As one of the seven clinical medical schools under Yangtze University’s Medical Division and the birthplace of the university’s medical education, the School of First Clinical Medicine originated in 2005 through the integration of the Yangtze University’s First Affiliated Hospital and the Medical College. Renamed in 2015, its educational legacy dates back to 1951, evolving through institutions such as Hubei Shashi Health School, Jianghan Medical College, Wuhan Medical College Jingzhou Branch and Hubei Provincial Medical College for Health Professionals.

The School currently operates 16 teaching departments, including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, General and Geriatric Medicine, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Neurology and Psychiatry, Dermatology, Oncology, Stomatology, Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Clinical Laboratory Science, and Ultrasonic Medicine, along with a Clinical Skills Training Center.The School comprises 16 teaching departments, including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, General and Geriatric Medicine, and a Clinical Skills Training Center. It oversees the clinical education of five-year undergraduate programs, master’s candidates, and international students in clinical medicine. Its academic cornerstone, the First Affiliated Hospital, is a Grade-III Class-A comprehensive hospital integrating prevention, healthcare, education, research, and rehabilitation. With 3,000 beds and 370,000 m²of facilities, it houses 87 clinical and technical departments.

The hospital possesses abundant human resources and exemplary teaching faculty, including: 3 doctoral supervisors, 123 master’s supervisors, 488 senior professionals (associate professor rank and above), and 557 postgraduate students. Its Oncology Department is designated as a National Clinical Key Specialty, while 40 clinical departments—including Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, General Surgery, Urology, and Neurosurgery—are recognized as Hubei Provincial Key Clinical Disciplines. Five specialties—Respiratory, Endocrinology, Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Tuberculosis—have been established as provincial-regional medical centers through state-municipality co-construction.

The hospital hosts 20 academic society chair units in fields including Anti-Cancer, Nursing, Pathology, and Hematology. Additionally, 30 municipal quality control centers are affiliated with the hospital, covering Anesthesiology, Gastroenterology, Infection Control, Oncology, Tuberculosis, Neonatology, etc. The hospital leads the province in tumor treatment through intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and various minimally invasive surgical techniques. It pioneered the following complex cardiocerebrovascular interventions among prefectural-level hospitals in Hubei: Kidney transplantation, Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, Radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation, Leadless dual-chamber pacemaker implantation, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and Structural heart disease interventions. As the exclusive provider in Jingzhou region, it performs robot-assisted radical resections for Prostate cancer, Renal cancer, Hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancers, Gastric cancer and Colorectal cancer. In collaboration with Academician Zhang Xu from Beijing 301 Hospital (PLA General Hospital), the hospital conducted Hubei’s inaugural “5G + Domestic Endoscopic Robot” telesurgery.

Discipline Construction

In 2006, the School obtained master’s degree conferral rights in Internal Medicine and Surgery. In 2012, it secured first-tier discipline authorization for Clinical Medicine master’s programs, followed by professional master’s degree authorization in Clinical Medicine in 2016.

Key milestones include:

2012: Designated as a national pilot for the “Five-Year Clinical Medicine Talent Training Reform” under China’s Excellence in Doctor Education initiative;

2016: Approved for Hubei’s Jingchu Excellence Talent collaborative education project;

2017: Received clinical program certification from the Ministry of Education;

2022: Clinical Medicine accredited as a National First-Class Undergraduate Program.

There are currently six provincial-level high-quality courses, including Medical Immunology and General Genetics, as well as six university-level high-quality courses, such as Systematic Anatomy, Physiology, Diagnostics, and Surgery. It operates 30 provincial key clinical specialties and 1 national clinical trial site for pharmaceuticals.

Faculty

The School has a faculty team composed of 14 full-time teachers, supported by 120 core teachers from the affiliated hospital. These core teachers hold senior professional titles or possess doctoral or master’s degrees. Specifically, the faculty includes 70 professors (full senior titles), 31 associate professors (associate senior titles), 39 holders of master’s degrees, and 27 holders of doctoral degrees. Teachers with a master’s degree or higher account for 71.4% of the professional faculty.

Training Bases

The School boasts well-equipped laboratories and skill training facilities. It currently houses: One national standardized residency training base, one provincial-level clinical skills experimental teaching center, one provincial-level model (demonstration) internship and practical training base, a surgical robotics training center and a simulated operating room. The School also has one directly affiliated Class A Tertiary Hospital serving as the clinical internship and clerkship base, along with three community health internship and practice bases. This forms a comprehensive clinical teaching system comprising the affiliated hospital, internship hospitals, and community health practice bases. All bases possess sufficient medical resources to ensure the needs of clinical teaching are met.

Teaching & Educational Reform

Upholding the professional education philosophy of “Three Enhancements and Three Optimizations”-namely, enhancing quality cultivation while optimizing the curriculum system; enhancing self-directed learning while optimizing teaching methods; and enhancing skills training while optimizing assessment methods, the School emphasizes the comprehensive development of students’ knowledge, abilities, and qualities. In the educational process, the School actively employs advanced teaching methods and practices to cultivate students’ self-directed learning and critical thinking abilities. It also places strong emphasis on developing students’ awareness and skills in interpersonal communication and teamwork throughout various teaching stages.

In its teaching practices, the School consistently integrates traditional teaching methods with advanced approaches, including the implementation of PBL (Problem-Based Learning), CBL (Case-Based Learning), and bedside teaching. The School has undertaken multiple provincial and university-level educational reform projects. It has actively explored innovations in areas such as: cultivation models, curriculum system refinement, teaching methodology improvement, assessment method reform, and strengthening information and digital infrastructure.

Scientific Research

The School and its Affiliated First Hospital prioritize international exchange and collaboration. They have established joint research laboratories and developed a national key clinical specialty. The School maintains long-term cooperative relationships with 20 international medical institutions, including Ulm University’s Oak Hill Hospital (Germany) and Takeda Hospital (Japan). The School has established three major research platforms: the Jingzhou Sub-center of the State Key Laboratory of Innovative Drugs and Translation Medicine, a Molecular Biology Laboratory, and a Tumor Tissue Biobank. In recent years, the School has achieved significant scientific recognition:

•    Awarded multiple provincial and municipal Science and Technology Progress Prizes.

•    Produced over 160 research outcomes reaching internationally or domestically advanced levels.

•    Secured 2 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

•    Participated in 3 national major science and technology programs.

•    Obtained approval for over 30 provincial-level and 200 municipal-level research projects.

•    Published more than 500 academic monographs.

•    Filed over 180 patent applications.

•    Published more than 600 papers in medical journals in the past three years, over 200 of which were indexed in international SCI journals.

Talent Cultivation

Since the establishment of the School, this School has produced 2,691 undergraduate graduates who are highly regarded by employers and society. Over the past three years, the postgraduate admission rate has ranked among the top in the university (averaging around 45%), with 368 students admitted to 985 and 211 Project universities. The average pass rate for the National Medical Licensing Examination has consistently exceeded the national average by 2.5 percentage points (data sourced from the National Medical Examination Center). Many alumni have become leading figures in healthcare across the country. Notable examples include:

Kong Weijia, Vice Chairperson of the Otolaryngology Society of the Chinese Medical Association;

Zhang Daqing, renowned medical historian and Director of the Center for Medical History Research at Peking University;

Peng Shaocheng, member of the 8th Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association and Chairman of Shanghai Renkang Technology Co., Ltd.

Additionally, a large number of graduates have long been rooted in grassroots communities, demonstrating dedication,live-saving, and quiet dedication. They have become trusted clinical professionals and healthcare management talents, benefiting local communities with their service.

Generations of medical professionals have forged ahead through difficulties and pursued innovation with determination. The clinical medicine program has evolved into a well-structured discipline with a complete teaching system, a qualified faculty, and advanced teaching facilities. It has trained a substantial number of grassroots healthcare professionals for the nation and society, playing a vital role in advancing regional healthcare development and supporting rapid economic growth.