SUN YAT-SEN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
1. First Western Hospital in China
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, also called the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), is a hospital under the supervision of the National Health Commission. Founded in 1835, it is the first western hospital in China. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of the democratic revolution in China, studied medicine at this hospital and later pursued the path to build a democratic nation. As a pioneer in western medicine practice, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital is the hospital that practiced the first ophthalmological surgery, the first ovariotomy, the first lithocystotomy, the first etherization, and the first pathological anatomy in China. It also had China’s first X-ray film shot and the first medical magazine printed. After founding China’s first western medical school with the name of Boji Medical School, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital nurtured the nation’s first overseas medical student and nurse. Known as the cradle of China’s western medicine practice and one of the birthplaces of China’s medical talents, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital has been a keen contributor to China’s medical causes, thanks to the devotion of many famous medical experts and educators such as Lin Shumo, Chen Yaozhen, Xie Zhiguang, Zhong Shifan, Qin Guangyu, Chen Xintao, Zhou Shoukai, Mao Wenshu and Chen Guozhen.
2.Rapid Development
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital has now developed into a large and comprehensive 3A-Grade hospital, featuring medical care, education, research, disease prevention and healthcare services. It now owns two hospital campuses and one clinic, including the North Hospital Campus, the South Hospital Campus and the clinic at the Southern Campus of SYSU. While the Huadu Hospital Campus is under construction, the Shenshan Medical Center has come into fine decoration, which is expected to offer full service within 202.
The hospital has over 4,500 staff numbers, including one academician of CAS, one chief scientist of the "973" Project, four National Key Program Scholars, two professionals of Ten Thousand Talent Project, Five National Distinguished Young Scholars, three National Excellent Young Scholars and six scientists of National Introducing Talent Program. There are 210 employees with senior professional titles and 342 with deputy senior professional titles, as well as 149 PhD supervisors and 300 Master supervisors. Among the medical professionals, 31 are chairs or vice chairs of state-level academic associations, 22 are chairs or vice chairs of provincial academic associations.
(1) Growing Medical Capability
In recent years, the hospital has witnessed consistent growth in medical business and improvement of operating efficiency. It has 2204 inpatient beds and over 3.02 million outpatient visits each year, with over 85,000 operations performed and more than 115,000 patients discharged from the hospital annually. The hospital has seven National Key Disciplines, including nephrology (internal medicine), endocrinology and metabolism, general surgery, neurology, oncology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, and eleven National Key Clinical Specialties, including oncology, cardiology, endocrinology, urology, general surgery, orthopedics, gynecology, endemic diseases (pediatric hematology), oral and maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology, emergency medicine. It has 23 Guangdong Provincial Key Clinical Specialties, including oncology, cardiology, respiratory medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, urology, general surgery, orthopedics, thoracic surgery, gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, stomatology, otolaryngology, neurology, rehabilitation, emergency medicine, intensive care unit, anesthesiology, dermatology, medical imaging and clinical care. The hospital is one of the Guangdong Provincial High-level Hospitals and was selected to join a State project to improve diagnosis and treatment of difficult diseases in oncology. The hospital is qualified to carry out heart, lung, liver and kidney transplant surgeries. It has set up precise tumor treatment center and multidisciplinary collaboration center, including MDT consultation center, difficult diseases consultation center and remote consultation center, which shows the hospital's outstanding medical capability.
(2) Breakthroughs in Scientific Research
As one of the Guangdong Provincial High-level Hospitals, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital aims to build a first-level research hospital, with its discipline strength increasing significantly in recent years. It has been ranked by Nature Index as one of the top hundred research hospitals globally and the top 10 in China for five consecutive years. The hospital's president Prof. Song Erwei is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The hospital is an important part of SYSU's clinical medicine program, which emphasizes on discipline construction by building "large platforms, large teams and large projects". It is home to the State Science and Technology Cooperation Base for "Long Non-coding RNAs (IncRNAs) and Major Diseases" and owns the National Significant New Drugs Development Project for "Clinical Research and Evaluation of Innovative Drugs Targeting Tumors and Microenvironment". The hospital is one of the Guangdong Provincial High-level Hospitals and was selected to join a State project to improve diagnosis and treatment of difficult diseases in oncology. It also has 18 platforms at the provincial, ministerial, departmental, bureau and municipal levels, including the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Epigenetic and Gene Regulation and Malignant Tumors.
Aiming at tackling practical clinical problems, the hospital has rolled out whole-chain researches on disease occurrence and development mechanism in order to make breakthroughs in disease prevention and treatment. It has reached world-leading level in tumor immune microenvironment, RNA medicine and other research fields. The hospital is capable of undertaking research projects at all levels, with an annual scientific research fund of more than 220 million yuan. The hospital has outrun most 3A-Grade hospitals in Guangdong in terms of the number of scientific research projects and the amount of research funds. It has obtained major research projects of "973" Project, "863" Project, National Key Research and Development Project, National Natural Innovation Research Group and National Major Natural Science Project, etc. The hospital's research findings have been published on renowned international academic journals, such as Cell, J Clin Immunol, Nat Commun, Adv Funct Mater, Cell Res, Cancer Res, Hepatology, etc. Some of the findings were listed as the "Top 10 Global Science and Technology Advances" in 2003, "Top 10 Science and Technology Advances of Universities in China" in 2008 and 2018 by the Ministry of Education, and won awards such as the second prize of the National Natural Science Award.
(3) Improvement of Medical Education
Boji Medical School, which was founded by the hospital, was the first Western medical school in China and the birthplace of the hospital's medical education. Based on the education traditions passed on for over a century, the hospital has created its own teaching mode with Lingnan features. The hospital has integrated education with its history and culture, while cultivating and motivating students with patriotism advocated by Dr. Sun Yat-sen and professional ethics complied with by other distinguished predecessors. Students are equipped with not only medical knowledge and skills, but also morals and ethics of medical workers. The hospital is responsible for the education and management of more than 1,000 full-time undergraduates, 850 full-time postgraduates and over 500 advanced students every year, and it is one of five largest institutions that offer eight-year medical doctoral education in China, and its doctoral students have won "National 100 Excellent Doctoral Dissertations". The hospital was the first to carry out standardized teaching trainings for teachers in SYSU's medical system, and it is one of the first specialized physician training bases and clinical pharmacist training bases approved by the Ministry of Health. The hospital has won many awards in teaching competitions at all levels, and its teachers have top prizes in the National Clinical Skills Competition for years.
3. Awards and Honors
In recent years, the hospital has been highly recognized by the society, and it has won the titles of "National Advanced Hospital of Medical and Health System", "National Advanced Hospital of People's Trust", "National Advanced Hospital of Medical Insurance Management", "100 Civilized Hospitals in Guangdong Province", "Bethune Advanced Hospital of Guangdong Province", "Most Popular 3A-Grade Hospital in Guangzhou" and so on. The hospital had done an excellent job in the fight against SARS, Wenchuan Earthquake, Yushu Earthquake, the snow disaster in 2008 and other emergencies and healthcare missions assigned by the government. It was awarded the titles of "Model Hospital Fighting Against SARS" in Guangzhou and Guangdong, "Model Hospital Fighting Against COVID-19" and "Advanced Grass-roots Party Organization" in Guangdong, as well as "Pioneer Organization to Rebuild Homeland After Earthquake" by the China Educational, Scientific, Cultural, Medical and Sports Union.
