The Department of Nephrology at The Second Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University was established in 1982 and has since developed into a comprehensive division integrating clinical practice, teaching, scientific research, and physician training. As early as 1979, the department began enrolling postgraduate students specializing in nephrology, cultivating a large number of outstanding professionals. Notably, Academician Chen Xiangmei, a renowned nephrology expert, was among the first cohort of postgraduate graduates. Currently, the Department of Nephrology is a national key clinical specialty construction project. It serves as the chair unit of the Jilin Provincial Medical Association Nephrology Branch and the Jilin Provincial Physician Association Nephrology Branch. It is also the Jilin Provincial Health Department Nephrology Medical Quality Control Center, one of the first Ministry of Health Peritoneal Dialysis Demonstration Training Centers, the Jilin Provincial Blood Purification Training Center, the Jilin Provincial Blood Purification Specialist Nurse Training Base, the Jilin Provincial Health Department Nephrology Key Research Laboratory, the Jilin Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Nephrology Laboratory for TCM Scientific Research, the Jilin Provincial Health Department Key Research Laboratory for Diabetes Complications, and a national clinical drug trial base.

The department boasts a disciplinary echelon with high academic qualifications, excellent quality, and sustainable development potential. Led by Professor Miao Lining as the academic leader, supported by several key academic backbone members, it features a technologically advanced, well-structured medical team with high qualifications and sustainable potential. The nephrology experts enjoy significant influence within domestic and provincial academic circles. The department currently employs 24 doctors, 82 nurses, and 6 technicians. Among the doctors, there are 5 professors, 7 associate professors, 4 doctoral supervisors, 7 master's supervisors, 10 holders of doctoral degrees, and 12 holders of master's degrees. The medical staff is proportionally well-equipped with a rational talent structure and sustainable development capabilities, meeting current and future departmental needs. The current medical team is primarily divided into two groups: the Ziqiang Campus medical group led by Professor Luo Ping and Professor Zhang Dongmei, and the Youth Campus medical group led by Professor Lu Xuehong. Each medical group includes corresponding associate professors, attending physicians, treating physicians, resident physicians, postgraduate students, and trainees, ensuring the integrity of the three-tier physician ward round system. Each group excels in the diagnosis and treatment of glomerular diseases, chronic kidney diseases, and autoimmune systemic diseases, achieving nationally leading levels.

The department comprises seven sections: outpatient service, inpatient wards, blood purification center, peritoneal dialysis center, renal intensive care unit (ICU), renal biopsy pathology diagnosis center, and nephrology research laboratory. It currently has 135 open beds, making it the largest kidney disease diagnosis and treatment center in Jilin Province. The clinical treatment center has 135 beds, and the blood purification center has 129 beds. The blood purification center performs nearly 60,895 dialysis sessions annually and completes 624 cases of continuous blood purification each year. The cumulative number of renal puncture biopsies and pathological diagnoses has exceeded 4,000 cases. Adhering to the principle of comprehensive development in medical treatment, teaching, and research, the department has achieved fruitful results in scientific research in recent years. Over the past decade, the department has undertaken 69 research projects, including 5 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 3 National 973 Program projects, 2 National 863 Program projects, and 4 National 12th Five-Year Plan projects. The department has won 1 second prize for Provincial Science and Technology Progress, 1 third prize for Provincial Science and Technology Progress, 3 Provincial Science and Technology Achievement awards, 1 Provincial Natural Science Academic Achievement award, 1 second prize for Jilin University Medical Achievement, 8 third prizes for Jilin University Medical Achievement, and 2 national patents. It has published over 200 papers, including 79 in core journals, 34 presented at academic conferences, and 36 indexed by SCI. To date, the department has supervised and trained 3 postdoctoral fellows, 14 doctoral students, and over 100 master's students.

The hemodialysis center was established in 1982 and currently has 3 dialysis rooms with a total of 117 dialysis machines. The annual number of dialysis sessions is approximately 55,000, with an average of over 4,300 sessions per month. Currently, there are over 470 regular hemodialysis patients. The center was the first in Jilin Province to introduce various new blood purification technologies, such as hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration, adjustable sodium dialysis, high-flux dialysis, and plasma exchange. These technologies have been widely applied among dialysis patients and have received consistent recognition from patients and their families.

Peritoneal dialysis work began in 1983, and in 2010, the department became one of the first Ministry of Health Peritoneal Dialysis Demonstration Training Centers. Over the years, peritoneal dialysis work has flourished. In 2009, the department independently developed China's first "automated peritoneal dialysis machine," which received a "national patent" and was included in the National Ministry of Technology's 12th Five-Year Plan major projects. Leveraging the advantages of this domestically developed automated peritoneal dialysis machine, the department vigorously promotes automated peritoneal dialysis. This approach provides adequate dialysis for patients with residual renal function while improving their quality of life, making it a characteristic diagnostic and treatment feature of the department's peritoneal dialysis therapy.

The intensive care unit (ICU) is one of the department's specialties. It is equipped with 4 CRRT machines, the most advanced monitoring systems, and various medical devices, enabling continuous renal replacement therapy. Over the years, it has successfully treated a large number of critically ill patients with acute renal failure and multiple organ failure. The diverse and stable CRRT dialysis modes address many challenges in hemodialysis, such as cardiovascular instability, elderly patients, and dialysis-related hypotension, achieving satisfactory treatment outcomes.

The department was the first in Jilin Province to perform renal puncture biopsy technology. It is the only nephrology department in the province that integrates renal puncture biopsy rooms, renal pathology laboratories, and renal pathology diagnosis. It is equipped with advanced全套 renal pathology diagnostic equipment. With technically solid and stable renal pathology technicians, the department ensures the accuracy of independent pathological diagnosis reports. Many difficult and complicated cases have been accurately diagnosed through renal biopsy pathological examinations, providing a basis for further treatment guidance. Each month, the department also accepts a large number of renal puncture pathology consultations from various regions across the province, helping other brother hospitals resolve many medical challenges and truly playing a leading role in nephrology within Jilin Province.

In terms of laboratory construction, the department adheres to a development direction that combines clinical practice with basic research. The nephrology research laboratory has been rated as the Jilin Provincial Health Department Key Research Laboratory for Nephrology and the Jilin Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Key Research Laboratory for Nephrology. For many years, it has remained open to the public, providing technical support to multiple departments and numerous researchers. The laboratory covers an area of 400 square meters and includes four units: cell biology, molecular biology, pathology, and clinical testing. It can perform various experimental projects such as Western blot, PCR, electrophoresis, cell culture, animal experiments, transgenics, and immunohistochemistry. In 2013, the laboratory introduced advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment such as transmission electron microscopes and multi-viewer microscopes, making it the first nephrology department in Northeast China to possess a transmission electron microscope for kidney disease diagnosis. In addition to disease diagnosis, the equipment also undertakes a significant amount of the department's scientific research and teaching tasks, providing solid technical support for clinical and research studies. The combination of transmission electron microscopy and optical microscopy has greatly improved the department's diagnostic level for kidney diseases, currently achieving a leading position in the province.

The department always emphasizes and diligently implements international exchanges and collaborations. Leveraging strong cooperative relationships with the Chinese PLA General Hospital, the University of Louisville (USA), the Beckman Research Institute (USA), the Yonsei University Nephrology Research Institute (South Korea), and the Centre for Transplant and Renal Research at Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney (Australia), the department有计划地 arranges for young and middle-aged physicians to undergo advanced training in diagnosis and treatment techniques. To date, 9 young and middle-aged physicians have been sent to the aforementioned institutions for exchange studies and joint training both domestically and internationally. Among them, 4 have returned after completing their studies, while 5 are still abroad for joint training and advanced studies. These physicians annually publish a large number of scientific research papers and high-impact factor SCI articles and participate in numerous domestic and international research projects, playing important roles in the development of various scientific research initiatives. Additionally, the department has sent over twenty medical staff to various nephrology medical centers within China for advanced training. It also invites renowned domestic and international experts and scholars to give lectures, actively hosts international and domestic conferences and workshops, conducts academic exchanges and training for hospitals at all levels in the province, expands the discipline's influence, and carries out large-scale promotions and普及 of kidney disease knowledge on World Kidney Day each year to enhance social service capabilities. To date, the department has supervised and trained 3 postdoctoral fellows, 14 doctoral students, and over 100 master's students.

The overall goal of the department's construction is to establish a comprehensive key nephrology specialty with international vision, innovative意识, regional辐射作用, and informatization, integrating prevention, diagnosis, treatment, scientific research, and training. It aims to become a nationally and internationally renowned nephrology diagnosis and treatment center, teaching and training center, information exchange center, scientific research攻坚 center, and health education center.