Department of Endocrinology in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University has established the key provincial and ministerial laboratory (Sichuan-Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Metabolic Vascular Diseases) and the Chongqing Major Metabolic Disease Key Laboratory. It is designated as National Clinical Key Specialty, National Drug Clinical Trial Certified Specialty, Key Discipline of the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing Diabetes Center, Chongqing Diabetic Foot Center, and Chongqing Endocrinology Medical Quality Control Center.
The department has long been engaged in both clinical and basic research on endocrine and metabolic diseases such as adrenal diseases, diabetes, and obesity. In recent years, it has pioneered several internationally advanced techniques, including adrenal vein sampling, the glucose clamp technique, and inferior petrosal sinus sampling – gradually establishing itself as a regional center for diabetes prevention and treatment as well as for managing complex endocrine disorders.
Over the past five years, the department’s leading members have published over 70 SCI papers as first or corresponding authors, with 11 papers having an Impact Factor (IF) greater than 10, including Annals of Internal Medicine (IF 39.2), Circulation (IF 37.0), Journal of the American College of Cardiology (IF 24.1), JAMA Internal Medicine (IF 21.8), Hepatology (IF 17.4), and JAMA Network Open (IF 13.8). In this period, the department has been responsible for 13 national-level research projects, including one State Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China, one sub-project of the National Key R&D Program, one National Ten thousand Talents Program for Young Top Talents project, two Chongqing Outstanding Youth Fund projects, and three provincial and ministerial key projects. The department has led the development of the first Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy Disease (2019 Edition), Expert Consensus on Multidisciplinary Management of Adrenal Incidentalomas in China (2021 Edition), and Expert Consensus on Adrenal Vein Sampling Practice and Results Interpretation (2025 Edition). Several research findings have been cited and recommended by the national and international guidelines.
As one of the disciplines under the Chongqing Medical University Peak Program, the university and hospital have invested approximately 15 million RMB annually for the department’s development since 2023. From 2018 to 2022, the department ranked highly in the Chinese Hospital STEM for endocrinology and metabolic diseases, earning multiple nominations in the Fudan Specialty Reputation Rankings.