The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University is one of the first clinical key specialties designated by the Ministry of Health. It also serves as a training base for specialized physicians, a clinical pharmacology base for Zhongshan Hospital under the China Food and Drug Administration, a doctoral program, and a postdoctoral research center in the field of internal medicine. The founder of the discipline is Professor Lin Zhaoqi, one of the pioneers of internal medicine in China, and the department has been led by Professor Shen Xizhong.

In the years 2019-2021, the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Zhongshan Hospital has consistently ranked among the top three in the field of gastroenterology on the national academic scale for medical institutions in China. The department currently has 50 medical professionals, including 14 professors (chief physicians), 10 associate professors (associate chief physicians), and 13 attending physicians, 3 associate research fellows，with 46 of them holding doctoral degrees. Several of the professors are actively engaged in medical societies, with Professor Shen Xizhong serving as the chairman of the Digestive Professional Committee of the Shanghai Medical Association. Furthermore, 17 young and middle-aged experts from the department hold positions within various committees of these academic societies.

The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology has two independent wards with a total of 106 approved beds. It also has a 19-bed emergency ward. The department sees over 6000 inpatients annually and operates specialized outpatient clinics six days a week. Additionally, the department offers multiple sub-specialty outpatient clinics for conditions such as fatty liver, chronic liver diseases, esophagogastric variceal follow-up, esophageal diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, microbiome therapy for gastrointestinal disorders, and Helicobacter pylori infections, with over 340,000 outpatient visit per year.

**Clinical Medicine**

The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, under the leadership of Professor Shen Xizhong, has cultivated a unique advantage distinct from other domestic medical institutions. It offers a complete range of specialized fields, with a prominent position in the diagnosis and treatment of portal hypertension, chronic liver diseases (including liver fibrosis, drug-induced liver injury, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), and inflammatory bowel disease.

The portal hypertension sub-specialty is proficient in all the relevant diagnostic and treatment techniques available worldwide. The team designs comprehensive therapeutic strategies involving medication, endoscopic treatment, and interventional radiology based on individual patient conditions, setting a national standard. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the portal hypertension sub-specialty has continually explored and improved various endoscopic treatment techniques, providing evidence-based treatment for portal hypertension and its complications in patients from all over the country.

The liver diseases sub-specialty has established a comprehensive system for the non-invasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis and the treatment of liver cirrhosis. It treats over 500 patients with severe complications of cirrhosis annally, including hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous peritonitis, refractory ascites, hepato-renal syndrome and hepatocellular carcinoma. In the field of cirrhosis and its complications, it is one of the largest and most advanced specialized departments in China.

The fatty liver outpatient clinic has seen a steady increase in patient visits. Through close collaboration with the ultrasound department, radiology department, and other clinical departments, it provides a comprehensive assessment and treatment plan for patients with fatty liver disease, establishing itself as a distinctive sub-specialty in the field of fatty liver disease, attracting patients from all over the country.

The inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) sub-specialty has a multidisciplinary team led by the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and includes experts from general surgery, radiology, pathology, pharmacy, and nursing. This team provides specialized diagnosis and management for IBD patients and ranks among the leaders in the country in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

In the sub-specialty of biliary and pancreatic diseases, the department adopts a multidisciplinary approach to manage severe acute pancreatitis, obstructive jaundice, intrahepatic cholestasis, portal hypertension of pancreatic origin, and other diseases. It conducts various procedures, including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), fine-needle aspiration (FNA), percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD), and more. The department emphasizes the individualization of treatment and develops tailored therapeutic solutions for patients.

**Specialized Techniques**

Regarding specialized techniques, the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology is one of the first medical institutions in Shanghai to introduce liver stiffness ultrasound measurements. It conducts over 4,000 liver stiffness tests annually and conducts in-depth clinical research, including extensive evaluation of the role of liver stiffness measurements in assessing the antiviral treatment response in patients with chronic hepatitis B, the diagnostic value of liver stiffness measurements in patients with portal hypertension. The department has accumulated extensive clinical research experience, and several achievements have been awarded, including the second prize of the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award and the third prize of the China Medical Science and Technology Award.

The department has been actively involved in the diagnosis and treatment of portal hypertension. It is proficient in performing endoscopic treatments, including endoscopic band ligation, sclerotherapy, tissue adhesive injection with over 2,000 cases treated annually. The portal hypertension sub-specialty team collaborates across multiple disciplines, providing personalized treatment plans for different patients.

The department offers a range of dynamic gastrointestinal function testing techniques, including high-resolution esophageal manometry and 24-hour esophageal pH/impedance monitoring. It conducts over 300 examinations each year, offering a basis for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease, achalasia, and other esophageal motility disorders. It is especially prepared for the treatment and follow-up of patients with achalasia undergoing peroral endoscopic myotomy.

In 2015, the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology pioneered clinical research on fecal microbiota transplantation for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and established a specialized outpatient clinic for microbiome therapy. The department has the equipment to produce fecal microbiota capsules and has expanded clinical research on fecal microbiota transplantation and microbiome therapy to areas such as functional gastrointestinal disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases, and malignancies.

**Research Achievements**

The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology excels in research areas such as viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, fatty liver disease, chronic liver disease diagnosis and treatment, liver fibrosis mechanisms, inflammatory bowel disease, and endoscopic treatment. The department has maintained a leading position in national research rankings, having undertaken over 20 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, the National 863 Program, key projects in Shanghai.. Furthermore, the department has published over 200 SCI papers as corresponding authors or corresponding author units. Some of these papers have been published in reputable journals such as Lancet, Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, and Endoscopy. The department's research achievements have been recognized with significant awards, including the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, the first prize of the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award,the second prize of the Ministry of Education's Science and Technology Progress Award,  the third prize of the China Medical Science Award and the first prize of the Shanghai Medical Science Award