Provincial Key Specialty Construction Project. In 2024, it was approved as a National Key Clinical Specialty Construction Project and, in the same year, was selected as the Xiamen Orthopedics Quality Control Center. It has not only provided important support for the development of orthopedics in Xiamen but has also demonstrated leading strength throughout Fujian Province and nationwide. In December 2025, Ward 2 of the Department of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine of Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, was formally established, further expanding departmental capacity and strengthening its staffing, with the aim of providing better services to the general patient population. [Department establishment date] [Important milestones in specialty development] [Third-party specialty rankings] [National specialty alliances/regional subcenters awarded] II. Core Scope of Diagnosis and Treatment The department specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of various orthopedic diseases, including trauma, degenerative diseases, sports injuries, tumors, deformities, infections and osteonecrosis of the bones and joints. It provides patients with internationally advanced, standardized and effective, full-spectrum diagnostic and treatment plans covering conservative, minimally invasive and surgical treatment. Upholding the treatment concepts of individualization, minimal invasiveness and enhanced recovery, it provides patients with menu-based treatment choices. Its arthroscopic surgery, minimally invasive techniques, and total knee and hip replacement techniques have reached an internationally advanced level. In addition to regular specialist clinics, the department operates a series of disease-specific clinics, including the Refractory Shoulder Pain Clinic, Knee Osteoarthritis Clinic, Osteoporosis Screening and Bone Pain Clinic, and Shoulder Pain Clinic, providing precise specialty diagnosis and treatment for patients with different disease types. III. Featured Subspecialties and Core Technical Strengths (1) Arthroscopic Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment The department was one of the earliest units in Fujian Province to perform arthroscopic surgery of the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow and ankle. It has the largest volume of arthroscopic surgery in the province, completing more than 800 arthroscopic procedures annually. It routinely performs arthroscopic joint debridement, loose-body removal, meniscal repair, removal of lesions caused by rheumatoid or pigmented villonodular synovitis, and fracture reduction and fixation. It focuses on challenging arthroscopic procedures, including arthroscopic anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and revision, remnant-preserving anterior cruciate ligament repair, meniscal posterior root repair, arthroscopic patellar stabilization, labral repair for recurrent shoulder dislocation, massive rotator cuff repair, and various complex arthroscopic procedures of the hip, ankle and elbow. (2) Joint Replacement and Revision The department was among the earliest units in Fujian Province to perform hip replacement, total hip resurfacing and knee resurfacing procedures. It performed Xiamen’s first reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. Its cumulative volume of joint replacement surgery leads the province, and its current volume of knee replacement surgery ranks among the highest in Fujian Province. It routinely performs primary replacement of various artificial joints; complex revision of artificial joints; femoral-neck-preserving total hip arthroplasty; hip resurfacing; unicompartmental knee arthroplasty; shoulder arthroplasty; reverse shoulder arthroplasty; custom tumor prosthesis replacement; and other complex shoulder, hip and knee replacement and revision procedures. Small-incision minimally invasive joint replacement is a core strength, particularly direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty. DAA can be used to treat various hip diseases, including developmental dysplasia of the hip (dislocation), femoral head necrosis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis and traumatic fractures. (3) Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteoarticular Deformities and Degenerative Diseases Correction of various congenital and acquired deformities of the bones and joints, as well as diagnosis and treatment of age-related degenerative osteoarticular diseases, is one of the department’s distinctive areas. Conservative and surgical treatment of congenital hip dislocation and femoral head necrosis has reached an advanced level in China. (4) Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Traumatic Fractures The department widely performs repair and reconstruction for fractures and dislocations in all parts of the body. It has developed distinctive technical strengths in arthroscopy-assisted treatment of nonunion, intra-articular fractures, minimally invasive treatment of osteoporotic fractures in older adults, and complex comminuted fractures involving or surrounding joints. (5) Individualized Diagnosis and Treatment of Bone Tumors Diagnosis and treatment of various benign and malignant bone and soft-tissue tumors is one of the department’s featured services. Individualized diagnosis and treatment plans are developed for different types of bone tumors. While treating the tumor, the department preserves or reconstructs limb function as far as possible to improve patients’ quality of life. (6) Digital Orthopedics-Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment The department widely applies digital orthopedic technologies to assist the diagnosis and treatment of joint replacement, complex fractures, spinal surgery and other procedures. Through digital imaging planning, 3D-printed modeling, intraoperative navigation and related technologies, it conducts preoperative planning and intraoperative assistance, develops individualized surgical plans, and substantially improves the precision of surgical procedures. IV. Multidisciplinary MDT Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment and Whole-Course Management Relying on the national-, provincial- and municipal-level key specialty construction platforms, the department works with other orthopedic subspecialties of our hospital, Medical Oncology, Radiology, Pathology, Geriatrics, Anesthesiology, Infectious Diseases and other relevant disciplines to establish a multidisciplinary collaborative diagnosis and treatment mechanism for osteoarticular diseases. It provides one-stop comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plans for patients with complex osteoarticular trauma, severe joint degeneration, prosthetic dysfunction after complex joint replacement, complex bone tumors, severe bone or joint infections, sports injuries and osteoporosis. The department implements the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery and optimizes management throughout the patient’s diagnostic and treatment process, providing full-cycle services from preoperative assessment and individualized surgical planning to postoperative rehabilitation guidance. It breaks down interdepartmental barriers and, together with our Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine and Pain Medicine, has established specialized rehabilitation and pain-management teams for sports injuries and postoperative recovery. Dedicated rehabilitation wards and facilities are provided, a complete postoperative follow-up system is formulated, and one-to-one outpatient and ward-based rehabilitation guidance is offered, with the aim of minimizing postoperative and exercise-related pain, improving the patient experience, and helping patients achieve the best possible functional recovery. V. Talent Team and Expert Strength The department currently has 47 medical and nursing staff, including 4 chief physicians, 4 associate chief physicians and 3 attending physicians; 8 doctors with doctoral degrees and 6 with master’s degrees; and 2 doctoral supervisors and 1 master’s supervisor. Its talent structure is well balanced. All members of the specialty have studied or received clinical training in Europe and the United States on multiple occasions and possess solid professional and technical abilities and an international diagnostic and treatment perspective. Chief Physician Wang Shaojie, academic leader of Ward 1, is Vice President of Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University; a chief physician and doctoral supervisor; an associate professor at the School of Medicine, Xiamen University; and holds a PhD in Sports Medicine from Peking University Health Science Center. He was selected as one of the first group of National Outstanding Young Physicians, a young leading talent under Fujian’s Young Eagle Program, and a young innovative talent under Xiamen’s Double Hundred Plan (Category A). His academic appointments include Youth Committee member of the Orthopedics Branch and member of the Arthroscopy Group of the Chinese Medical Association; member of the Shoulder Group of the Sports Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; Youth Committee member of the Sports Medicine Physicians Branch, member of the Sports Medicine Group, Knee Group, Digital Orthopedics Group and Artificial Joint Infection Group of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Standing Committee member of the Fujian Orthopedics Society; member of its Joint Group, Sports Medicine Group and Orthopedic Infection Group, and secretary of its Sports Medicine Group; Deputy Chair of the Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Diseases Branch of the Fujian Medical Association; Chair of the Orthopedics Branch of the Xiamen Medical Association; Deputy Chair of the Sports Medicine Branch of the Xiamen Medical Association; and Chair of the China Medical Education Association Shoulder and Elbow Sports Medicine Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment Base (Southwestern Fujian). He has led or participated in more than 10 national, provincial and municipal research projects, published more than 40 high-level papers, and holds more than 10 invention and utility-model patents. He has exceptionally high expertise in conservative and surgical treatment of osteoarticular diseases and sports injuries. Dr Qin Jizheng, director of Ward 2 of the Department of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, graduated from Nanjing University with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. He has long focused on the diagnosis and treatment of joint and sports medicine diseases, including age-related arthritis (degeneration of the hip and knee joints), developmental dysplasia of the hip, femoral head necrosis, rotator cuff injuries, and joint sports injuries such as anterior and posterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee, collateral ligament injuries of the knee, meniscal injuries, patellar dislocation, shoulder dislocation, acetabular labral injuries and talofibular ligament injuries of the ankle. He has long performed joint replacement, minimally invasive arthroscopy, and diagnosis and treatment related to sports-injury repair and functional reconstruction, and can formulate individualized treatment plans. Dr Qin is a high-level talent in Xiamen. He has led several National Natural Science Foundation of China and provincial projects and has published more than 10 Chinese and English orthopedic articles, including SCI-indexed papers. He has completed further training in the diagnosis and treatment of joint and sports-injury diseases at the Institute of Orthopedics of the University of Western Australia and the Orthopedic Center in Berlin, Germany. He is currently a member of the Knee Group of the Sports Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; a member of the Knee Preservation Group of the Orthopedics Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; a member of the Internet Working Committee for Rehabilitation of Musculoskeletal Diseases of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine; a member of the Sports Medicine Branch of the Fujian Medical Association; Standing Committee member of the Rehabilitation of Repair and Reconstruction Professional Committee of the Fujian Association of Rehabilitation Medicine; Standing Committee member of the Sports Medicine Professional Management Branch of the Fujian Hospital Association; a member of the Sports Medicine Branch of the Xiamen Medical Association; and a member of the Orthopedics Branch of the Xiamen Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. Chief Physician Xia Chun, academic leader of Ward 2, is Chief Expert of Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University; a chief physician and doctoral supervisor; a professor at the School of Medicine, Xiamen University; and holds a PhD in Orthopedics from Xiangya Medical School of Hunan University. He is a first-review expert for the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a research-review expert for the Ministry of Education, and a candidate in Fujian’s Hundred-Thousand-Ten-Thousand Talent Project. In 2021, he was named one of China’s Top 50 Orthopedic Experts. His academic appointments include member of the Orthopedics Branch of the Chinese Medical Association for four consecutive terms; member of the Sports Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association for the first three consecutive terms; member of the Orthopedics Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association for three consecutive terms; Standing Committee member of the Sports Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association for two consecutive terms; Standing Committee member of the Joint Surgery Group of the Chinese Medical Association; member of the Arthroscopy Group of the Chinese Medical Association; national member of the Bone and Joint and Rheumatology Branch of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine; national member of the China Knee Society (CKS); Standing Committee member of the Fujian Orthopedics Branch and leader of its Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine Group; Deputy Chair of the Fujian Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Diseases Branch; and Chair of the Xiamen Orthopedics Society. He has led and participated in dozens of national, provincial and municipal research projects and published more than 70 high-level research papers. He has exceptionally high expertise in joint surgery, spinal surgery, trauma and sports medicine. [Names and academic appointments of academic leaders] [National/provincial high-level talent titles] [Experts receiving special government allowances] VI. Coordinated Development of Medical Care, Education and Research (1) Medical Services The department always places patients’ needs at the center, continuously optimizes diagnostic and treatment processes, and develops minimally invasive and individualized techniques. Its volume of arthroscopic surgery is the highest in the province; its volume of total knee arthroplasty ranks among the highest in Fujian; and its cumulative volume of artificial joint replacement leads the province. It provides patients with all-level treatment choices covering conservative, minimally invasive and surgical care for various osteoarticular diseases. Through the development of disease-specific clinics and implementation of enhanced-recovery pathways, it continuously improves the patient experience and treatment outcomes. (2) Teaching and Training The department is an enrollment site for master’s and doctoral students of Xiamen University and Fujian Medical University and a postdoctoral research station, undertaking the training of high-level medical professionals in osteoarticular surgery. As a national and regional standardized specialty training base, it undertakes clinical teaching and skills training for visiting physicians, standardized-residency physicians and interns. In the past three years, it has conducted 3 national and training courses, received more than 30 physicians from Fujian, Sichuan, Shandong, Hainan, Xinjiang and other regions for long- and short-term further study, trained 4 doctoral students and 10 master’s students, and continuously supplied professionals in joint surgery and sports medicine to Fujian Province and the country. (3) Research Innovation Relying on the platform of the Xiamen University Institute of Osteoarthropathy, the department continuously conducts basic and clinical research related to osteoarticular diseases. It has established stable academic exchange relationships with well-known universities in the United States, Europe and Japan; regularly invites high-level overseas experts to the hospital for academic seminars and surgical demonstrations; and follows international cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment technologies. In the past three years, it has published 31 papers, obtained 5 patents, undertaken 3 national research projects and 8 provincial or municipal research projects, hosted 7 national academic conferences and more than 10 provincial or municipal academic conferences, and enjoys a high reputation in orthopedic circles throughout Fujian and China. [Research papers published in the past 3 years] [Research projects at all levels currently under way] [Research achievements and awards] [Academic conferences hosted] VII. Summary of the Department’s Core Advantages First, its qualification and platform levels are comprehensive: it possesses national-, provincial- and municipal-level clinical key specialty construction qualifications; is affiliated with multiple national training bases, regional diagnosis and treatment demonstration centers and municipal quality control centers; and has an affiliated specialty institute, famous physician studio and employee technical innovation studio, providing outstanding platform support. Second, its core technical advantages are prominent: arthroscopy and minimally invasive total knee and hip replacement have reached an internationally advanced level; it performs more than 800 arthroscopic procedures annually, with the highest total surgical volume in the province; its total knee replacement volume ranks among the highest in the province and its cumulative artificial joint replacement volume leads the province; it performed Xiamen’s first reverse total shoulder arthroplasty; and it has distinctive strengths in DAA minimally invasive hip replacement, high-difficulty arthroscopy, digital orthopedic-assisted diagnosis and treatment, individualized limb salvage for bone tumors, and correction of osteoarticular deformities. Third, its talent structure is well balanced, with a professional physician team possessing high educational qualifications, senior professional titles and overseas training experience, a complete doctoral- and master-supervisor structure, and strong technical capabilities. Fourth, its disease-specific service system is comprehensive: it operates multiple distinctive disease-specific clinics and implements an individualized, minimally invasive, enhanced-recovery, menu-based treatment model covering the diagnostic and treatment needs of patients with all types of osteoarticular diseases. VIII. Department Vision The department will continue to rely on its high-level specialty platform, develop cutting-edge technologies in joint surgery and sports medicine, continuously improve its subspecialty system, enhance the quality of medical services and the standards of research and teaching, and strengthen academic exchange and cooperation at home and abroad. It is committed to building a nationally advanced and regionally leading center for the diagnosis and treatment of joint diseases and sports injuries, providing higher-quality, more precise and more efficient osteoarticular healthcare services for people in southwestern Fujian and surrounding areas, and helping patients restore joint function and return to healthy lives.