Department of Dermatology

Overview

In 1918, the Beijing Central Hospital was officially established, and the Department of Dermatology and Venereology was one of its initial 14 departments. After a century of endeavor and growth, the Department of Dermatology of Peking University People's Hospital has become a Key National Discipline of the Ministry of Education and a Key National Specialty of the National Health Commission, a Key Discipline under the 211 & 985 Projects (higher education development and sponsorship schemes) and a National Drug Clinical Trial Institution for Dermatology. The department is equipped with comprehensive facilities, well-developed subspecialties, innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, and distinct clinical features, wielding significant influence in the domestic and international dermatological fields.

Our Team：

Currently, the department has 49 regular staff members, including 8 chief physicians, 8 associate chief physicians, 10 attending physicians, 2 resident physicians, 17 nurses, and 4 technicians. The team members are dedicated to their professional fields. Professor Zhang Jianzhong, with a high reputation in the field of dermatology and venereology, has served as the 13th President of the Chinese Society of Dermatology at the Chinese Medical Association(CMA) and a Former President of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Dermatology(CARD). Professor Zhou Cheng, the Director of the department, has achieved remarkable accomplishments in hair disease research and holds multiple important roles, such as the vice president of the Chinese Hair Research Society and the president of the Hair Disease Rehabilitation Group of CARD. Professor Li Houmin serves as the Deputy Director of the department and the Chair of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at the Peking University Health Science Center. She has conducted in-depth exploration in the field of mycology. Dr.Wang Fang, serves as the leader of the cosmetic dermatology center of the department. Several physicians from the department hold key positions—such as chairperson, vice chairperson, standing committee member, and committee member—in academic organizations including the Chinese Society of Dermatology at the CMA, the CARD, the Hair Medicine Branch of the Beijing Holistic Integrative Medicine Association, and the Dermatology and Venereology Branch of the Beijing Medical Association.

Clinical Services

Since 2000, the department has experienced rapid growth, with annual increases in outpatient visits, inpatient admissions, and surgical procedures. In 2024, outpatient visits approached 230,000. The department leads the country in clinical and research aspects of atopic dermatitis, hair diseases, vitiligo, psoriasis, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and skin mycobacterial diseases. It first proposed the "Chinese Criteria" for atopic dermatitis diagnosis internationally, which has been widely applied. It also initially reported diseases of "atopic dermatitis-like graft-versus-host disease," "pregnancy-induced thigh and buttock erythema," and the "pathogenic gene RPL21 for hereditary simplex hypotrichosis". Additionally, it first reported the disease of "swimming pool granuloma" domestically. It has taken the lead in organizing several large-scale national epidemiological studies, yielding important data on the prevalence of common skin diseases in China, including androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, psoriasis, vitiligo, and acne. The department has also led the development of multiple diagnostic and treatment guidelines, as well as consensus statements, for common skin diseases in China, and has overseen more than 120 clinical trials of new dermatological drugs. In the past three years, the department has ranked first nationwide among all clinical disciplines in leading multicenter clinical trials of new drugs (non-oncology). Notably, it successfully completed the clinical research of China's Class 1.1 new drug, Tapinarof, and launched it globally first. 

The department has established several disease-specific clinics to provide diagnosis and treatment for particular diseases, including clinics for hair loss, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, urticaria, vitiligo, dermatological surgery, and alopecia areata. Equipped with comprehensive and advanced facilities, the Cosmetic Dermatology Center is equipped with ultrapicosecond laser, M22 photonic platform, black gold DPL photonic platform, Thermage radiofrequency treatment platform, gold microneedle radiofrequency, long-pulsed Nd: YAG 1064/755 laser, 810nm ice-point hair removal laser, and CO2 fractional laser. In recent years, it has also introduced hair transplantation, botulinum toxin injection, hyaluronic acid filler injection, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, microneedling therapy, and chemical peel treatment, offering corresponding medical beauty services for patients with disfiguring skin diseases, hair loss, and for individuals seeking skin beautification and anti-aging treatments. Moreover, the dermatology outpatient clinic provides 308-nanometer excimer laser and 308-nanometer excimer light irradiation therapy for vitiligo. It also employs new technologies like ultra-thin skin graft transplantation and Recell for vitiligo treatment, maintaining a leading domestic position. In recent years, the department has vigorously advanced dermatological surgery, not only completely and thoroughly removing various benign and malignant skin tumors but also performing exquisite repairs to achieve both cure and aesthetic goals. In 2021, it further expanded to include skin grafting surgery, Mohs micrographic surgery, intra-nodule excision of scars, punch extraction of scars, and combined surgical and radiotherapy treatment for scars. 

Education

The department became a standardized fellowship training base recognized by the Ministry of Health in 2006 and was designated as a national standardized fellowship training base in 2014. It undertakes teaching tasks for undergraduates, eight-year MD Program students, and postgraduates of Peking University Health Science Center. So far, it has trained over 70 doctoral students (including 33 from the eight-year MD Program), more than 40 master's students, over 150 visiting physicians, and around 30 standardized residents, and has received hundreds of domestic and international physicians and medical students for visits and study. The department has edited and translated more than 30 dermatological monographs. Our biweekly clinical case discussions and twice-weekly pathology slide reviews are warmly welcomed by physicians and graduate students in the department.  

Research & Innovation

The department focuses on the pathogenesis and treatment of skin diseases such as hair diseases, atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, and psoriasis, and has achieved nationally leading results in these areas. It possesses advanced research platforms and has undertaken numerous national-level research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key Research and Development Program of China, with funding exceeding 10 million CNY. It has published hundreds of academic papers in renowned academic journals such as the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, British Journal of Dermatology, and Journal of Investigative Dermatology, making significant contributions to academic advancement. It has received over 20 awards, including the National Award for Science and Technology Progress and the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award. The development of Tapinarof has been recognized as a "National New Drug Innovation" Major Project of China.