The Department of Psychiatry at First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was established in 1958 by renowned experts including ZHANG Fengchun, LING Yonghe, ZHANG Yongfang, ZHOU Huizhang, TIAN Shouzhang, and YUAN Tinggan, who relocated from the former Shanghai First Medical College (now Fudan University Shanghai Medical College) to Chongqing. It is a comprehensive discipline integrating medical care, education, research, and prevention. The department has ranked in the top 10 in the “China Hospital Science and Technology Influence Rankings – Psychiatry” for five consecutive years, and has received a specialty reputation nomination award in the “Fudan University China Hospital Best Specialty Reputation Rankings” for ten consecutive years, firmly placing it among the leaders in China’s psychiatry field. In 2023, it was recognized as an ESI global top 1% discipline.
Based primarily at the Yuanjiagang Campus and complemented by specialized areas such as the sleep ward at the Jingwei Campus and the psychological consultation clinic at the Jinshan Campus, the department has developed six mature sub-specialties: child and adolescent mental disorders, severe mental disorders, geriatric mental disorders, psychosomatic disorders, sleep-related disorders, and psychiatric neurostimulation. In 2018, it was approved as a key clinical specialty in Chongqing, and in 2022, it received approval as a National Clinical Key Specialty construction project. It is currently actively applying for designation as a National Regional Medical Center (Psychiatry).
The department’s leader, Professor ZHOU Xinyu, is a national-level leading talent, a Youth Changjiang Scholar awarded by the Ministry of Education, a recipient of the Chongqing Outstanding Youth Fund, and a leader in the Chongqing Technological Innovation. Professor KUANG Li, the director of the Psychiatry Center, currently serves as the vice-chair of the Psychosomatic Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and as an executive member of the Psychiatry Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. Additionally, the department boasts numerous renowned experts with significant academic achievements and extensive clinical experience, including leaders of the Chongqing Youth Experts’ Workshop and high-level medical professionals from the Chongqing’s High-End Young and Mid-Aged Medical Talents.
The department is equipped with advanced medical instruments, including an Event-related Potential (ERP) machine, near-infrared brain function imaging system, a magnetic navigation robotic positioning system, multi-channel sleep monitoring devices, modified Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) equipment, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS), group biofeedback therapy systems, virtual reality-based children’s attention training system, and a cognitive rehabilitation training system. Over the past decade, the department has undertaken over 200 vertical research projects - including major initiatives under the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Brain Plan, key projects from the Ministry of Health, and National Natural Science Foundation projects - and has published over 1,000 academic papers in authoritative SCI journals such as Lancet, World Psychiatry, Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, and JAMA Network Open, with the highest individual impact factor reaching 202.7. The department has also published 20 textbooks and monographs (as chief or associate editor) and contributed to over 50 others. It has received numerous awards, including the China Youth Science and Technology Innovation Award, the First Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award, the First Prize of Chongqing Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Second Prize of Chongqing Science and Technology Progress Award. Professor ZHOU Xinyu currently serves as the director of the Key Laboratory for Brain Diseases and Aging of the Ministry of Education.
The department has developed a complete psychiatric talent cultivation system spanning bachelor’s, master’s, postdoctoral levels and has sent a large number of psychiatric professionals across the country. In 2018, it led the establishment of the Psychiatry Department at Chongqing Medical University. In 2022, it was approved as a national first-class undergraduate program and a program for international cooperation in psychiatry and it is also a key training base for standardized residency training. Professor KUANG Li serves as a member of Teaching Guidance Committee for Psychiatry by the Ministry of Education.
The department has actively participated in psychological rescue efforts for major public events, including over 20 instances following the 5.12 Earthquake and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It spearheaded the creation of the “Sunshine Heart” volunteer service team to support the mental health of left-behind children. By innovatively proposing the “1234 Medicine+” assistance model, the team reached over 20 counties in Sichuan and Chongqing, conducted more than 50 group counseling sessions, and served over 20,000 left-behind children. The department has received multiple awards, including the “National Gold Award for China Youth Volunteer Service Competition”, a “Key Funded Project by the Chinese Red Cross”, and the “Second Prize in the Sichuan-Chongqing Rural Revitalization Competition”. Professor ZHOU Xinyu has been awarded the China Youth May 4th Medal, named the 2023 China Public Welfare Person of the Year, and recognized as a National Youth Model for Outstanding Work Performance.