The Department of Plastic and Burn Surgery of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, which was founded in 1963, is one of the pioneers to carry out cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery and burn surgery in China. After more than 50 years' development, the Department has become a center for cosmetic, plastic and burn surgery, engaging in medical care, teaching & learning and scientific research. The Department cooperates widely with domestic and overseas experts in cosmetic, plastic and burn surgery with its powerful talent pool, facilities and the advantage in multidisciplinary cooperation.
The Department of Plastic and Burn Surgery conducts various cosmetic surgeries and reparative surgeries for failed plastic surgeries, with nearly 10,000 cases each year. In addition, the Department carries out large numbers of difficult plastic surgeries including organ reconstruction, reparations of refractory wounds, resections of superficial tumors, giant vascular tumors and surgeries of congenital malformation. Such capability of the Department is at a leading level in China. As the Department is the chairman of the Sichuan Association of Plastics and Aesthetics, experts in the Department take part in the qualification review and supervision over national and provincial medical cosmetology institutions. Partnering with other peers in Sichuan, the Department makes significant contribution in the development of provincial medical cosmetology.
As the center of burn treatment in Southwest China, the Department of Plastic and Burn Surgery has actively assumed its social responsibilities and assigned the expert teams to carry out emergency rescue, consultation and treatment in all kinds of accidents, including the Wenchuan Earthquake, the Lushan Earthquake (or the Ya'an Earthquake), the Panzhihua Mine Accident, the Yibin Bus Explosion, the Kunshan Burn Accident and the Nepal Earthquak. These aiding efforts are a mirror of WCH's responsibilities and accountability for the society.
Currently, there are one doctoral tutor, one master tutor, three professors, eight associate professors, nine attending physicians and four postdocs in the Department. Most of the doctors in the Department have both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Meanwhile, the Department is qualified to grant Ph.D. and mater degree and conducts Ph.D. and master education programs every year with a 100% employment rate for graduates from both programs. Meanwhile, it also provides programs of advanced studies for physicians from across the country. In recent years, doctors and experts in the Department have compiled several books and been in the editorial board of numerous journals including: Chinese Journal of Surgery, Chinese Journal of Trauma, Chinese Journal of Burns, Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery, Chinese Journal of Practical Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, West China Medical Journal, Medical Journal of West China, Sichuan Medical Journal, Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Science Edition). Doctors in the Department have published more than 200 papers, including more than 40 SCI papers, in domestic and overseas journals in recent 5 years.
