Department of Neurology and Psychiatry

The Department of Neuropsychiatry at Southeast University (formerly the Teaching and Research Office of Neuropsychiatry, established in 1983) has a long history, rigorous academic standards, and an excellent academic tradition. It is an important component of clinical medicine at Southeast University and is primarily based in the Department of Neurology and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine at Zhongda Hospital, affiliated with Southeast University. The department undertakes teaching and clinical mentoring for undergraduate students, students in the 5+3 Integrated Program, the Top-notch Innovative Talent Program, master‘s degree candidates, and doctoral candidates, in courses includingNeurology,Psychiatry,Diagnostic Methods in Neurological Disorders,Advances in Neurology, and the English-taught courseNeuropsychiatry(for international students).

As an independent secondary discipline, the Department of Neurologypsychiatry was established in 1936 when Professor Qi Shounan, then President of the hospital, invited Professor Cheng Yulin to found the department. Professor Cheng served as the first department director and initiated the psychiatry curriculum. In 1939, Professor Cheng compiled and published China’s first neurology textbook,entitled Neurology, through The Commercial Press. After multiple disciplinary adjustments, the neurology section was independently established as a department in Jiangsu Province in 1968, becoming the first of its kind in the province. In 1982, the Teaching and Research Office of Neuropsychiatry was established within the medical school. In 1988, it became the only key neurology discipline under the Ministry of Railways. In 1996, it began recruiting master‘s students; in 2001, it was authorized to award master’s degrees in Neurology; in 2004, it began recruiting doctoral students; in 2005, it was designated as a National Drug Clinical Trial Institution; in 2006, it obtained doctoral degree authorization (in Internal Medicine) and established the Cerebrovascular Disease Institute of Southeast University; in 2009, it was rated as a Jiangsu Provincial Key Clinical Medical Specialty and, in the same year, established the Institute of Neuropsychiatry of Southeast University. In 2010, it was approved as a doctoral program in Neurology and began independently recruiting doctoral students in Neurology. In 2013, it was approved as the Jiangsu Provincial Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases and established a postdoctoral research station in Neurology. In 2016, it was approved as a Jiangsu Provincial Stroke Treatment Center and, in the same year, established the Diagnostic and Treatment Center for Rare and Complicated Neurological Disorders. In 2017, it was approved as a National Stroke Center under the Stroke Prevention and Treatment Project of the National Health Commission and became the chair unit of the Cognitive Impairment Branch of the China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Health Care (CPAM). In 2022, it was re-approved as a Jiangsu Provincial Key Medical Discipline. In 2023, it was approved as an Advanced Cognitive Impairment Diagnosis and Treatment Center by the National Health Commission. In 2024, it was approved as a National Cognitive Impairment Training Base and a CAAE Level 2 Epilepsy Center by the China Association Against Epilepsy. Currently, the department holds multiple national and provincial designations. Itisa National Clinical Teaching and Training Demonstration Center, a National Standardized Training Base for Neurology, a National Clinical Drug Trial Institution, a member of the National Rare Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Collaboration Network, one of the first National Advanced Stroke Centers and Advanced Memory Disorder Centers, a CAAE Level 2 Epilepsy Center, a National Training Base for Cognitive Disorder Specialty Capacity Building, a member of the China AD Preclinical Alliance, a Jiangsu Provincial Key Medical Discipline, a Jiangsu Provincial Key Clinical Specialty, the Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Neurological Diseases, the Quality Control Center for Rare and Complicated Diseases of the Jiangsu Stroke Association, the Jiangsu Provincial Collaborative Quality Control Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and a member unit of both the Jiangsu Provincial Quality Control Center for Neurological Diseases and the Jiangsu Provincial Stroke Quality Control Center. It also serves as the Institute of Neuropsychiatry of Southeast University, a master’s and doctoral degree conferring unit, and a postdoctoral research station.

The Department of Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine was independently established in 2010, becoming the first unit in Jiangsu Province to set up a psychosomatic medicine ward within a general hospital. In the same year, it was authorized to award master’s degrees in Psychiatry and began recruiting doctoral and postdoctoral students in both Neurology and Psychiatry. In the “2019 China Hospital Science and Technology Impact Ranking” , thedepartment ranked 10th nationwide in Psychiatry, and it has been nominated multiple times in the Fudan Edition of China Hospital Specialty Reputation Rankings (East China Region). Since 2016, it has successively served as the chair unit of the Chinese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine, the Psychosomatic and Behavioral Medicine Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association, and the Psychiatric Medicine Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association. In 2020, it was rated as a Jiangsu Provincial Key Medical Specialty; in 2022, as a Jiangsu Provincial Key Medical Discipline; and in 2024, it was approved to establish the Jiangsu Provincial University Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain Medicine by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education.  Additionally, the discipline of Psychiatry/Psychology ranks among the global top 1% according to Essential Science Indicators (ESI).

Professor Zhang Zhijun, the academic leader of the Department of Neuropsychiatry, is the first recipient in the field of clinical medicine in Jiangsu Province ofNational Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the Jiangsu Provincial Key Medical Talent, and the Jiangsu Provincial “Six Major Peak” Talent. She holds multiple leadership roles in national and provincial academic organizations, including serving as a standing committee member of the 4th Committee of the Psychiatry-Basic and Clinical Branch of the Chinese Neuroscience Society, a national committee member of the 2nd Committee of the Neurology Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, a youth committee member of the 4th Committee of the Neurology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and a deputy director of the 7th Committee of the Psychiatry Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association. She also currently serves on the editorial boards of multiple domestic and international journals, including Janssen & Elsevier China Psychiatry Editorial Board,Alzheimer’s Disease,Chinese Journal of Psychiatry,Chinese Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases,Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain ScienceandChinese Journal of Stroke. Under her leadership, neuropsychiatry has achieved rapid development. The academic team fully demonstrates the complementary advantages and interdisciplinary integration of neurology and psychiatry, establishing a prominent academic position in the field of neuropsychiatry in China.

The department has undertaken 103 national and provincial/ministerial research projects, including the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund, key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), major international (regional) collaborative projects of NSFC, NSFC international (regional) cooperation and exchange projects, NSFC major research plan projects, NSFC general projects, NSFC youth projects, the National Key Research and Development Program, the “Major New Drug Development” National Science and Technology Major Project under the 12th Five-Year Plan of the Ministry of Science and Technology, sub-projects of the National Basic Research Program (973 Program), and projects under the National High-Tech Research and Development Program (863 Program). To date, the department has published over 800 papers in both Chinese and English, including nearly 400 SCI-indexed papers. It has received 40 national and provincial/ministerial research awards, among which are the First Prize of Natural Sciences from the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards, the First Prize of Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, the First Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award, the Second Prize of the Huaxia Medical Science and Technology Award, the First Prize of Jiangsu Preventive Medicine Science and Technology Award, the First Prize of the Jiangsu Provincial Health Department New Technology Introduction Award, and the Jiangsu Provincial Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award. In addition, the department also holds 12 national invention patents.

The Department of Neuropsychiatry currently has a total of 24 graduate supervisors, including 7 doctoral supervisors and 17 master‘s supervisors. The department has recruited 8 postdoctoral researchers, 110 doctoral students, and 138 master’s students, while graduating 85 doctoral students and 121 master’s students. Our graduates are now employed across numerous top-tier (Class A Tertiary) hospitals and research institutes nationwide, where they have made remarkable achievements. Many doctoral graduates have been awarded NSFC Youth Fund projects immediately upon graduation; several have been exceptionally promoted to professorship; and many have been recognized as national or provincial talents. The department has also received a number of prestigious awards, including the National Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Nomination Award, the National Baogang Outstanding Student Special Award Instructor Award, the National Baogang Outstanding Student Education Award, and multiple Jiangsu Provincial Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor and Outstanding Master’s Dissertation Supervisor Awards.