Introduction to the Department of Pediatrics

The Department of Pediatrics originated from the Pediatrics Teaching and Research Section founded in 1958, and was authorized to confer Master’s degrees in 1986. With more than half a century of development and construction, the department has cultivated a large number of outstanding medical and scientific researchers who are now working at home and abroad, and has achieved fruitful accomplishments in clinical medical services and scientific research.

The department currently has 5 Master’s supervisors and 2 Doctoral supervisors. It was accredited as a Provincial Key Clinical Specialty of Jiangsu Province in 2005 and has successfully passed all annual reviews with excellent results to date. In 2006, it was awarded the title of Jiangsu Provincial Women’s Model Post, an honor it still holds today.

Professor Qiao Lixing serves as the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. His academic and social appointments include: Committee Member of the Yangtze River Delta Respiratory Alliance of the National Children’s Medical Center; Committee Member of the Jiangsu Provincial Neonatal Quality Control Center; Committee Member of the Jiangsu Pediatric Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; Committee Member of the Jiangsu Pediatric Physician Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Committee Member of the Jiangsu Perinatal Medicine Special Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Vice Chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Neonatal Critical Care Alliance; Deputy Chairman of the Rare Disease Professional Committee of Jiangsu Research Hospital Association; and Leader of the Party Building Leading Group of the Rare Disease Professional Committee of Jiangsu Research Hospital Association.

Professor Qiao specializes in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of pediatric respiratory diseases and neonatal disorders. He has presided over a number of scientific research projects at the national, provincial and municipal key levels. His research focuses on core clinical challenges in pediatrics. As the first author or corresponding author, he has published over 30 academic papers and monographs, including more than 20 SCI-indexed articles and over 10 papers in Chinese core journals.

In terms of talent training, the department adopts national unified textbooks and offers compulsory undergraduate courses and postgraduate degree courses in pediatrics. To date, more than 60 master students have been trained, delivering a cohort of high-quality professional talents for medical institutions across and beyond Jiangsu Province. Committed to promoting disciplinary development and international academic exchange, Professor Qiao Lixing worked as a visiting scholar at Ulm University, Germany. A stable long-term partnership in clinical practice and scientific research has been established between the two institutions, building a reliable international platform for pediatric talent training.

The department attaches great importance to translational research integrating basic research and clinical practice. It has undertaken numerous research projects funded by the National 973 Program, Jiangsu Provincial Social Development Fund, Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation, Nanjing Municipal Medical Science and Technology Development Program, and Clinical Research Special Fund of the Chinese Medical Association.

Key research projects are summarized as follows:

1. The Jiangsu Provincial Health Department project Study on the Role of Oxygen Therapy in the Pathogenesis of Retinopathy of Prematurity has been completed and closed, with 5 related published papers and 7 conference presentations.

2. Ongoing projects include the National 973 Program project (Grant No. 2007CB936104) Basic Research on Biodegradable Nano-sustained Release Composite Scaffolds; the State Key Laboratory Open Project Dynamic Changes of Intracerebral Amino Acid Neurotransmitters in Premature Rats with Periventricular Leukomalacia Induced by Intracerebral Injection of 3-Nitropropionic Acid: An In Vivo Microdialysis Study; the Nanjing Municipal Medical Science and Technology Development Project Regeneration of Hippocampal Neural Stem Cells after Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury; the horizontal project (825-09HX18) Basic and Applied Research on the Bacteriostatic Effect and Pharmacodynamics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Wulong Shui; the Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau (LB09073) Basic and Clinical Application Research on Neuroprotective Effects of Shengmai against Preterm Infant Brain Injury; and the horizontal project cooperated with China Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Intervention and Neuroprotective Effects of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury in Full-term Neonatal Rats. All ongoing projects are progressing smoothly.