Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Since its establishment, the Department of Otolaryngology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital has been independent and has trained generations of professionals in otolaryngology - head and neck surgery. Renowned experts in the field, such as Liu Ruihua, Li Baoshi, Hu Maolian, Lang Jianhuan, Zhang Qingsong, Xu Yinxiang, and Lin Bijin, have all worked in this department, many of whom have established otolaryngology departments across Beijing and the country. The department has made an indelible contribution to the development of otolaryngology in China.

The department has a complete and strong team, gathering internationally recognized experts such as Professor Gao Zhiqiang and Professor Chen Xiaowei, specializing in otology, lateral skull base surgery, endoscopic sinus surgery, and head and neck surgery. It comprises 14 full professors (8 active, 6 retired), 13 associate professors (10 active, 3 retired), 14 attending physicians, and 4 residents; there are 5 active doctoral supervisors and 6 master's supervisors. The department currently has 46 general ward beds and 10 special care beds, divided into otology, rhinology, and laryngology-head and neck groups. Additionally, it has a cochlear implant center, hearing aid center, neonatal hearing screening and treatment center, clinical audiology laboratory, temporal bone and skull base microsurgery anatomy and technique laboratory, and a genetic screening laboratory for hearing loss.

The otology group conducts comprehensive work in ear microsurgery, ear neurosurgery (vestibular and facial nerve aspects), lateral skull base surgery, otoplasty, and clinical audiology, performing numerous stapedectomy, facial nerve surgeries, cochlear implants, lateral skull base surgeries, malignant tumor resections of the temporal bone, and various surgeries for external and middle ear malformations, achieving excellent outcomes. In basic research, in-depth studies have been conducted on facial nerve function testing and objective functional evaluation, inner ear development, deafness genes, the application of stem cells in the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss, and vertigo.

The rhinology group is at the forefront of basic and clinical research in olfaction, actively conducting minimally invasive surgeries under endoscopic guidance and navigated surgeries for difficult diseases, accumulating rich experience in treating special nasal-sinus diseases and tumors communicating with the nasal cavity, and has obtained multiple patents for the development of nasal surgical instruments.

The laryngology-head and neck group systematically conducts comprehensive treatment for head and neck malignancies, obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), and laryngeal-tracheal-esophageal strictures. Research areas include preoperative assessment of OSAHS, voice function assessment, and the molecular biological mechanisms of head and neck tumors, and it has pioneered a series of basic and clinical studies on human papillomavirus-related head and neck tumors in China.

In recent years, the department has undertaken over 30 projects, including the 'Ninth Five-Year Plan,' 'Fifteenth Five-Year Plan,' 'Eleventh Five-Year Plan,' 'Twelfth Five-Year Plan,' '973,' National Natural Science Foundation, and Beijing Natural Science Foundation, publishing approximately 150 papers, including over 40 SCI papers, applying for 26 patents, and authoring multiple professional otolaryngology books. The department has always emphasized talent cultivation and teaching, building a strong, principled team with a reasonable knowledge structure through recruitment, retention, training, collaboration, and visiting professors. The teaching team has made significant contributions in training eight-year undergraduate students, clinical postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and continuing education for physicians, as well as in the implementation of national continuing education projects and educational reform.

As a national clinical key specialty, the Department of Otolaryngology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital consistently ranks among the top in the Fudan University version of the Best Specialty Reputation Rankings for hospitals in China.

Currently, the department has a complete structure, a well-established talent pipeline, distinct specialty characteristics, strong technical capabilities, a wealth of complex cases, and a robust presence in medical education, research, and translational medicine, actively participating in domestic and international academic exchanges, providing high-level medical care services to patients nationwide, and training and delivering numerous talents to hospitals across the country.