China's Top Departments: Rheumatology & Immunology at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou)

For readers in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and worldwide: if you or a loved one is living with ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, gout or a complex immune-mediated disease, the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou is one of the most experienced and academically accomplished rheumatology centers in South China — one of the earliest rheumatology departments in the country and a National Key Clinical Specialty.

About the Hospital

The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, commonly known as "Zhongshan No. 3 Hospital" and also named the "Sun Yat-sen University Liver Disease Hospital," was founded in 1971. It is a comprehensive Grade A tertiary (highest-tier) hospital directly administered by the National Health Commission of China and affiliated with Sun Yat-sen University. The hospital has developed a "one body, two wings, three cities, four campuses" layout, with campuses at Tianhe (main), Luogang (Lingnan Hospital, Guangzhou), Yuedong (Meizhou) and Zhaoqing. Its main campus (including Lingnan Hospital) employs 5,152 staff. It is a designated National Regional Medical Center output institution (having helped build three such centers) and focuses on three flagship discipline clusters: liver diseases, brain diseases, and immune-mediated diseases.

In the Fudan Institute's 2023 China Hospital Rankings, the hospital was rated Grade A++, one of 11 hospitals in Guangdong to enter the national top 100. The hospital hosts 5 national key disciplines and 15 National Key Clinical Specialty construction programs — a list that includes Rheumatology and Immunology. According to the hospital, Rheumatology and Immunology, Infectious Diseases, and Rehabilitation Medicine are among the top 10 nationally in their specialties. In March 2026, the hospital was selected among the first batch of Guangdong Province International Medical Service Pilot Hospitals.

Guangzhou is a transport hub of South China, conveniently reached via Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong High-Speed Rail (linking to Hong Kong West Kowloon). The Tianhe Campus sits in the city center near the metro, making it accessible for patients from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas.

About the Department

The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology was founded in 1978 by Professor Yu Buyun (余步云). It is one of the earliest rheumatology departments established in China and the founding and leading discipline of rheumatology in Guangdong Province and of the Guangdong Medical Association's Rheumatology Branch. Combining clinical care, teaching and research, it is the largest and most comprehensive rheumatology PhD and postdoctoral training base in Guangdong and South China, now comprising four inpatient wards, a specialist outpatient clinic and a rheumatology research center, with 100 beds. It is home to the Vice Chair of the national Rheumatology Society and the Chair of the Guangdong Rheumatology Society.

In April 2024, led by the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology and integrating Orthopedics, Rehabilitation, Radiology, Ultrasound and basic-research platforms, the hospital established the Joint Disease Medical Center, providing integrated, high-quality "diagnosis–surgery–rehabilitation" care for joint diseases.

Academic Standing and Accreditation

• National Key Clinical Specialty construction program unit (one of the hospital's 15 National Key Clinical Specialty programs)
• Branch of the National Clinical Research Center for Skin and Immune Diseases (2021)
• Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases (2018)
• Guangdong High-Level Key Clinical Specialty (2019)
• Host institution of the Guangdong Provincial Rheumatology Quality Control Center (designated by the Guangdong Health Commission, 2023)
• Ministry of Health Clinical Pharmacology Base for Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (approved 1986; now the Rheumatology and Immunology Group of the National Medical Products Administration)
• Ministry of Health Rheumatology Specialist Training Base (first batch, 2007)
• Guangdong "Five Ones" Key Specialty for Science and Education, and Guangdong Ordinary Higher Education Key Discipline
• The hospital states the department is among its top-10 nationally ranked specialties; some sources describe it as a "National Key Clinical Specialty and the No. 1 rheumatology team in South China"

Core Technologies and Signature Strengths

• Precision diagnosis and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: the hospital states it has reached the domestic advanced level in precision management of ankylosing spondylitis
• Plasma exchange and immunoadsorption for rheumatic and immune diseases: a hallmark technique of rheumatology departments in South China
• Gut-microbiome research in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): internationally advanced and domestically leading
• Joint Disease Medical Center: integrates Orthopedics, Rehabilitation, Radiology and Ultrasound with high-end color Doppler ultrasound, MRI, joint ultrasound and joint-rehabilitation devices, offering integrated "diagnosis–surgery–rehabilitation" care for joint diseases
• Research and guidelines: about 70 high-level papers and 7 patents in the past 5 years; lead author of six clinical guidelines, including the Practice Guideline for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis; lead institution of a National Key R&D Program "Precision Medicine" project; its research on the genetic susceptibility genes and immune-inflammatory regulatory mechanisms of ankylosing spondylitis won a First Prize (Natural Science) of the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award of the Ministry of Education
• International academic impact: host of the China Spondyloarthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis International Symposium (11 editions from 2010 to 2019); it led the Practice Guideline for Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis / Spondyloarthritis (2020, initiated by the Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases and the Ankylosing Spondylitis International Federation, ASIF)

Expert Team

• Prof. Gu Jieruo (古洁若) — Chief Physician (Grade I), Professor (Grade II), doctoral supervisor; academic leader of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Director of the Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Immune Diseases and Director of the Guangdong Provincial Rheumatology Quality Control Center. Her academic roles include Chair (3rd term) of the Guangdong Medical Association Rheumatology Branch, Chair of the Rheumatology Branch of the Asia-Pacific Association of Medical Bioimmunology, Vice Chair (6th and 8th terms) of the Chinese Medical Association Rheumatology Branch, member of the International Expert Committee on Spondyloarthritis, Vice Chair of the China Medical Doctor Association Rheumatology Branch and Vice Chair of the Rheumatology Committee of the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association. She is a recipient of the State Council Special Government Allowance and a National Natural Science Foundation Distinguished Young Scholar, undertook postdoctoral research at the UCLA Rheumatology Research Center, serves as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese Journal of Rheumatology, and is the chief expert of the patient practice guideline for ankylosing spondylitis/spondyloarthritis
• Prof. Yu Buyun (余步云) — founder of the department; Chief Physician, master's supervisor; a renowned Chinese rheumatologist
• Prof. Tang Mei'an (汤美安) — Chief Physician, master's supervisor (rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, ankylosing spondylitis, joint disease)
• Prof. Pan Yunfeng (潘云峰) — Professor, doctoral supervisor (rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, ankylosing spondylitis, joint disease)
• Dr. Jin Ou (金欧) — Chief Physician, doctoral supervisor (SLE, Sjögren's syndrome, myositis/dermatomyositis, scleroderma)
• Dr. Lin Zhiming (林志绵) — Chief Physician, doctoral supervisor (ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and complex rheumatic diseases)

Note: Titles and academic appointments are based on the hospital's official website and public authoritative sources; for other specialists and the latest information, please refer to the hospital's official channels.

Conditions Treated (reference for international patients)

• Ankylosing spondylitis / spondyloarthritis, especially axial and non-radiographic axial forms — precision diagnosis and treatment
• Rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthritides
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including lupus nephritis and other organ involvement
• Sjögren's syndrome, systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), polymyositis/dermatomyositis
• Gout and hyperuricemia, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis
• Vasculitis, antiphospholipid syndrome, psoriatic arthritis
• Rheumatology-related genetic conditions and adverse-pregnancy (pre-conception/pregnancy) needs
• Complex rheumatic/immune diseases requiring biologics, plasma exchange or immunoadsorption and other precision/targeted therapies
• Joint diseases needing integrated "diagnosis–surgery–rehabilitation" care at the Joint Disease Medical Center

Address and Contact

• Tianhe Campus (main): No. 600 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou — easily reached from Hong Kong West Kowloon by high-speed rail
• Luogang Campus (Lingnan Hospital): No. 2693 Kaichuang Avenue, Huangpu District, Guangzhou
• Yuedong Campus: Xincheng Park North Road, Meixian District, Meizhou
• Zhaoqing Campus: No. 1 Yanyang Road, Dinghu District, Zhaoqing
• Main switchboard: +86-20-85253333 (main campus); +86-20-82179000 (Luogang Campus)
• Website: https://www.zssy.com.cn

For another leading rheumatology team, see our rheumatology department at Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai spotlight; for a signature specialty at the same hospital, see allergy at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.

This information is compiled from the official website of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and public reports. It is for reference only; the hospital's latest official information shall prevail.