Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

In 1921, Peking Union Medical College Hospital was established, and in the same year, Professor Andrew H Woods, then head of the neurology department, founded the physiotherapy room to conduct electrical stimulation therapy for patients with neurological diseases. In 1932, American physiotherapist Mary McMillan came to Peking Union Medical College Hospital and established an independent physiotherapy department, marking the official establishment of the physiotherapy department, which is the predecessor of today's Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. This was the earliest physiotherapy department established in China. In 1948, Ms. Huang Houp, a Chinese American, took over as the head of the physiotherapy department and expanded the work to include massage therapy. In 1953, Dr. Yang Zibin, after graduating from a physiotherapy training course organized by Soviet experts, came to Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and in 1954, Professor Zou Xianhua obtained a PhD in physiotherapy from the Soviet Union and later joined the hospital, both serving as deputy head and head of the physiotherapy department. Since the 1980s, the rehabilitation medicine field in China has developed rapidly, and the physiotherapy department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital seized the opportunity to enrich the content of modern rehabilitation medicine, officially renaming itself the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in 1983. From 1986 to 2005, Dr. Hua Guiru served as the deputy head and head of the department. In 2007, Dr. Chen Lixia became the deputy head and primary responsible person, while Dr. Wang Yan also served as deputy head. In 2014, Dr. Chen Lixia became the head of the department, and Dr. Liu Ying became the deputy head.

In the 1990s, the department was one of the first to introduce Australian manual therapy techniques and held multiple national training sessions for promotion. In 2003, it pioneered the rehabilitation assessment and treatment of hemophilia-related joint complications in China, achieving a leading position nationally. It is currently the leading unit of the physical therapy group in the Chinese Hemophilia Diagnosis and Treatment Center Collaborative Network and the only authorized hemophilia physical therapy training base by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) in mainland China, annually hosting national seminars and training sessions on hemophilia physical therapy.

In recent years, the development of the department has received strong support from the hospital, significantly improving the diagnostic and therapeutic environment. It currently possesses internationally advanced rehabilitation diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, including the Japanese Hakuju 30,000-volt high-voltage treatment device, Swiss EMS shockwave therapy device, German HASOMED gait analysis system, German HASOMED balance and proprioception assessment and training system, Italian COSMED cardiopulmonary exercise assessment and training system, osteoporosis treatment system, American TRITON cervical traction device, Japanese HM magnetic resonance thermal therapy machine, German GRADIENT12 air pressure circulation pump, Japanese OG electric traction device, Japanese OG third-generation functional electrical stimulation, biofeedback, and German motion control training systems. The department is equipped with areas for physical therapy, rehabilitation assessment, physical and occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, and speech and cognitive therapy, employing advanced rehabilitation assessment and treatment techniques to provide comprehensive and detailed functional assessments and integrated rehabilitation treatments for patients with neurological diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, geriatric conditions, and internal medicine-related functional impairments. Additionally, leveraging the comprehensive advantages of Peking Union Medical College Hospital as a national center for complex critical conditions, the department vigorously develops specialized rehabilitation treatments, including physical factor therapy for soft tissue infections, assessment and rehabilitation treatment for hemophilia-related joint dysfunction, comprehensive rehabilitation for scoliosis, and rehabilitation for multiple sclerosis and lupus cerebritis.

Currently, the department has 6 rehabilitation physicians, 4 with doctoral degrees and 1 with a master's degree; 16 rehabilitation therapists, including 1 with a master's degree and 10 with bachelor's degrees; and 1 department secretary. The professional setup is increasingly refined, and the personnel structure is more rational. The core of discipline construction is talent cultivation. In recent years, two doctors from the department have been selected for the hospital's 'Hundred Talents Program' for talent development, studying at institutions such as the University of California, San Francisco, Johns Hopkins Geriatric Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Queens Hospital in New York, bringing back advanced concepts of rehabilitation management and new techniques in rehabilitation assessment and treatment. The department also maintains good communication and collaboration with WFH, the International Prophylaxis Study Group (IPSG), Toronto Children's Hospital, the University of Calgary, UCSF, and JHP.

With the progress of society and economic development, people have higher pursuits for quality of life; at the same time, due to changes in disease patterns, the concept of medical services will also undergo significant changes, moving away from a single treatment model towards a multi-faceted approach encompassing prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and health care. Humanistic, three-dimensional, and comprehensive medical services are an inevitable trend in the development of healthcare. As a discipline with the ultimate goal of functional recovery and profound humanistic care, physical medicine and rehabilitation will undoubtedly enter its golden age of development. 'The scenery is vast and should be viewed with a broad perspective.' The Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation is grounded in the present while looking to the future, seizing the opportunity for discipline construction, uniting and striving together, and with the development of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, it will ultimately shine brightly among the stars of the hospital.