The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University · Department of Gastroenterology

If you or a loved one is living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), persistent acid reflux, a Helicobacter pylori infection that will not clear, or a digestive condition that specialist after specialist could not resolve, the Department of Gastroenterology at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (FAH-SYSU) is one of the highest-ranking digestive-disease centers in all of China.

Caring for more than 90,000 outpatients and 1,900+ inpatients every year and performing 18,000+ endoscopic procedures annually, this department is a national benchmark for IBD and a leading authority on reflux disease, capsule and small-bowel endoscopy, and therapeutic ERCP/EUS.

At Medora, we help international patients navigate this exceptional department. Here is what you need to know.

The Hospital

The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (founded 1910) is one of the largest top-tier (Grade 3A) teaching hospitals in South China. In the 2023 Fudan University ranking, it achieved the highest "A++++" tier — one of only 20 hospitals nationwide and only two in Guangdong — with 11 specialties in the national top 10, including gastroenterology. It was called "the mainland medical institution most trusted by Hong Kong people" as early as 2004.

The main campus is at 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, about one hour by high-speed rail from Hong Kong West Kowloon.

Department Overview

The department is a doctoral/master's program site and post-doctoral station, a national training base for gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy physicians, and a national drug clinical trial site. Its leadership lineage runs from Prof. Kuang Heling and Prof. Zhang Tianyu to Prof. Hu Pinjin and Prof. Chen Minhu.

Academic Standing

• Vice-chair unit of the Chinese Society of Gastroenterology (CSG); Prof. Chen Minhu is a former CSG President who currently chairs its IBD Group
• Founded the China IBD Quality Control & Evaluation Centre (IBDQCC) (est. 2018) — 126 IBD centres nationwide are now certified
• Leads the national IBD medical consortium: 24 provinces, 250+ prefecture-level cities, 700+ member institutions
• In the national top 10 for digestive diseases for years; No. 8 nationally and No. 1 in South China (Fudan 2023)

Core Expertise

1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis) — National Benchmark

• IBD research group and specialty clinic established in 2003 by Profs. Hu Pinjin and Chen Minhu
• In 2007, the department became the first in China to treat Crohn's disease with a biologic (infliximab, anti-TNF-α)
• Authored China's first consensus on biologic therapy for IBD
• Led the 2024 updated Chinese clinical practice guidelines for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Prof. Chen Minhu's team has published in JAMA (2023: Phase II study of olamkicept, the world's first IL-6 trans-signalling pathway inhibitor, for active ulcerative colitis) and in Gastroenterology
• IBD incidence is rising rapidly across Asia (Hong Kong ~30-fold over 30 years)

2. GERD & Motility Disorders

• Opened one of China's first GERD specialty clinics in 2004 (1,000+ patients/year), rated one of "China's three excellent GERD clinics"
• First unit in China to perform multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring for GERD
• Runs a dedicated training centre; key faculty co-authored the Chinese GERD guidelines

3. Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-Related Diseases

• One of the earliest Chinese centres for Hp research
• World-advanced results in epidemiology, clinical management and immunoprophylaxis
• Extensive experience with drug-resistant and eradication-failure cases

4. Therapeutic & Diagnostic Endoscopy

• 18,000+ procedures/year: EUS, ERCP, small-bowel enteroscopy, capsule endoscopy

5. Other

• Standard medical management of GI cancers, liver disease, pancreatic disease, and GI bleeding

Expert Team

Additional senior faculty — Liu Sichun, Chen Baili, Peng Sui, Ren Ming, Mao Ren, Zhu Senlin, Zhang Ning — cover IBD, GI motility, hepatology and endoscopy.

Conditions Treated

• IBD (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis): standardized diagnosis and treatment, including biologics
• GERD (including refractory disease), functional GI and motility disorders
• H. pylori infection (including resistant and eradication-failure cases), chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer
• Screening and endoscopic management of early GI cancers and polyps
• Small-bowel diseases: capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy
• Biliary-pancreatic endoscopic management (ERCP, EUS)
• Chronic liver disease, cirrhosis complications, and pancreatic disease

Location & Contact

The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Main campus: 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China Nansha campus: 8 Hengshun Er Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou

• Main switchboards: +86-20-87755766 / +86-20-87332200
• Nansha switchboard: +86-20-89998001
• Website: www.fahsysu.org.cn
• Access: ~1 hour by high-speed rail from Hong Kong West Kowloon

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This guide is prepared for international patients. If you need assistance with a medical consultation, appointment booking, or travel arrangements to the Gastroenterology Department at FAH-SYSU, contact Medora for personalized one-on-one support.