The Department of Orthopedics at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University boasts a long and distinguished history. In the face of modern challenges and opportunities, the entire orthopedic team remains steadfast in its commitment to progress. Through dedicated efforts in medical services, education, and research, the department has achieved significant advancements in recent years.
Medical Services: The department is a National Clinical Key Specialty, with its bone tumor sub-specialty also designated as a National Clinical Key Specialty. It encompasses six municipal medical centers, including the Chongqing Orthopedic Medical Quality Control Center, the Joint Disease Research Center, the Spine Surgery Diagnosis and Treatment Center, the Hand Surgery Center, the Trauma Center, and the Cervical Spondylosis Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Center. The department operates across five wards with 274 beds, staffed by 154 medical professionals, including 49 physicians. It provides medical care to over 150,000 outpatients annually, with nearly 10,000 hospital discharges and over 9,000 surgeries performed. The department specializes in minimally invasive total joint replacement surgery, artificial joint infection treatment, robot-assisted orthopedic surgery, complex spine deformity correction, total vertebral resection and reconstruction for spinal tumors, surgical treatment of complex pelvic acetabular fractures, arthroscopic multi-ligament repair, brachial plexus injury treatment, and neural transfer surgery. Over the past five years, the department has contributed to the development of 28 international and domestic guidelines and expert consensus documents, demonstrating significant global influence.
Innovative Medical Model: The department’s ERAS-MDT team treatment model is at the forefront of national standards. In 2017, it was designated a national “Demonstration Ward for Accelerated Recovery Surgery and Blood and Pain Management for Orthopedic Surgery”. In 2019, the department was recognized by the National Health Commission as an “Innovative Department for Improving Medical Services”. In 2020, it was selected as one of the first “National Health Commission Accelerated Recovery Surgery Pilot Hospitals for Orthopedics” and as a “National Demonstration Center for Joint Surgery Accelerated Recovery” by the Chinese Medical Association. In 2021, the department was awarded the “2018-2020 National Advanced Model Hospital (Department) for Improving Medical Services”.
Research: The department has undertaken 170 scientific research projects, including the National High Technology Research and Development Program (863 Program), sub-projects of the National High Technology Research and Development Program (863 Program), sub-projects of the National Key Basic Research Program (973 Program), sub-projects of the National 11th Five-Year Plan for Science and Technology Support, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)–Joint Fund–Key Programs, National Key R&D Programs, NSFC–General Projects, and projects supported by NSFC–Youth Scientists Funds. In the past five years alone, it has conducted 21 national-level projects and 68 provincial and ministerial-level projects. The department has hosted or participated in over 20 multi-center clinical studies, with research funding totaling nearly 70 million yuan. It has received 32 prestigious science and technology awards, including two Second Prizes in the Science and Technology Progress Award from the National Ministry of Health, two Second Prizes and one Third Prize in the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Progress Awards, two First Prizes and Three Second Prizes in the Chongqing Science and Technology Progress Awards. Over the past five years, the department has published 319 SCI-indexed papers, including 19 with an impact factor greater than 10 and 84 with an impact factor above 5, totaling an impact factor of 1771.88. The department has also been granted 12 national invention patents and 65 other intellectual property patents.
Notably, as of December 31, 2021, a report by Healsan Consulting LLC (USA) ranked the department 8th globally for orthopedic research publications, with 32 published papers. Professors OU Yunsheng, HUANG Wei, and Dr. DU Xing were recognized as leading researchers in global orthopedics, with Dr. DU Xing’s paper, “The Evidence Gap in Low Back Pain Management Strategies” classified as high-impact research. According to the “Most Active Scholars and Their Networks”, Professor HUANG Wei ranks 8th among the top orthopedic experts in China, with 18 papers and an impact factor of 150.8. In 2021, Professor HUANG Wei was ranked 7th in the “Top 50 Chinese Orthopedic Experts of 2021” by Internet Weekly, a publication under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and was selected as a Research Talent for 2023 Chinese Research Hospitals.
The department has established Southwest China’s earliest and most comprehensive orthopedic medical training system, encompassing undergraduate to postdoctoral training, graduate education (master’s and Ph.D. programs) and international fellowship programs. In the past five years, the department has trained 158 master’s students and 44 doctoral students, guiding them to win the Gold Medal in the 8th China International College Students “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. The department has produced 13 graduates recognized as “Outstanding Graduates” in Chongqing, 13 University-level Outstanding Graduates, 1 excellent thesis at the municipal level, 4 excellent doctoral theses, and 17 outstanding master’s theses at Chongqing Medical University. Additionally, five international graduate students have been trained, and two fellows from Barbados have participated in advanced studies. In May 2023, the department successfully launched the “Minimally Invasive Hip and Knee Joint Replacement Clinical Training Course” under the Chongqing Municipal Education Aid Project and the Chongqing Municipal Government Mayor Scholarship for International Students. From October to December 2023, the department’s first “Belt and Road International Minimally Invasive Hip and Knee Joint Replacement Clinical Training Course” attracted 11 excellent participants from Panama, India, Ecuador, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Indonesia, with a second session scheduled for March to May 2024, involving 11 physicians from Mongolia, Panama, Ukraine, and Russia. As one of the pioneering orthopedic training centers in China, the department has trained 48 orthopedic residents in the last three years, achieving a first-time pass rate of 95.77% on the graduation examination. Over the past five years, the department has also accepted 123 trainees, making it one of the most important orthopedic training bases in Chongqing and Southwest China.
The department serves as a co-editor unit for the national-level textbook Surgery (6th and 7th editions), and as chief and co-chief editor for China’s first integrated “5+3” orthopedic textbook, Musculoskeletal System Diseases. In the past three years, young faculty members from the department have received national-level teaching awards, including one First Prize and one Second Prize in the National Microcourse Competition for Universities (Medical Category), as well as one First Prize and one Third Prize in the Teaching Innovation Competition. Additionally, the department collaborates internationally, co-teaching with the University of Leicester in the UK and leading the Musculoskeletal System course in Chongqing Medical University’s Sino-foreign cooperation program.
The department remains steadfast in its original mission, forging ahead with determination. It has seen a 30% annual increase in surgeries over the past three years, with scientific output consistently leading the hospital. Key milestones include the approval of the “Musculoskeletal System Disease” course, led by the department, as a Chongqing First-class Undergraduate Courses on November 7, 2022; the granting of the First NSFC–Joint Fund–Key Program on November 8, 2022; Professor HUANG Wei ranking 41st in China’s Orthopedic Scholar Influence Ranking (2012-2021) on November 9, 2022; and the department being approved as the “Chongqing Musculoskeletal Specialty Research Center” on November 10, 2022. United in ambition and innovation, the department is committed to reaching new heights, ensuring continued excellence in medical services, research, and education.