Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Founded in 1958, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was among the first universities authorized to award master’s degrees, the first universities qualified to admit international students, the first national traditional Chinese medicine service export bases, the first national traditional Chinese medicine clinical research bases, the first national branch centers for traditional Chinese medicine literature retrieval, and the first National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine pilot institutions for preventive healthcare services through “treating disease before it occurs.”

Scale and organizational structure. The university covers more than 1000 mu. Its main campus is in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning, with branch campuses in the coastal city of Dalian and the pharmaceutical city of Benxi. This creates a one-university, three-campus structure and a development layout of “pharmacy in the south, medicine in the north, and basic sciences in the center,” supporting coordinated high-quality development. It covers 7 disciplinary categories—medicine, science, engineering, management, literature, law and agriculture—and offers 27 undergraduate programs. It has 13500 students, 18 schools, 4 directly affiliated hospitals, 1 teaching department, 3 teaching experiment centers, 1 laboratory animal center, 1 academy of sciences, 3 research institutes and 3 libraries. It is Liaoning’s only higher education institution training professionals in traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese pharmacy, acupuncture and tuina, clinical medicine integrating Chinese and Western medicine, advanced nursing, and related medical fields.

Disciplines and degrees. All core disciplines in traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacy are included in Liaoning’s Double First-Class disciplines. It has 1 national key discipline, 26 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine key disciplines, 10 high-level key disciplines of that administration, 4 Liaoning university Double First-Class development disciplines and 21 Liaoning key disciplines in traditional Chinese medicine. It has 3 postdoctoral research stations, 2 postdoctoral workstations and 1 Liaoning postdoctoral innovation and practice base; 3 first-level disciplines and 19 second-level disciplines authorized to award doctoral degrees, 4 first-level disciplines and 26 second-level disciplines authorized to award master’s degrees, 1 professional doctoral degree authorization field, and 4 professional master’s degree authorization fields.

Education and teaching. The university has 1 national teaching team, 4 nationally distinctive program development sites, 4 national first-class undergraduate program development sites, 1 national pilot project for comprehensive program reform, 1 national experimental zone for innovative talent training models, 2 reform pilot projects under the Ministry of Education and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Excellent Doctor (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Education and Training Program, 1 national off-campus practical education base for university students, 3 national quality courses, 3 national quality shared-resource courses, 8 national first-class courses, and 5 National Teaching Achievement Awards. It has 6 provincial experimental teaching demonstration centers, 2 provincial virtual simulation experimental teaching centers, 7 provincial teaching teams, 22 provincial quality courses, 6 provincial quality shared-resource courses, 1 provincial quality open video undergraduate course, 94 provincial first-class courses, 9 provincial university student practical education bases, 1 provincial university student innovation and entrepreneurship practical education base, 4 provincial university pilot programs for comprehensive reform, 7 Liaoning university model programs for first-class undergraduate education, and 10 provincial first-class undergraduate program development sites. It has 56 provincial undergraduate teaching achievements. Its staff have served as chief editors of 152 nationally planned, industry-planned, distinctive or innovative textbooks. It has approval for 1 national outstanding textbook, 8 provincial quality textbooks and 12 provincial outstanding textbooks. It is a National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine comprehensive base for high-level talent training, a National Medical Licensing Examination practical skills examination and examiner training base in traditional Chinese medicine, a national demonstration center for clinical teaching and training in traditional Chinese medicine, an examination work base for the National Chinese Medicine Physician Qualification Certification Center, and a national demonstration base for standardized patient (SP) practical teaching. It was included in Liaoning’s second group of demonstration schools for labor education.

Talent. At national level, it has 3 National Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 4 National Renowned Chinese Medicine Physicians, 3 Qihuang Scholars, 5 Young Qihuang Scholars, 2 State Council discipline appraisal group members, 3 national Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Project recipients, 1 chief scientist of a 973 project, 1 National Outstanding Contribution Award in Traditional Chinese Medicine recipient, 1 Qihuang Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance and Development Award recipient, 1 inheritor award recipient under that award, 1 deputy chair and 3 members of Ministry of Education university teaching advisory committees, and 1 university member of a national professional degree postgraduate education advisory committee. Its staff have received 113 selections as national mentors for inheriting the academic experience of senior traditional Chinese medicine experts. It has 6 young and middle-aged experts with outstanding contributions to national health, 69 experts receiving special government allowances, 3 National Outstanding Teachers, 2 nationally distinguished teachers in traditional Chinese medicine higher education, 1 recipient in the national selection of one hundred outstanding university teachers of the Two Courses, 85 national outstanding talents in basic and clinical traditional Chinese medicine, and 1 leader of a Ministry of Education national university Double-Leader faculty Party branch secretary studio. At provincial level, it has 1 Liaoning academician reserve candidate, 2 Liaoning university Climbing Scholars, 2 Liaoning leading talents, 12 Liaoning outstanding experts, 36 provincially distinguished teachers, 12 Liaoning Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 99 Liaoning renowned traditional Chinese medicine physicians, 31 Liaoning renowned young traditional Chinese medicine physicians, and 30 members of Liaoning’s first group of outstanding clinical talents in traditional Chinese medicine. Its staff have received 12 selections as Liaoning distinguished professors. It has 3 Liaoning academic Leading Goose talents, 1 Liaoning Most Beautiful Medical Worker, 1 Most Beautiful Teacher in the Liaoning education system, 9 Liaoning Outstanding Teachers and 1 Liaoning Model of Teaching and Education. 59 individuals and 2 teams have been selected for Liaoning’s Xingliao Talent Program, 2 teams as Liaoning university Huang Danian-style Faculty Teams, 46 individuals at the hundred-person level of Liaoning’s Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Project, 87 selections at its thousand-person level, and 4 teams as Liaoning traditional Chinese medicine innovation teams.

Research. It has 1 national-local joint engineering laboratory, 1 Ministry of Education key laboratory, 1 national traditional Chinese medicine clinical research base, 3 national drug clinical trial institutions, 3 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine key research offices, 11 third-level research laboratories of that administration, 1 provincial collaborative innovation center, 35 provincial key laboratories, engineering research centers, engineering laboratories or professional technology innovation centers, 4 provincial clinical medical research centers, 1 national science popularization education base, 1 new-style provincial think tank, and 1 provincial key research base in the humanities and social sciences. It publishes 4 academic journals in traditional Chinese medicine. The Chinese Archives of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a Peking University-listed Chinese core journal, a China core science and technology journal, a T1 traditional Chinese medicine science and technology journal, and an RCCSE authoritative Chinese academic journal (A+). The Liaoning Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a Peking University-listed Chinese core journal, a China core science and technology journal, an RCCSE Chinese core academic journal (A), and a T2 traditional Chinese medicine science and technology journal. The Journal of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a China quality science and technology journal, a China core science and technology journal, an RCCSE Chinese core academic journal (A), and a T2 traditional Chinese medicine science and technology journal. The Journal of Chronic Diseases in Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine was approved for publication in 2024 and is China’s first academic journal specializing in chronic diseases treated through integrated Chinese and Western medicine.

External cooperation and openness. With a base in Asia, links to Europe and the Americas, expansion into Africa and a global outlook, it conducts extensive international exchange and cooperation and has established partnerships with universities, medical institutions or academic organizations in 35 countries and regions. It is one of the first national traditional Chinese medicine service export bases, a China–Central and Eastern Europe international cooperation base in traditional Chinese medicine, and a China Liaoning–Thailand traditional Chinese medicine cooperation base. It has established international traditional Chinese medicine cooperation centers in Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Chile; has a Traditional Chinese Medicine Confucius Classroom at Slovak Medical University; and jointly offers an undergraduate Nursing program with Ara Institute of Canterbury in New Zealand. It was among the first universities approved by the Ministry of Education to admit international students. It is qualified to admit Chinese Government Scholarship and Confucius Institute Scholarship students and admits recipients of Liaoning Provincial Government Doctoral Scholarships for international students.

Medical services. It has 4 directly affiliated hospitals and clinical schools, which also bear the names Liaoning Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Liaoning Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Liaoning Provincial Anorectal Hospital, and Liaoning Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine. All are national Grade III Class A traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. They have 11 former Ministry of Health national key clinical specialties, 7 national regional traditional Chinese medicine or specialist diagnosis and treatment centers, 24 national advantageous specialties in traditional Chinese medicine, 22 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine key specialties, and 60 provincial key specialties. They have a national traditional Chinese medicine clinical research base, an institution under the national traditional Chinese medicine inheritance and innovation project, a national traditional Chinese medicine research base, a national training base for talent inheriting distinctive traditional Chinese pharmacy techniques, the paired national bases for traditional Chinese medicine epidemic prevention and treatment and emergency medical rescue, a national standardized residency training base for traditional Chinese medicine, a national training base for clinical pharmacists in traditional Chinese pharmacy, and a national clinical pharmacology base. It also has 10 non-directly affiliated hospitals and 127 clinical teaching and practice bases.

Campus environment and facilities. The university is committed to precise management and has established a modern multicampus management model characterized by coordinated planning, comprehensive functions, a people-centered approach, an attractive environment, resource efficiency and distinctive features. Guided by Civilized Campus development, it promotes coordinated progress in green, healthy, smart, culturally rich, resource-saving and safe campuses. It has university-wide high-performance network infrastructure, an efficient, secure and highly integrated cloud-based data center, and a relatively comprehensive cybersecurity protection system. It continually improves digital information services and was approved among Liaoning’s first digital campus pilot institutions. The libraries on its Shenyang, Dalian and Benxi campuses create connected cultural narrative spaces based on traditional Chinese culture, traditional Chinese medicine culture and the university’s own culture. They were named Most Beautiful Libraries in both 2022 and 2023 in selections conducted by China University Students Online, run by the Ministry of Education. The libraries have developed rich and substantial documentary information resources distinguished by traditional Chinese medicine. Through people-centered and innovative services, they put cultural education into practice and support talent training and research.