Department of Pathology (also called Institute of Pathology) grows out of Pathology School of Paulun Hospital (today's Wuhan Tongji Hospital) that was affiliated to German Medical School for Chinese in Shanghai founded by a German doctor Erich Paulun in 1907. Institute of Pathology, with pathology teaching, scientific research and clinical treatment rolled into one, was formed by a merger between Department of Pathology of Tongji Medical College and Department of Pathology of Tongji Hospital in 2007. Department of Pathology boasts a rich history of over 100 years, training such internationally renowned pathologists as Zhongbi WU, Boqiang LIANG, Zaidong WU, Shuzu YANG, Min WU and Zhongduan DENG. Among those excellent alumni, Boqiang LIANG and Min WU are elected as academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences while Zhongbi WU as academician of German Academy of Sciences.
It was among the first batch of disciplines nationwide to be authorized to confer master's and doctoral degrees. In 1991, it was approved to enroll postdoctoral students. In 1992, it was allowed to establish Pulmonary Disease Laboratory of Ministry of Health. Pathology was recognized as a provincial key discipline in 1994, as a national key discipline of Ministry of Education in 2007, and as a national key clinical specialty of Ministry of Health in 2010. It has edited Surgical Pathology, Chinese Surgical Pathology, Clinical Pathology Diagnostic Guide, and a textbook of Ministry of Health Pathology (2th, 3th and 4th editions).
Department of Pathology has 75 staff members, 38 of whom are teachers, including eight professors (five doctoral supervisors), eight associate professors, 20 lecturers and two teaching assistants. Most of its teachers once studied abroad, and its laboratory technicians at least get their bachelor's degree. Some are members of academic organizations such as the Pathology Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Pathologist Association, Committee of Chinese Pathologists, and the Pathology Branch of Hubei Pathology Society. Two teachers are recognized as New Century Excellent Talents by the Ministry of Education.
Relying on a large pool of talents, Department of Pathology has established a sound clinical diagnosis system. It has completed more than 70,000 clinicopathological biopsies each year and taken charge of pathology consultation of rare diseases. With a high-level molecular pathology testing platform established in recent years, Department of Pathology carries out molecular diagnosis and targeted therapy for rare diseases.
