China's Top Departments: Neonatology at Children's Hospital of Fudan University

If your baby arrives extremely preterm, critically ill, or with a complex congenital or genetic condition, the Department of Neonatology at Children's Hospital of Fudan University is one of China's most established destinations — a National Key Clinical Specialty built on one of the earliest neonatology programs in the country, with a critical-care life-support platform including ECMO, and the leading force behind the Chinese Neonatal Network (CHNN) spanning 72 NICUs across 29 provinces, all within one of the founding institutions of the National Children's Medical Center in Shanghai.

Hospital Overview

• Full name: Children's Hospital of Fudan University (also known as Shanghai Red Cross Children's Hospital)
• Level: Tertiary (Class A) children's specialty hospital; a budget-management unit of the National Health Commission of China
• Founded: 1952 (formed by merging the pediatric departments of Zhongshan Hospital and the First Red Cross Hospital with a branch of Ximen Women's and Children's Hospital; the first president was Chen Cuizhen, a pioneer of Chinese pediatrics)
• Positioning: One of the designated institutions of the National Children's Medical Center (Shanghai) (approved in 2017); a national key discipline in pediatrics; a "Project 211", "Project 985" and "Double First-Class" institution
• Campuses:
  • Minhang Main Campus: No. 399 Wanyuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai
  • Fengxian Campus: Nanqiao New Town, Fengxian District
  • Fenglin Outpatient Department: No. 130 Yixueyuan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
• Scale: approximately 1,000 authorized beds; more than 2 million outpatient and emergency visits per year; about 30,000 surgeries per year
• Reputation: In Fudan University's "Best Specialty Reputation Ranking of Chinese Hospitals", the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences' "Science and Technology Value Ranking of Chinese Hospitals", and Peking University's "Best Clinical Discipline Ranking of Chinese Hospitals", the hospital's pediatrics consistently ranks among the top nationally; pediatric internal medicine ranks first nationally over the long term, and pediatric surgery ranks second.

Department Name and Level

• Department: Department of Neonatology
• Discipline level: National Key Clinical Specialty; Shanghai Municipal Key Medical Discipline (Neonatology)
• Supporting platforms: Host institution of the NHC Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases (Fudan University); Shanghai Neonatal Consultation and Rescue Center; Shanghai Neonatal Clinical Quality Control Center; Shanghai Neonatal Congenital Heart Disease Screening and Diagnosis Center
• One of the hospital's seven National Key Clinical Specialties, and among the earliest key clinical specialties in the field of neonatology in China. It was founded on the neonatal ward established early on by Prof. Jin Hanzhen, one of the founders of Chinese neonatology.

Historical Development

• At its founding, the hospital had only a pediatric internal medicine department. Prof. Jin Hanzhen, one of the founders of Chinese neonatology, established a dedicated neonatal ward here, initiating the hospital's neonatology specialty.
• Over decades of development, the Department of Neonatology has grown into a national key specialty and a national hub for the diagnosis, treatment and research of critical neonatal/perinatal diseases.
• In November 2017, the hospital established Shanghai's first human milk bank for critically ill newborns, supporting breastfeeding for critically ill neonates.
• In the hospital's development plan, the Fengxian Campus is specifically designated to include a "Neonatology" diagnosis and treatment center, further strengthening this discipline.

Expert Team

• Prof. Chen Chao: A renowned neonatologist and President of the Chinese Neonatal Network (CHNN) (co-chaired with Prof. Shoo K. Lee of the University of Toronto); long engaged in research on brain injury in preterm infants and neonatal neurodevelopment.
• Prof. Zhou Wenhao: A neonatologist, Co-Chair of the Chinese Neonatal Network, and a member of the hospital's leadership; research interests include neurodevelopment of preterm infants and genetic diagnosis and treatment of pediatric genetic diseases.
• Prof. Jin Hanzhen: One of the founders of Chinese neonatology and the founder of the hospital's neonatology specialty.
• Neonatology expert team (based on publicly available outpatient information): Wang Laishuan, Zhang Rong, Cheng Guoqiang, Yuan Lin, Wang Jin, and others.

Core Strengths and Technologies

• Comprehensive care for extremely preterm / very low birth weight infants: integrated management of respiratory support, nutritional support, prevention and treatment of complications, and post-discharge follow-up.
• Prevention and treatment of brain injury in preterm infants: research into the mechanisms of cerebral white matter injury, prevention and treatment techniques, and neonatal neurodevelopmental assessment and follow-up.
• Treatment of critically ill neonates: neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, resuscitation from asphyxia, neonatal shock, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, persistent pulmonary hypertension, and more.
• Diagnosis and treatment of neonatal genetic diseases: discovery of novel pathogenic genes, genetic diagnostic platform, and gene therapy research.
• Critical care life-support technology: a critical-care life-support platform including mechanical ventilation and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation).
• Breastfeeding support: established Shanghai's first human milk bank for critically ill newborns (2017).

Clinical Research and International Impact

• Chinese Neonatal Network (CHNN): Led by the Children's Hospital of Fudan University; its clinical database was officially launched on January 1, 2019, and has attracted neonatal intensive care units from 72 tertiary hospitals across 29 provinces and municipalities in China.
• Extremely preterm / very low birth weight infant cohort: The 2019 annual report published data from this cohort for the first time, including 10,823 preterm infants (gestational age < 32 weeks or birth weight < 1,500 g) from 57 hospitals nationwide—the largest cohort of its kind in China to date.
• Research platforms: Supported by the NHC Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases, the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Prevention and Treatment, a genetic diagnostic platform, a model animal platform, and a biological sample bank.
• International exchange: The hospital has established collaborative relationships with 26 renowned medical institutions in China and abroad, and has repeatedly hosted the Shanghai Neonatal Forum, the Asian Neonatal Medicine International Symposium, and other international academic conferences.

Honors and Rankings

• The Department of Neonatology is a National Key Clinical Specialty; the hospital has seven National Key Clinical Specialties, among the highest number of any children's specialty hospital in China.
• The hospital was the first children's specialty hospital in China to pass the 5th edition JCI accreditation, and passed HIMSS EMRAM Stage 6 in 2016.
• In several mainstream pediatric rankings, the hospital's pediatrics has long ranked among the top nationally.

Address and Contact

• Main Campus (Minhang): No. 399 Wanyuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai
• Fenglin Outpatient Department: No. 130 Yixueyuan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
• Website: https://ch.shmu.edu.cn/

For a quick overview of the department, see the Children's Hospital of Fudan University Neonatology department page.

Planning care for a high-risk pregnancy or a newborn needing intensive care? Contact Medora for a free, personalized consultation, and our care team will help you coordinate treatment, travel, and communication with the hospital.