The Department of Spine Surgery at Renji Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, was officially established in January 2017. It is the first among Shanghai's top 3A hospitals to set up dedicated outpatient and emergency services specifically for spinal related diseases. The department focuses on three main specialties: cervical spine surgery, spinal deformity surgery, and minimally invasive spinal surgery, led by a chief physician and two deputy chief physicians across three sub-specialty teams. The department currently operates with 48 beds and has 19 doctors, including 11 with senior titles, 2 doctoral supervisors, and 4 master's supervisors. The Department of Spine Surgery has always adhered to the core philosophy of protection for patients' spinal cord and nerve function, emphasizing the parallel development of clinical and basic research, coordinating personal improvement with team building, and integrating discipline advancement with talent cultivation, community service, and research application.

 The cervical spine surgery specialized team focuses on the most common degenerative diseases and traumatic injuries of the cervical spine, continuously expanding its expertise to early diagnosis and precise treatment of upper cervical spine, cervical spinal deformities, and cervical spinal tumors. The team performs advanced operations including Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF), Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement (ACDR), Posterior Cervical Laminoplasty/Laminectomy as well as customized hybrid surgeries tailored to individual patients' specific conditions. We have accumulated extensive clinical experience, particularly in challenging cases such as severe cervical canal stenosis in elderly patients, cervical spine deformities, and complicated revision surgeries. In 2018, the team won the first prize of Science and Technology Progress Award from the Ministry of Education for "Technological Innovation and System Optimization in Cervical Spine Disease and Injury Treatment". Annually the team hosts the national-level continuing medical education course "Technological Innovation and System Optimization in Cervical Spine Disease and Injury Treatment". The leader of the team has been appointed as the president-elect of the Cervical Spine Research Society Asia Pacific (CSRS-AP). The spinal deformity surgery specialized team expels in congenital scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, and adult degenerative scoliosis. They are proficient in performing three-column osteotomy correction techniques including Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy (PSO) and Vertebral Column Resection (VCR), and are also pioneers in the domestic use of neuro-electrophysiological monitoring to enhance surgical safety in China. The minimally invasive spinal surgery specialized team is responding to the trend of disc diseases affecting a younger demographic, while addressing the significant challenges posed by an aging society at the same time. They are proficient in performing minimally invasive decompression and discectomy surgeries of the cervical and lumbar spine under endoscopic guidance. Each year, nearly a thousand Percutaneous Vertebroplasty (PVP) procedures are conducted under local anesthesia. Additionally, they actively explore new techniques such as unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy (UBE) and navigation-guided percutaneous pedicle screw fixation. These advanced surgical methods offer notable clinical advantages, including minimal surgical trauma and enhanced recovery after surgery. Currently, the department performs over 2,000 spine surgeries annually, ranking among the top three in Shanghai for disc surgeries. The department is keeping pace with the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and is always at the forefront of the Artificial Intelligence Era. In 2018, it became the first in the East China region to introduce orthopedic surgery robots, establishing a Robotic-Assisted Spinal Surgery Clinical Application Center for robot-assisted spine surgeries. The department has completed nearly a thousand robot-assisted spine surgeries and awarded the honor of "Top Ten Clinical Application Teams" by the National Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Health Commission in 2019. The department continues to lead in simplifying complex procedures, ensuring safety in difficult operations, and enhancing minimally invasive standard surgeries.

 Since its inception, the Department of Spine Surgery has vigorously made remarkable progress while diligently pursuing excellence over the past seven years. It has secured 16 grants from the National Natural Science Foundation, 17 projects from the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai and other provincial institutions. The department research funding has exceeded 10 million yuan, and published over 100 SCI papers in prestigious journals such as Advanced Science, Advanced Materials, Spine, Global Spine Journal, and European Spine Journal. The department has cultivated a new generation of young surgeons capable of both operating and conducting research. Furthermore, doctors from the department have been honored with various talent accolades, including the Shanghai Leading Talent, Outstanding Young Talent Under 35, Excellent Academic Leader, Pujiang Talent, Science and Technology Rising Star, and Talent of the Health Commission. Chief Shen has been elected as the deputy director of the Shanghai Orthopedics Branch, vice president of the Shanghai Medical Doctor Association on Medical Robotics, vice chairman of the Orthopedics Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association in Medical Robotics Division, vice chairman of the Spinal Surgery Committee of the International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT) in China, and chairman-designate of the Cervical Spine Research Society Asia Pacific (CSRS-AP).

 As Chairman Mao once penned “Let's not fear the mountains' iron might; today, let's conquer, scale their height.” The Department of Spine Surgery at Renji Hospital stands on the foundation and legacy laid by the esteemed Orthopedics Department established in 1939 and collaborates with the siblings of orthopedics family, radiating vitality and zeal, with vigor and ambition. Our entire team is committed to focusing on clinical excellence, emphasizing critical thinking, fostering a culture of innovation, and courageously breaking new ground. We will continue to delve into new technologies in the era of artificial intelligence, further advancing our expertise in cervical spine surgery, spinal deformities, and minimally invasive spine surgery. We will confront and overcome challenges with resolve and confidence, anchoring ourselves in Pudong, leading Shanghai, radiating throughout the Yangtze River Delta, and advancing nationwide. With exceptional skills and remarkable services, we are dedicated to benefiting the vast number of patients suffering from spinal related diseases.