The Department of Endocrinology at The Second Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University was established in 1995 and officially became the Endocrine Center of The Second Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University in early 2023. The Center operates across three campuses: Yatai Campus, Ziqiang Campus, and Qingnian Campus. It has evolved into a clinical, research, and educational hub for endocrine and metabolic diseases.
Currently, the Center serves as a branch of the National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, a Cross-Strait Cooperation Base for Endocrinology Department Management, a Caring Program Base for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus under the Chinese Medical Association Diabetes Society, a Chinese Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Prevention Center, a National Health Commission "Quality Journey" Osteoporosis Diagnosis and Treatment Base, a Medical Nutrition and Weight Loss Education Base of the Nutrition and Metabolism Management Branch of the China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Health Care, a Key Discipline of the Changchun City 12th Five-Year Plan, a Key Laboratory for Diabetes and Its Complications of the Jilin Provincial Health Department, a Jilin Provincial Continuing Education Training Base, the Jilin University Diabetes Education and Training Center, the Jilin University Insulin Pump Intensive Therapy Center for Diabetes, a US-Asia Diabetes Cooperation Base, and a clinical drug trial institution for endocrinology certified by the National Medical Products Administration.
The Endocrinology Department at the Yatai Campus currently has 38 medical staff, including 16 doctors and 22 nurses. Among them are 3 professors and 1 associate professor, including 4 postdoctoral fellows, 6 holders of doctoral degrees, and 10 holders of master's degrees. There are 3 doctoral supervisors and 4 master's supervisors, along with 8 senior nurses. Covering an area of 1,826 square meters, it offers 48 open beds, handles an annual outpatient volume of over 30,000 visits, and admits more than 3,000 patients yearly. The discipline has developed distinctive expertise in diabetes "remission" and "hyperglycemia reversal" treatments, diagnosis and management of diabetic chronic complications, and diabetes self-monitoring and education. As the Jilin University Diabetes Center, the implementation of the "3C" regimen (Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII), Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM), and Diabetes Information Management (CareLink)) has established a new model of smart blood glucose management across all hospital departments, marking the successful establishment of a smart healthcare system by the Endocrine Center. The department provides screening for risk factors of foot disease (diabetic lower limb neuropathy and angiopathy), offering a one-stop service system for comprehensive assessment, multi-disciplinary triage for admission, and efficient treatment for patients with foot conditions. It also offers a one-stop service model for pre-pregnancy and pregnant women with gestational hyperglycemia and thyroid diseases. The discipline has accumulated valuable experience and gained national influence in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases, hypothalamic-pituitary disorders, adrenal diseases, obesity, osteoporosis, and other conditions.
The department has successively presided over projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, sub-projects of the 863 Program and 973 Program, as well as numerous provincial and ministerial-level projects. It has undertaken more than 30 international and domestic multi-center clinical studies. Research achievements have been awarded one Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, one Jilin University Medical Achievement Second Prize, one Third Prize, and one Fourth Prize. Significant research results have been achieved in areas such as clinical studies on intensive insulin pump therapy for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, research on the role and molecular mechanisms of c-Maf in promoting pancreatic β-cell development, research on the induced differentiation of stem cells into insulin-secreting cells and the treatment of experimental diabetic animal models, and research on the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.
The Endocrinology Teaching and Research Office is a granting unit for doctoral and master's degrees in endocrinology, and a standardized training base for residents in internal medicine and general practice. It undertakes teaching tasks for five-year clinical medicine programs, 5+3 integrated programs, five-year preventive and stomatological medicine programs, and five-year programs for international students. Leveraging the advantages of clinical and research work, it enhances clinical teaching and research instruction, undertaking several undergraduate teaching reform projects and postgraduate case library construction projects. It has received the Practical Teaching Team Award and guided undergraduates to win national-level university student innovation projects.
