Department of Critical Care Medicine

Established in 1998 as a teaching and research section, the department became Jiangsu’s first master’s program in critical care medicine, followed by doctoral training in 2004. It was designated a National Clinical Key Specialty in 2010 (the only one in Jiangsu), the National Center for Quality Control in Critical Care Medicine in 2012, and the province’s sole Critical Care Diagnosis and Treatment Center. In 2013, it became Jiangsu’s only Priority Academic Discipline, and in 2020, it gained provincial key laboratory status. From 2015 to 2021, it ranked among the top two nationally in the Fudan University specialty rankings, taking first place in 2021.

Its clinical base, the critical care units, Zhongda Hospital, founded in 1989 as one of China’s earliest critical care units—pioneered an integrated care model spanning early warning, acute treatment, and longterm outcomes. Supported by a bedside information system and a rapid response team, it enables realtime risk assessment and early intervention. In 2018, it launched China’s first postICU outpatient clinic, with a multidisciplinary team covering rehabilitation, psychology, nutrition, and clinical pharmacy, which has provided longterm prognostic followup for nearly 2,000 ICU survivors—a milestone in wholecycle critical care management.

The department boasts a strong faculty, including 12 doctoral and 17 master’s supervisors. Academic leaders include Professor Haibo Qiu, Vice President of Southeast University, ChangJiang Scholar, head of the national critical care expert group, Chair of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association’s Critical Care Medicine Branch, and among China’s first PhDs in critical care medicine; and Professor Yi Yang, Distinguished Professor, Department Director, State Council Special Allowee, and National Distinguished Physician. The team, enriched by Young Thousand Talents recipients, has played key roles in major public health emergencies, including SARS, the Wenchuan and Yushu earthquakes, and COVID19.

Focused on multiple organ dysfunction and injury, the department houses three provinciallevel platforms, including the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, with 2,500 m² of laboratory space and over RMB 120 million in equipment. Recent research includes more than 70 provincial and nationallevel grants (e.g., National Science and Technology Major Projects, Key R&D Programs, and NSFC Major Programs), with publications in The New England Journal of Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. Over the past five years, it has published over 200 SCI papers with a cumulative impact factor exceeding 600, and received 30 awards, including the National Science and Technology Progress Award and the Ministry of Education Natural Science Award.

In education, the department offers a fullcycle, multilevel training system—from undergraduate through postdoctoral, residency, fellowship, and visiting programs. Its Critical Care Medicine course was named a Ministry of Education Model Course for Ideological and Political Education in 2021, with faculty recognized as teaching masters. Graduate training follows a mentorgroup model combining clinical and research pathways, producing over 300 master’s and doctoral graduates.

Looking forward, the department aims to become a national critical care center, advancing coordinated clinical, educational, and research development, leading highquality growth nationwide, and ultimately building an internationally influential critical care medicine hub.