Gastroenterology

▲Group photo of all medical staff of the Department of Gastroenterology The Department of Gastroenterology of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University is a National Clinical Key Specialty (among the first batch nationwide, 2010), the Fujian Branch of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive System Diseases (2024), a Fujian Provincial Clinical Key Specialty (2012), the Fujian Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for Intestinal Microecology and the Prevention and Treatment of Digestive System Diseases (2023), a Xiamen Municipal Leading Medical Discipline (2015), and a Xiamen Municipal Outstanding Key Specialty (2021). It is also the host discipline of the Institute of Digestive Diseases of Xiamen University (2007), the Department of Digestive Medicine of the Medical College of Xiamen University (2020), the Xiamen Digestive Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Center (2006), the Xiamen Institute of Digestive Diseases (1999), the Xiamen Quality Control Center for the Specialty of Gastroenterology (2019), and the Xiamen Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Gastrointestinal Diseases (2016). It serves as the Xiamen Training Base of the Digestive Endoscopy Training Center of the Chinese Medical Association (2008), a Digestive Endoscopist Training Base of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (2016), a Certified Demonstration Unit of Chinese Digestive Endoscopy Centers (2020), a Training Base of the China ERCP Technology Standardization Talent Development Program (2017), a Chinese Regional Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) (2019), a National-Level Demonstration Center for "Standardized Helicobacter pylori Diagnosis and Treatment Clinics" (2022), a Digestive Endoscopy Training Base of the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association (2020), a Cross-Strait Consultation Base for Complex Digestive Diseases (2008), a Cross-Strait Base for the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors (2013), and the host unit of the Gastroenterology Branch of the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association (2013). It hosts platforms including the Xiamen Key Laboratory of Intestinal Microecology and Health (2015), the Institute of Microecology of the Medical College of Xiamen University (2017), and core collaboration centers of the National Clinical Research Centers for Medical Sciences (Xijing, Changhai, Youyi). ▲National-level platforms ▲Fujian provincial-level platforms Integrating medical care, teaching, and research, the department has strong technical capabilities, with more than 130 medical staff, including 1 national young and middle-aged expert with outstanding contributions to health recognized by the National Health Commission, 1 expert receiving the State Council Special Allowance, 1 Minjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor, 1 Fujian Provincial High-Level Talent (Category B), 1 Xiamen Outstanding Talent, and 1 Xiamen High-Level Talent (Category A); 3 doctoral/postdoctoral supervisors, 11 master's supervisors, 16 chief physicians/professors, 8 associate chief physicians/associate professors, 10 attending physicians, and 7 resident physicians; 28 physicians hold doctoral degrees and 13 hold master's degrees, many of whom have overseas study experience. The department possesses various advanced diagnostic, treatment, and research equipment, and has set up a Famous Gastroenterologist Clinic, VIP Clinic, Expert Clinic, Specialty Disease Clinic, Digestive Endoscopy Center, Intestinal Microbiota Transplantation Center, and Gastroenterology Laboratory. Currently, the inpatient wards have 140 open beds, with more than 170,000 outpatient visits per year, more than 7,000 annual discharges, and more than 70,000 endoscopic procedures per year. Adhering to clinical care as the core with teaching and research as the driving forces, the department is currently the leading discipline in gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy in the Western Taiwan Strait region. In clinical work, the Department of Gastroenterology has developed clinical subspecialties characterized mainly by "early diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal tumors, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of biliary and pancreatic diseases, and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases," and has established multidisciplinary (MDT) teams for the subspecialties, accumulating rich clinical experience in minimally invasive digestive endoscopic techniques, the diagnosis and treatment of complex digestive diseases, and the rescue of critical and severe cases. ▲GI tumor early diagnosis and treatment subspecialty ▲Biliary and pancreatic disease subspecialty ▲IBD subspecialty MDT team ▲Liver disease subspecialty The gastroenterology outpatient department is located on the 7th floor of the new outpatient building (Building 7), with 11 consultation rooms, offering Famous Doctor Clinics, VIP Clinics, Expert Clinics, Specialty Disease Clinics, and General Clinics to meet the needs of different patient groups and optimize the visit process. The Specialty Disease Clinics are a key focus and feature of outpatient development, currently including clinics for early GI cancer, Helicobacter pylori, clinical cure of hepatitis B, intestinal microecology, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, functional gastrointestinal disorders and constipation, fatty liver disease, autoimmune liver disease, and biliary and pancreatic diseases; among them, the fatty liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease clinics are accredited by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. It pioneered the appointment-free one-stop express H. pylori clinic (designated a National-Level Demonstration Center for "Standardized H. pylori Diagnosis and Treatment Clinics" in 2022), where patients enjoy an appointment-free one-stop service, including 13C urea breath testing and review of reports by an H. pylori specialist. The consulting experts all have extensive clinical and endoscopic experience and are capable of diagnosing and treating all acute, critical, severe, and complex cases in gastroenterology, quickly establishing a clear diagnosis and relieving patients' suffering. ▲H. pylori express clinic The gastroenterology wards are located on floors 12–14 of the new outpatient building (Building 7), comprising 3 wards with 140 open beds; they have an experienced and highly skilled three-tier medical team and a well-trained nursing team, are able to respond quickly to all kinds of emergencies, and are competent in the diagnosis, treatment, and nursing of all gastroenterological diseases. Over the past 3 years, the annual growth rate of discharged patients has exceeded 30%; in 2025, discharges reached more than 7,000, the cure and improvement rate of discharged patients exceeds 90%, and critically and severely ill patients account for more than 50% of inpatients. The department implements the "High-Quality Nursing Service Demonstration Project" and continuously improves the quality of clinical nursing. The wards are spacious, bright, comfortable, and warm, making patients feel at home. ▲Three-tier ward rounds of the Department of Gastroenterology The Digestive Endoscopy Center covers an area of more than 5,000 square meters, with 21 procedure rooms, including gastroscopy rooms, colonoscopy rooms, double-balloon enteroscopy rooms, capsule endoscopy rooms, endoscopic ultrasound rooms, a VIP endoscopy room, an X-ray (ERCP) room, a motility room, a cleaning and disinfection room, a recovery room, a simulated endoscopy training room, and more. It is equipped with various advanced diagnostic, treatment, and research devices such as electronic chromoendoscopy, magnifying endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound systems, double-balloon electronic enteroscopes, capsule endoscopes, high-frequency electrosurgical workstations, X-ray machines, and a complete multimedia teaching system. It can perform almost all advanced endoscopic techniques at home and abroad, including NOTES; among them, the application of intestinal microbiota transplantation, the clinical application of AI-powered digestive endoscopy, ERCP combined with laser biliary lithotripsy and stone extraction, ESD/EFR for early GI cancer, POEM for achalasia, STER for submucosal tumors, endoscopic ultrasound, and other advanced digestive endoscopic techniques are at an advanced national level and a leading position within the province. ▲Director Xu Hongzhi performing endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy ▲Chief Physician Si Lijuan performing pediatric biliary stent implantation ▲Chief Physician Lu Yapei performing endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of the digestive tract ▲Chief Physician Hu Yiqun performing gastroscopy In teaching, the Gastroenterology Teaching and Research Group is a backbone force of the Internal Medicine Teaching and Research Section, including 3 doctoral supervisors and 11 master's supervisors, with more than 40 postdoctoral fellows, doctoral students, and master's students currently enrolled. It undertakes undergraduate, master's, and doctoral teaching as well as graduate training for the Medical College of Xiamen University and Fujian Medical University, and also the training of international students at Xiamen University. All teachers of the Gastroenterology Teaching and Research Group patiently impart knowledge to visiting physicians and intern students in their work, combine theory with practice, emphasize the improvement of clinical skills, regularly organize large-scale complex case discussions, and have repeatedly led teams to the National Medical Student Clinical Skills Competition with outstanding results. Professor Ren Jianlin's mentor team has been repeatedly rated a Fujian Province Outstanding Mentor Team, and Professor Xu Hongzhi's "MDT Treatment Case of Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding" was approved as a themed case project of Xiamen University in 2024. The group also actively participates in research and innovation in educational theory, and as a standing editorial board member unit has twice completed the compilation of the digestive system chapters of the five-year medical undergraduate textbook "Internal Medicine" published by Higher Education Press for national universities. In addition, our teachers actively write and publish educational papers, and several teachers have been named Advanced Teaching Workers of Xiamen University. ▲Deputy Director Cai Shuntian supervising international students In research, the Gastroenterology Laboratory has been approved to establish the Fujian Branch of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive System Diseases, the Fujian Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for Intestinal Microecology and the Prevention and Treatment of Digestive System Diseases, the Xiamen Key Laboratory of Intestinal Microecology and Health, and the Institute of Microecology of the Medical College of Xiamen University, enabling research in digestive pathology, cell biology, molecular biology, and proteomics. The laboratory focuses mainly on microecology and major digestive diseases, and on the R&D and application of artificial intelligence and digestive endoscopy; its research on the prevention and treatment of major digestive diseases via intestinal microecology, on the translation and industrial application of medical AI, on early diagnosis and treatment of digestive system tumors, and on trefoil peptides, JTB, Mindin, and Raman endoscopy in digestive diseases and digestive tumors is at an advanced domestic level. Over the past 5 years, it has obtained nearly 50 national-level research projects, including National Natural Science Foundation projects, subprojects of the 973 Program, subprojects of the national "14th Five-Year Plan" Science and Technology Support Program, and subprojects of the National Major Scientific Research Program. In recent years, it has won 7 provincial and municipal science and technology progress awards, holds more than 50 national invention patents, and has published over 100 professional papers in SCI and national core journals, including 8 SCI papers with an impact factor above 10, in journals such as Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Journal of Hepatology, Hepatology, and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and has edited or contributed to more than 10 monographs. In academic exchange and collaboration, the department has established good academic ties and collaborative relationships with leading disciplines at home and abroad, including the Department of Gastroenterology of Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard University (USA), the Department of Gastroenterology of the National University Hospital of Singapore, the National Taiwan University Hospital, the Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital of Kaohsiung Medical University (Taiwan), the Prince of Wales Hospital of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases of the Air Force Medical University, the Changhai Hospital of the Naval Medical University, the Department of Gastroenterology of Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the School of Life Sciences of Xiamen University. Many members have repeatedly participated in international and domestic academic conferences and have been invited to deliver keynote presentations at them. The department has successfully hosted more than 10 international academic conferences and more than 30 national and provincial academic conferences. As the host unit of the Gastroenterology Branch of the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association and of the chairmanship of its Third Committee, it took the lead in establishing the "Cross-Strait Consultation Base for Complex Digestive Diseases" and the "Cross-Strait Base for the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors," and founded the "Cross-Strait Digestive Forum and World Chinese Digestive Innovation Forum," the "World Chinese Digestive Youth Forum," the "Cross-Strait and World Chinese Microecology and Intelligent Endoscopy Innovation Forum," the "Cross-Strait Summit Forum on the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors," the "Haixi Integrative Digestive Disease Forum," and the "Xiamen University Digestive Forum," bringing together gastroenterology, digestive endoscopy, and liver disease physicians from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas, promoting cross-strait medical exchange and providing an academic exchange platform for gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy physicians on both sides of the strait. ▲Group photo of the First Committee of the Gastroenterology Branch of the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association (November 22, 2013, Xiamen) ▲Group photo of the First Youth Committee of the Gastroenterology Branch (November 22, 2015, Xiamen) ▲Group photo of the Second Committee of the Gastroenterology Branch (March 23, 2018, Hangzhou) ▲Group photo of the Second Youth Committee of the Gastroenterology Branch (July 12, 2019, Kunming) ▲Group photo of the Third Committee of the Gastroenterology Branch (June 9, 2023, Xiamen) ▲Group photo of the Third Youth Committee of the Gastroenterology Branch (June 10, 2023, Xiamen) ▲Host of the 2020 China Endoscopist Conference (November 6–8, 2020, Xiamen)