Introduction to a University-affiliated Hospital

The spring hues of Jinjiang stretch across heaven and earth, while jade-like clouds over Yulei shift between ancient and modern times.

In Huaxi Dam, at the site of the historic Wanlibridge on the Jinjiang River in Chengdu, a renowned medical hub stands proudly—Sichuan University's West China School of Clinical Medicine and West China Hospital.

Sichuan University's West China Hospital (commonly known as West China Hospital) was founded in 1892. It is a national-level Grade III Class A comprehensive hospital, serving as a national center for diagnosing and treating complex, critical, and severe illnesses in Western China. Renowned as a prestigious institution of higher medical education in China, it also stands as a world-class national hub for cutting-edge medical research and technological innovation, with overall strength ranking among the top in China and placing it at an internationally advanced level.

The hospital boasts robust, comprehensive disciplinary strength, with its clinical medicine ranking among the global leaders in the ESI rankings—placing it in the top 0.5‰ worldwide. Currently, it houses 9 nationally designated key disciplines recognized by the Ministry of Education, along with 2 additional disciplines undergoing focused development. Additionally, the hospital leads the nation with 37 nationally recognized clinical specialties of excellence, ranking first among all hospitals in China for the sheer number of these prestigious programs. Over the past four consecutive years, the hospital has consistently earned an A++ rating in the national performance evaluation of tertiary public hospitals. On Fudan University’s prestigious annual rankings of China’s Best Specialty Reputation and Best Hospitals, the institution has maintained its position as the nation’s No. 2 overall for 13 years running. Notably, 13 of its specialties rank within the national top three, 19 are in the top five, and 29 secure a spot within the top ten. In the national specialty rankings, the hospital’s Departments of Anesthesiology and Radiology claim the top positions. In terms of leadership and expertise, the hospital is home to 1 academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with 140 individuals recognized as "national-level" high-caliber talents. Furthermore, 58 experts serve as chairpersons or vice-chairpersons of national-level medical societies and associations, while 1,513 staff members hold senior professional titles, and 1,056 are qualified graduate supervisors.

In the medical field, the hospital campus spans over 577 acres and includes approximately 580,000 square meters of operational facilities. It directly manages two major medical campuses, with an authorized bed capacity of 4,900 beds, supported by 54 clinical departments (including 7 specialized disease centers). The hospital offers more than 200 specialized and disease-specific outpatient clinics, conducting 79 multidisciplinary joint clinics for complex cases, 27 specialized clinics for rare diseases, and 77 inpatient MDT consultations. Over 80% of patients admitted are treated for challenging or highly complex conditions, and the Case Mix Index (CMI) for discharged patients stands at 1.47, ranking second nationally. Minimally invasive procedures account for 24.59% of all surgeries performed at the hospital, while fourth-level surgeries make up 38.79%, placing the hospital third in the nation for total annual fourth-level procedures. In 2022, the hospital saw 8.97 million outpatient and emergency visits, discharged 302,300 patients, and performed 207,500 surgical procedures, with an average length of stay of 6.54 days. The hospital also holds a leading position—both nationally and globally—in several cutting-edge medical fields, including adult living-donor liver transplantation, advanced surgical and minimally invasive treatments for lung cancer, cardiac interventional therapies, neurosurgery and functional neurosurgery, integrated Chinese-Western medicine approaches to severe acute pancreatitis, gastrointestinal minimally invasive surgery, clinical anesthesia, functional MRI, and nuclear medicine techniques.

In terms of education, the medical school has established a comprehensive, competence-based system for cultivating outstanding medical students, integrating undergraduate education, postgraduate training, and continuing professional development. Undergraduate programs include six major disciplines: Clinical Medicine (five-year and eight-year programs), Nursing, Medical Imaging Technology, Rehabilitation Therapy, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Optometry. The school is among the first nationwide to serve as a pilot department for the eight-year medical program and a national pilot unit for the "All-Round Education" reform initiative. It has also been recognized as an advanced teaching institution by Sichuan University for 10 consecutive years. Postgraduate education at the school features four first-level doctoral and master’s degree programs—Clinical Medicine, Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nursing, and Medical Technology—along with 68 master’s degree programs and 67 doctoral degree programs. Currently, the school hosts over 6,504 students across all levels. The medical school places great emphasis on fostering students' clinical competence and their ability to translate knowledge into innovative solutions. As a result, its students have earned a silver award in the finals of the 10th China College Students’ Medical Skills Competition for both the five-year and eight-year programs—making it one of only three universities nationwide where students from both tracks achieved silver or higher honors. Additionally, the school has secured 14 gold awards in the “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, maintaining its position as the top-performing medical institution in China for eight consecutive years in this prestigious competition. Established in 2000, the medical school was among the earliest institutions in China to implement residency training programs, which have since been widely adopted across the country. To date, it has trained more than 4,792 residents for 592 hospitals nationwide, including over 600 healthcare professionals specifically dispatched to Tibet free of charge to support local medical services. Each year, the school welcomes over 4,000 medical professionals for advanced training, while simultaneously providing remote continuing medical education to approximately 1.47 million healthcare workers annually.

In terms of scientific research, West China Hospital has established an independent research institute campus spanning over 230,000 square meters. Currently, it houses 11 national-level and 34 provincial/ministerial-level innovation platforms, including the National Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, the "2011" Collaborative Innovation Program, the National Major Scientific Infrastructure for Translational Medicine in Biotherapy, the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and the National Precision Medicine Industry Innovation Center. Additionally, the hospital boasts a suite of cutting-edge public innovation platforms, such as animal imaging, chromatography/mass spectrometry, microscopy, gene sequencing, flow cytometry, and electron microscopy facilities. West China Hospital has built the only comprehensive innovation and service chain among medical institutions in China—spanning from initial target discovery through new drug screening, preclinical studies, clinical trials, to post-marketing evaluations. This integrated platform seamlessly connects basic research, translational research, and clinical studies, fostering a robust ecosystem for innovation. For the ninth consecutive year, the hospital has ranked first nationwide in the overall ranking of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences' China Hospital Science and Technology Evaluation Metrics (STEM). Moreover, it has maintained its top position in the Fudan University China's Best Hospitals Ranking for research performance, earning the highest research score nationally for 13 years running. In terms of global recognition, West China Hospital also tops the Nature Index rankings for hospitals in China and ranks 10th globally. Over the past five years, the hospital has secured nearly 1,000 national research projects funded by prestigious programs such as the National Natural Science Foundation, Major National Science and Technology Projects, the National Key R&D Program, and the Science and Technology Innovation-2030 Initiative. Annual research funding consistently exceeds 1 billion yuan, with the hospital leading the nation in securing major awards, including one Second-Class National Natural Science Award, one Second-Class National Science and Technology Progress Award, and 15 First-Class awards at the provincial or ministerial level. Highly impactful research findings have been published in top-tier international journals like Cell, Nature, and Science. The hospital has also been granted 791 domestic and international invention patents (including PCT applications)—a remarkable achievement that placed it first in both patent application volume and PCT filings on the inaugural "China Hospital Innovation and Translation Ranking" released in 2022. Notably, the hospital has successfully translated over 220 scientific and technological achievements—including COVID-19 vaccines, a Class I new anesthetic drug developed domestically, and advanced biomaterials—into real-world applications through commercialization methods such as technology transfer, licensing, and equity investments, generating contract values exceeding 1 billion yuan.

The hospital has actively engaged in rural revitalization and medical assistance initiatives, employing multiple strategies and providing support across various regions to steadily consolidate and expand the achievements made in poverty alleviation. Playing a proactive role as part of the "national team," the hospital has contributed significantly to missions assigned by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, the Ministry of Education, the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and provincial-level Party committees. Notably, the hospital established the "Huaxi-Zhaojue" comprehensive assistance model for AIDS prevention and control, which has dramatically enhanced local capacities in combating the disease. As a result, key HIV/AIDS indicators have improved significantly: treatment coverage rose from 39% to 97%, antiretroviral therapy success rates increased from 71% to 98%, and mother-to-child transmission rates dropped from 7.12% to 2.23%. Additionally, the hospital pioneered the innovative "Huaxi-Tongxin Initiative," a collaborative health assistance model led uniformly by the hospital's Party committee, with coordinated efforts from the United Front Work Department of the Party committee and active participation from various democratic parties and united front organizations. This approach has paved the way for the "Huaxi-Zhenxiong Health Assistance Model," which is now being further refined into its Version 2.0 and implemented in Dafang County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province. The initiative has earned high praise, including a personal congratulatory letter from Chairman Chen Zhu, and its progress was officially highlighted in the report presented at the 17th National Congress of the China Association for Promoting Democracy. Furthermore, the hospital has developed the "Huaxi-Ganzi" model, focusing specifically on hydatid disease—a parasitic liver infection prevalent in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Thanks to this targeted intervention, the prevalence of hydatid disease in Shiqu County has plummeted to 6.421%, while over 90% of patients are now receiving treatment locally, effectively ensuring that most cases can be managed without requiring patients to travel outside the prefecture. Lastly, the hospital’s exemplary use of the "832 Platform" for consumption-based poverty alleviation was recognized by the National Development and Reform Commission as an outstanding national case study showcasing how consumer-driven initiatives can bolster rural revitalization in 2022. This achievement also earned the hospital a commendation from the Rural Revitalization Office under the National Health Commission, underscoring its commitment to supporting sustainable development in China’s rural areas.

As a national-level hospital, West China Hospital of Sichuan University has consistently been at the forefront of responding to every major public health crisis. From the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and the 2010 Yushu earthquake, to the 2013 Lushan earthquake, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake, the 2019 Yibin earthquake, and most recently, the ongoing fight against COVID-19 since 2020—and including our critical support efforts during disasters in Tibet, Xinjiang, Africa, and North Korea—West China Hospital has remained steadfastly on the frontlines, embodying its role as the "cornerstone" of the national medical response. For these outstanding contributions, the hospital was honored with prestigious accolades such as the National Hero Collective for Earthquake Relief and Disaster Rescue, as well as the National Advanced Collective for Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic, all awarded by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission. In addition, in 2018, our hospital was proudly recognized as the world’s only non-military international emergency medical team certified at the highest level by the World Health Organization, marking a significant milestone that showcases China’s global leadership and commitment in the field of emergency medical response.