China's Top Departments: Neurology at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University

If you or a loved one is facing a complex neurological condition — stroke, Parkinson's disease, myasthenia gravis, epilepsy, cognitive disorders, neuroimmunological disease, or sleep disorders — the Department of Neurology at Huashan Hospital is among the most experienced centers in the world.

Founded in 1950 by Professor Zhang Yuanchang, a renowned neurologist who trained at Queen Square, London, it is one of the earliest neurology departments in China and a cradle for clinical neurology talent. In 2021, the National Health Commission designated Huashan Hospital as the main site for the National Center for Neurological Diseases, together with Xuanwu Hospital (Beijing) and Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

The department operates across three campuses (main campus, Hongqiao, Baoshan) with 6 independent wards and 281 beds. It handles approximately 460,000 outpatient visits and 13,000 inpatient discharges annually — making it the largest comprehensive neurology center in Shanghai.

In the 2024 Fudan Hospital Ranking, the department scored 97.2 points, ranking #1 in Neurology nationwide.

At Medora, we've helped international patients navigate Huashan's neurology department across all seven subspecialties. Here's what you need to know.

Accreditations & Rankings

Faculty & Team

• 2 Lifetime Professors
• 14 PhD supervisors, 12 Master's supervisors
• 15 Chief Physicians, 28 Associate Chief Physicians
• 20+ specialty clinics

Key Faculty Leaders:

Seven Subspecialties

1. Cerebrovascular Disease (Est. 1996)

Pioneered standardized protocols for intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular intervention in ischemic stroke in China. Leads the Shanghai Stroke Prevention and Treatment Service System and the Shanghai Neurology Quality Control Center.

• 3,000+ cerebrovascular cases treated annually
• 13,000 specialty clinic visits per year
• Multi-center trials: CHABLIS-T, CHABLIS-T II, TOPS-CSVD, Be-CLEVER
• 400+ publications in Lancet Neurology, Brain, Circulation Research

2. Movement Disorders / Parkinson's Disease (Est. 1970s)

Focuses on molecular brain imaging for PD diagnosis, deep brain stimulation (DBS), and long-term disease management.

• China's first "Online+Offline PD One-Stop Center" (2021)
• "China e-Parkinson Alliance" covering 130+ hospitals nationwide
• PD patient registry: 20,000+ enrolled; 3,000+ received molecular brain imaging
• 200+ SCI publications; Shanghai Science & Technology Progress Award

3. Neuromuscular Disease (Est. 2005)

Leading center for myasthenia gravis (MG) in China — serves as the Chair unit of the Chinese Myasthenia Gravis Cooperative Group.

• Conducted China's first RCT for MG treatment (Phase II and III)
• Founded the Pan-Yangtze River Delta Neuromuscular Alliance covering 100+ hospitals across 24 provinces
• Led 19 domestic and international multi-center clinical studies
• Discovered and reported novel pathogenic genes for oculopharyngodistal myopathy in China
• #2 globally in MG-related SCI publications (after Mayo Clinic)
• ~180 publications in JAMA Neurology, Lancet Neurology, Brain

4. Cognitive Disorders

One of China's first "Core Advanced Cognitive Disorder Diagnosis & Treatment Centers." Home to the Fudan Institute of Cognitive Disorders.

• Led development of the International Guidelines for Alzheimer's Disease Prevention
• PI for clinical trials of Remternetug, Trontinemab, [¹⁸F]florzolotau
• Established the China Healthy Aging & Dementia Community Cohort (HEAD)
• 200+ SCI publications in Cell, Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Communications, Lancet Neurology
• Provincial Natural Science First Prize

5. Neuroimmunology

Specializes in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and MOG antibody-associated diseases.

• CNS Neuroimmunology & Infection MDT clinic served 1,200+ patients from 27 provinces
• Founded the Pan-Yangtze River Delta Demyelinating Disease Alliance
• Pioneered kappa free light chain index for MS diagnosis in China
• 6 international multi-center Phase I-III trials for new immunotherapies

6. Epilepsy

Chair unit of the China Epilepsy Association and the Chinese Medical Association Epilepsy Group.

• Largest and earliest epilepsy specialty follow-up clinic in East China
• 2,000+ epilepsy patient follow-up visits annually
• Inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit

7. Sleep Medicine (Est. 2005)

• Largest single-center REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) cohort worldwide
• AASM-authorized International Training Center for Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (since 2017)
• Designated China Sleep Technologist Training Center by the National Health Commission (2024)

Research Output

• 1,000+ academic papers published in the last 5 years
• 100+ papers with impact factor >10
• Publications in Nature, Cell, Lancet Neurology, JAMA Neurology, Brain
• 1 NSFC Key Program, 29 NSFC General Programs, 20 NSFC Young Scientist Programs
• Multiple national projects including the S&T Innovation 2030 Mega-Project
• National Key Laboratory for Brain Function & Brain Diseases

Campuses & Addresses

Main Campus Transport: Metro Lines 1/7 (Changshu Road Station), Lines 2/7 (Jing'an Temple Station)

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Information compiled from Huashan Hospital official website, Fudan Hospital Ranking, and other authoritative public sources.

🌐 This guide is prepared for an international audience