Liu Ruijun, MD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital

Brief:

He graduated from Fudan University School of Medicine and has over two decades of experience in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, specializing in the clinical practice and teaching of thoracic diseases.

Proficient in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer (minimally invasive surgery, particularly refined single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery), esophageal tumors, mediastinal tumors, and tracheal diseases (such as tracheal tumors and trauma). With a special focus on the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, precise localization, and resection of pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGNs). Skilled in minimally invasive surgical treatment and perioperative management for lung, esophageal, and mediastinal tumors. He is also expert in microwave ablation for pulmonary ground-glass nodules, achieving significant outcomes.

Introduction

At times, he stands by the Huangpu River, looking back. The sand dunes of his hometown still wind through his memory. The river carries the wind from Liuhuang Town, surging through his chest into a profound and lingering homesickness.

Three decades have flowed by, but his mother’s words—“Practice medicine to save yourself and others”—are like the roots of a desert poplar, gripping ever deeper and stronger in the depths of time.

His journey began in the mining areas of Northwest China. The twenty years that followed honed the edge of his scalpel: from his fledgling start during residency at Xinhua Hospital, to his exploratory steps into the halls of cardiac surgery at Zhongshan Hospital, then the transformative trek at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital completing his transition within the Tongji medical system, and finally, on the operating tables at Shanghai Chest Hospital, where he has waged and won over 3,000 precise battles to defend the breath of life.

What he holds in his hands is not just a scalpel, but one heavy, precious life after another.

“The path of a physician is an arduous journey, and even more so, a spiritual practice of safeguarding the lives entrusted to you.”

1. Born in a Mining Town, Drawn to the Healing Arts

In the northern part of the country, there is a resource-dependent town nestled in the mountains, known for its sulfur mines. A young boy grew up there amidst the layered peaks and the coarse, sandy wind. The mixed scent of sulfur in the air and the fragrance of grass and trees etched the first memories of his homeland.

In Liu Ruijun’s memory, there was a highly respected elder in his family, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner known for his noble medical ethics and superb skills. Watching his elder use silver needles and herbal remedies to alleviate suffering, and seeing the trust and gratitude shining in the villagers’ eyes whenever he was mentioned, the boy began to vaguely understand that medicine could be a bridge connecting hope and illuminating life.

In that era, the small clinic in town was like an oasis in the desert—precious yet unable to quench the deep thirst for care. A sudden, severe illness subjected the boy and his family to the anguish of seeking medical help from place to place, feeling anxious and helpless. This harrowing experience, combined with his elder’s simple yet powerful words—“Study medicine. Not for fame or fortune, but so you and your loved ones can have the power to fight against illness”—ignited a spark within him, quietly setting the course for his future.

To pursue better educational opportunities, the boy was sent to live with a relative who valued scholarship during his formative years. The relative’s home was filled with books and a reverence for knowledge. Under strict yet loving guidance, the boy studied diligently and eventually earned admission to the area’s most prestigious high school with outstanding grades.

As the national college entrance examination approached, the seed of a “healer’s heart,” born from his personal experiences and the hopes of his elder, had sprouted within him. Without much hesitation, he listed a medical school as his first choice. With a solid academic foundation, he successfully entered the halls of higher medical learning.

His time in medical school was like a lab notebook filled with sweat and focus. Over five years, he turned diligence into a stepping stone, steadily ascending into the ranks of outstanding graduates. His pursuit of deeper medical knowledge did not stop there; he chose to continue his climb up the peak of academia.

One autumn, a season of harvest, an offer arrived from a world-renowned medical center in the eastern part of the country—an acceptance letter for a master’s program at Shanghai Second Medical University. For a student from the less-developed northwestern region, this was more than an acceptance letter; it was a call from the forefront of medicine, an opportunity afforded to very few.

Filled with aspiration and a touch of apprehension about the unknown, he embarked on his journey south. For several days, the monotonous yet steady clatter of the train tracks on the hard-seat carriage became the soundtrack to his pursuit of a dream. When he arrived in Shanghai, it was late at night and the city lights had begun to dim. A few young newcomers, carrying their luggage, groped their way through the city’s neon glow in search of the university gate. Their first night’s lodging was just a simple bed. Unaccustomed to the humid southern climate and with the summer night breeze offering little relief, they had their first “close encounter” with a buzzing “new neighbor”—mosquitoes. They woke up covered in fresh, red bites.

Life is full of coincidences. Just as he enrolled, this historic medical school completed a momentous merger with a top-tier university celebrated for its comprehensive strength. This meant a broader platform and richer resources were unfolding before him like a grand scroll, and his excitement was palpable.

In this newly integrated, top-tier institution, the student from the northwest absorbed knowledge like a sponge. Every lecture in the amphitheater, every light burning late into the night in the lab, witnessed his relentless dedication to absorbing and transforming knowledge. After the intensive period of theoretical study, he began his clinical rotations at a prestigious large general hospital in Shanghai, renowned for its pediatrics and overall capabilities. There, the words from his textbooks came alive during ward rounds, patient consultations, and surgical observations. Under the guidance of renowned senior doctors and through the repeated tempering of his own practice, his calm demeanor, prudence, and sense of responsibility became increasingly defined.

Soon, Liu Ruijun found himself at another crossroads in his life. Faced with several promising paths, he ultimately joined another century-old prestigious hospital in Shanghai, also known for its technical expertise and strength—Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital.

Looking back on those days of studying late into the night, trekking to the library through wind and rain, and spending sleepless nights in an unfamiliar city, Liu Ruijun recalled that although they were filled with hardship, they had settled into a profound nourishment, one with a sweet aftertaste. It was just as his colleagues often said: “The hardships of being a doctor are worth it.”

2. Exploration and Rebirth

After working at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital for a year, Liu Ruijun quickly realized that to become a better doctor, he had to aim higher. He decided to challenge himself once again—by pursuing a doctoral degree.

Subsequently, Liu Ruijun was admitted to Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, becoming a PhD student under Professor Wang Chunsheng, one of China’s top cardiac surgeons.

“Professor Wang Chunsheng was my doctoral advisor,” Liu says, his tone filled with respect when he mentions his mentor.

During his three years at Zhongshan Hospital, he systematically learned the cutting-edge techniques of cardiac surgery, but he also keenly sensed a shift in the field.

“Around 2012, with the development of new technologies, cardiac surgery was entering a period of decline,” he recalls. “Valve replacement surgeries and bypass surgeries were becoming less frequent; the overall trend was downward.” In contrast, thoracic surgery was experiencing a boom, thanks to the widespread screening for pulmonary nodules.

This sparked the idea of switching to thoracic surgery. However, changing specialties was not a smooth process.

When he graduated with his master’s degree in 2008, Liu Ruijun had already completed the Standardized Residency Training Program at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and received his certificate. “The national residency program hadn’t been fully implemented yet. Jiao Tong University was one of the first pilot institutions, and I was in their second cohort of residents.” But when he wanted to stay at Zhongshan Hospital after earning his PhD in 2012, he ran into the awkward problem of “non-reciprocal residency credentials.”

With no other choice, Liu Ruijun chose Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital and completed his specialized training in thoracic surgery there.

“My specialized training certificate is from Tongji University,” he says with a laugh. “So you see, my master’s is from Jiao Tong, my doctorate from Fudan, and my specialized training is from Tongji—I’ve had a brush with all three of Shanghai’s top universities.”

During his two-plus years at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, he gained extensive clinical experience in thoracic surgery, but the commute became a new challenge. “I bought an apartment near Zhongshan Hospital, but having to commute to Pulmonary Hospital for work every day was a bit far.”

In 2014, he decided to adjust his direction again and submitted his resume to Shanghai Chest Hospital.

“From 2014 until now, I’ve been at Chest Hospital, working under Director Luo Qingquan.” Speaking of his mentor, Liu Ruijun’s voice is full of reverence.

He clearly remembers what it was like when he first transferred from Pulmonary Hospital. At Pulmonary, he was already performing some surgeries on his own, but the number was limited. Liu gestures, “After I came here, about half a year later, Director Luo started letting me ‘fly solo.’ During my first independent operation, Director Luo just stood beside me and said, ‘You do it. I’ll watch.’”

After a few more times like this, Director Luo was basically reassured. Liu Ruijun began to have more opportunities to perform surgery.

“Director Luo’s approach to training us is very open and encouraging,” Liu reflects. “If you always hold young doctors back and never let them get hands-on, they’ll never truly master the craft.”

Today, Liu Ruijun has also become “Teacher Liu” to the younger doctors. During weekly teaching rounds, he unconsciously uses the same methods Director Luo once taught him: “Why is this lymph node dissection necessary?” “What is the rationale for choosing this incision?”—these questions, once posed by Director Luo to test him, have now become the “mandatory questions” he uses to evaluate his own students.

“I came in 2005, but it wasn’t until 2014 that I finally found my place. That’s nearly a decade. Shanghai offers so many opportunities, but truly integrating into this city is anything but easy.”

3.The ‘Three-Heart’ Philosophy Behind 3,000 Surgeries

“My true specialty is lung surgery,” Director Liu Ruijun said, pointing to a lung anatomy chart on the wall. Sunlight filtering through the blinds cast mottled shadows on the chart. “Whether it’s lung tumors, tracheal tumors, or rare cases like pulmonary sequestration.”

Recently, Dr. Liu completed surgery on an 18-year-old girl for pulmonary sequestration. “An anomalous vessel was branching off from the aorta,” Dr. Liu explained, holding up his little pinky. “About this thick—1.3 centimeters in diameter.” At this point, his expression turned serious. “This is like a ticking time bomb. The slightest mistake could cause fatal massive bleeding.”

The local hospital wouldn’t operate. The vessel was too large. If it ruptured, it would be like a rupture of the aorta itself. The blood would spray out—it’s extremely dangerous.

In the operating room, Dr. Liu focused intently on dissecting the anomalous vessel. Under the glare of the surgical lights, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, but his hands remained steady.

“I’ve performed many of these types of surgeries, so it went very successfully.”

To date, among more than 3,000 lung surgeries, Dr. Liu maintains a record of zero mortality and zero major complications.

“I believe it all comes down to what I call the ‘Three Hearts’: Meticulousness, Focus, and Patience. The first is Meticulousness,” Dr. Liu admitted.

Dr. Liu opened a thick casebook, filled with densely written notes on preoperative evaluation points. He pointed to one page: “Every case is evaluated three times—before, during, and after the surgery.”

During preoperative assessments, he repeatedly studies the CT scans. “It’s like war-gaming before a battle,” he explained. “You have to anticipate every possible scenario.”

During surgery, Dr. Liu’s meticulousness is taken to the extreme. “Hemostasis isn’t just about stopping the bleeding and moving on,” he said, picking up a surgical clamp to demonstrate. “As a surgeon, you must find the exact source of the bleed. It’s like finding a leaky pipe, not just mopping the floor.” This thoroughness is why his rate of postoperative bleeding is extremely low.

During postoperative rounds, he always asks a few extra questions: “What color is the sputum?” “How much drainage is there?” These seemingly simple questions often uncover potential issues. “Meticulousness isn’t innate,” Dr. Liu said. “It’s a cultivated habit, a form of reverence for life.”

“The second is Focus.” Dr. Liu closed his eyes, as if returning to the operating room. “Once I’m on the operating table, my world contains only the patient and the surgery.”

He describes this state as an athlete’s “flow state”—completely immersed in the moment, unaware of time’s passage. “Once, after performing a radical resection for lung cancer, I stepped away from the table and realized I’d been standing for six hours. I didn’t feel tired at all at the time.”

Behind this focus is a career choice. “This profession may not bring great wealth,” he said calmly, “but the sense of accomplishment I get from saving a patient is unparalleled.” In his office, the silk banners and thank-you letters from patients are, in Dr. Liu’s eyes, more precious than any fortune.

“The third is Patience.” Dr. Liu did the math: five years for his bachelor’s, three for his master’s, three for his doctorate, plus two years of standardized residency training—a total of 13 years. “And that’s just to get started,” he added with a smile. “To become a true expert, you need another decade of refinement.”

On this long journey, he has seen too many colleagues give up along the way. “Some couldn’t handle the modest income, others couldn’t endure the night shifts, and some were scared off by difficult doctor-patient relationships.” Dr. Liu also had his moments of doubt, especially after working 36 hours straight or when facing complaints from a patient’s family, the thought of quitting would cross his mind.

“Medicine is a marathon, not a sprint,” a mentor’s words that sustained Dr. Liu through his most difficult times. Now, he often tells young doctors that only those who can endure the solitude can stay the course on the path of medicine.

4.The Uncharted Frontiers of Thoracic Surgery

As a seasoned expert in thoracic surgery, Liu Ruijun recognizes that the field has reached a high level of technical sophistication, yet he is also acutely aware of the bottlenecks that have yet to be overcome.

On the map of thoracic surgery, tracheal surgery remains a challenging frontier, ripe for exploration. While pulmonary surgery has become highly advanced, the tracheal field still faces significant technical barriers. Dr. Liu often ponders this challenge in the operating room—the globally reported maximum length for tracheal resection is currently just 8 centimeters, a nearly insurmountable limit.

He vividly recalls complex tracheal surgery cases. To ensure the integrity of the anastomosis, it’s often necessary to mobilize both pulmonary hila to reduce tension, a procedure that is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also increases surgical risks. In Dr. Liu’s vision, the development of a reliable tracheal substitute—whether from artificial materials or through bioengineering—would revolutionize the field. Just as cardiovascular surgery was transformed by the advent of artificial blood vessels, tracheal surgery urgently awaits a similar technological breakthrough.

“Single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has already enabled a quantum leap in thoracic surgery. Today, 95% of our cases can be completed through a single, 3-centimeter incision,” Dr. Liu stated. But he is not content. He constantly asks himself: Can we make the procedure even less invasive?

The concept of Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) constantly occupies his thoughts. Performing surgery through natural orifices like the mouth or esophagus could, in theory, achieve truly ‘scarless’ procedures. But the reality is sobering—current surgical instruments are not yet capable of the delicate manipulation required. “This will require close collaboration across multiple disciplines. Breakthroughs in materials science, advancements in micro-robotics, and upgrades to imaging navigation systems—all are indispensable,” he says. He looks forward to a day when thoracic surgery can be performed entirely by miniature robots, like something out of a science fiction movie.

In the operating room, the fourth-generation Da Vinci robot stands silently. Dr. Liu often contemplates what the next generation of surgical robots should offer: greater precision? More realistic haptic feedback? Or a more intelligent assistance system?

He envisions a future operating room where augmented reality (AR) projects critical anatomical structures onto the surgical field in real time, AI systems continuously analyze the procedure and provide risk warnings, and haptic feedback allows surgeons to ‘feel’ the subtle differences in tissue. These technological breakthroughs will usher surgery into a new era of precision.

Whenever he sees young doctors, focused and learning in the operating room, Dr. Liu is reminded of his own early days. The advancement of medicine is a non-stop relay race, with each generation building on the foundation laid by its predecessors.

He often tells young doctors, “Technology will always evolve, but reverence for life will forever be the cornerstone of medical practice.” In Dr. Liu’s view, the future thoracic surgeon must not only master exquisite surgical skills but also possess an interdisciplinary mindset, capable of translating the latest technological innovations into clinical practice.

ShanghaiDoctor.cn

Dr. Liu, you hold multiple patents and have authored over 30 academic papers in thoracic surgery. Could you share how you balance your clinical work with technological innovation?

Liu Ruijun

(Laughs) To be honest, you just have to make the time. For instance, the idea for one of our VATS-assisted instruments came from a bottleneck we hit right in the middle of a surgery. But promoting these innovations is the real challenge—doctors are too busy, and the communication with manufacturers often breaks down. It’s the same for a colleague of mine who patented a new liver anastomosis device; that innovation was born purely out of the difficulty of the procedure.

ShanghaiDoctor.cn

What motivated you to start doing patient education? And what are some of the challenges you’ve faced?

Liu Ruijun

I want to help patients truly understand what their doctors are telling them. But the sheer volume of medical content online now can sometimes dilute the professionalism. I’m considering building a team to manage patient support groups. After all, the old-fashioned idea that “a doctor doesn’t knock on your door” has to change. Doctors today need to proactively earn their patients’ trust. That’s the trend.

ShanghaiDoctor.cn

Do you still get back to Inner Mongolia often? And do you find ways to contribute to the local medical community there?

Liu Ruijun

I’m very passionate about elevating the skill level of local hospitals and doctors, so that the people back home can access the same quality of care we have in Shanghai. I’ve also been fortunate enough to perform some advanced procedures there, like single-port VATS lung surgeries. The fact that people from my hometown trust me with their care is incredibly rewarding. I also share my story with the local kids, hoping to inspire them to study hard, get into medical school, and one day give back to their own community.

ShanghaiDoctor.cn

In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge in training medical students today?

Liu Ruijun

Today’s younger generation of doctors, those born in the 90s and 00s, are different from us. They’ve grown up with more advantages, and for them, medicine is often a career choice rather than a means of survival. The challenge is how to instill in them the same dedication and work ethic as the older generation of doctors. This work requires a decade of unwavering commitment, and that’s not something you can solve with a good salary alone.

ShanghaiDoctor.cn

And finally, how do you manage the stress of it all?

Liu Ruijun

I’m a runner. It’s so important for us as doctors to practice what we preach about health, but we’re often the worst at taking care of ourselves. With the long hours and demanding surgeries, we have to make a conscious effort to protect our own well-being.

ShanghaiDoctor.cn

Do you have any words of advice for young medical students?

Liu Ruijun

This path of medicine is about trading your own youth for the years of others. When you’ve been working for 36 hours straight and a patient secretly leaves a milk tea for you at the nurse’s station, when your name becomes a family’s “good luck charm”—that’s when you understand. What we hold in our hands isn’t just a job; it’s the most precious thing in the world: a life.