As the president of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital (referred to as FMIH), a top-ranked hospital specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wan Xiaoping rarely discusses medical management details in public. Instead, what he talks about most are empathy, humanistic spirit, patient needs, and respect for life.  In other words, he talks about people.

To Wan Xiaoping, all knowledge is closely connected to a person’s body and mind.  The nature of a person can be revealed through his or her deeds. In 2013, he came to FMIH to take up a management position. Also, he led a team in clinical research and achieved great results.

Since becoming a doctor, he has been practicing "kindness" and trying to be a doctor with human touch. As an administrator, he has devoted himself to transforming FMIH into a "Shanghai cradle" trusted by the public. As a specialist, he has been immersed for decades in the world of female patients, overcoming challenges, innovating with boldness, and bringing hope to countless families.

Assimilated and complimented with multiple roles such as a physician, an administrator, and a specialist, Wan Xiaoping can face the world more magnanimously, calmly, and confidently. It also enables him to become a good leader and effective administrator.

Craftsmanship Creates Medical Miracles

In the field of gynecology, which has lacked its own original surgical methods for more than half a century, anyone who can rely on his own experience and imagination to successfully complete an operation on the premise of only hearing the name and principle of the operation is no doubt a leader in the profession. Wan Xiaoping has exactly this ability.

As a well-known specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, Wan Xiaoping, who has been engaged in medical practice for more than 40 years, still keeps the habit of taking notes before and after each operation. He has filled 15 thick, A4 notebooks since he came to Shanghai in 2000.

After each operation, he always meticulously makes detailed notes of the literature excerpts related to the surgery, the patient’s medical records and medications, surgical diagrams, and the design and implementation of each step. He says that writing them down can help him commit these procedures to memory and improve.

In 2004, Dr. Wan Xiaoping designed and completed the world's first uterine artery-preserving radical trachelectomy. This innovation has significantly improved the post-surgery fertility rate of cervical cancer patients. The entire operation was logged in the notes taken that year. They were surprisingly detailed and included information such as: "Preoperative preparation: surgical staff, instruments and materials to be prepared, harmonic scalpel, and argon beam coagulator. We need to prepare more blood since this is our very first operation. We do not know how much she will bleed. Also, the patient's posture should be considered. As you can see, the patient’s cervix has been removed on April 23, the diagram is also drawn, and the operation is successful. The person also gives birth to a child later."

These notebooks documented Wan Xiaoping's successes. However, he said they also recorded his flaws and reflections, which were more valuable. Before he knew it, Wan Xiaoping had already filled dozens of notebooks. Since he was introduced to Shanghai as a talent in 2000, he filled 15 notebooks, totaling about 2 million words.  Some of the pages are notable because the inserts have fallen off after repeated reading. Perhaps introspection, respect, and innovation reflect the kindness of Dr. Wan Xiaoping.

Wan Xiaoping has long been engaged in comprehensive treatment of gynecological malignant tumors and female genital deformity plastic surgery research. He is not only a doctor but also a scientific "enthusiast". He believes that the needs of patients are the main driving force for inspiring doctors to carry out scientific research. While climbing the peak of medicine, he has overcome many world medical challenges, such as innovative diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer. His achievements have saved many female patients and families on verge of collapse.

Since the mid-1990s, he has led his team to explore the so-called "sandwich" treatment procedure of "chemotherapy-surgery-chemotherapy" and improve the treatment model of ovarian cancer. Compared with the traditional treatment model of "surgery-chemotherapy", the "sandwich" procedure can significantly increase the surgical removal rate of the entire advanced ovarian cancer. It has increased the 5-year survival rate from 29.62% to 45.13%. This achievement was awarded the first prize of the 2012 "Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award.”

Cervical cancer is one of the gynecological malignant tumors that seriously threatens women's health. After practicing and summarizing many cases, Wan Xiaoping has shortened the conventional median operation time of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer from 3 hours to under 2 hours. This significantly reduced the surgical exposure time, intraoperative bleeding, and postoperative complications. Thereby, Professor Wan Xiaoping was selected as a "Shanghai Craftsman", the highest-level award in Shanghai technology circles.

In addition, with the support of nine grants from the National Natural Fund, Professor Wan Xiaoping took the lead in domestic research on sentinel lymph node biopsy in laparoscopic staging surgery for endometrial cancer. The research significantly reduced the overtreatment of endometrial cancer surgery. The operation time was controlled within one hour. Surgical complications were reduced to nearly zero. It has won praise from many patients.

On August 19 of this year, Wan Xiaoping won the Chinese Medical Doctor Award, the highest award of the Chinese medical profession. Putting 100% of efforts into serving patients not only requires one’s solid professional ability but also a full sense of responsibility and empathy. This is the standard Wan sets for his work.

When talking about how he embarked on the path of medicine and formed ties with gynecology, Wan Xiaoping more than once mentioned his postgraduate advisor, Professor Wang Peizhen, a well-known expert in obstetrics and gynecology.

Wan Xiaoping said that there was no decent furniture in Professor Wang’s house.   Instead, it was occupied by all sorts of professional books on obstetrics and gynecology. For decades, Professor Wang woke up between three to four o 'clock every day to read literature. After retirement, he still went to the hospital to train young doctors. He even undertook the responsibility to teach young doctors. He truly regarded academics as life and patients as relatives.

Wan Xiaoping has followed his advisor’s footstep. He arrives at his hospital before 7 o’clock every morning. After taking care of administrative duties, he starts his ward rounds to check patients and their operations and inquire about their daily routines.  In addition to doing his best to undertake the comprehensive management responsibilities of a large hospital, he squeezes out as much time as possible to put on his surgical gown and perform difficult and complicated gynecological operations.

Day after day, year after year, Wan Xiaoping insists on making ward rounds to check on patients if he has even a little spare time, even during weekends and holidays. He truly gives priority to serving patients. The white car he drives to work every day is always the first one parked in the parking lot and the last one to be driven away.

The Foresight to Encourage "Internet Celebrity" Doctors 

This year, the COVID-19 outbreak has put the digital transformation of the healthcare industry in the spotlight. Not only that, digital healthcare has also changed the role of doctors in the society. The serious and low-key doctor on weekdays can instantly transform into a "net celebrity” doctor. These “net celebrity” doctors provide medical consultations in the daytime and attract millions of viewers online at night. Statistics show that more than half a million doctors have registered on online platforms.

Facing the concerns that it may be hard to manage “star doctors” growing up on the Internet with strong personalities, Wan Xiaoping is very at ease since he believes that the concern is unnecessary. If they do not have strong personalities or are unwilling to sacrifice their time, these doctors would not become internet celebrities. Hospital administrators should adjust their mentalities to get rid of self-importance and a hospital-centered mindset.”

Wan Xiaoping is a person who tells stories and is also a person who can create the leading roles of stories. Bao Shihua is one of them. Bao Shihua joined FMIH after graduating with a Ph.D. in her early thirties. Even though in a well-known top ranked hospital 2.3 kilometers away from FMIH where her advisor works, it has many well-developed disciplines and patients. Being a newcomer and young, she did not have too many patients. The turning point came in 2008 when Bao Shihua started her online consultation. She responded to patients’ concerns patiently and carefully during her spare time and won the trust from netizens. Whenever she gets online, patients cheer, "Here comes our Snow White!"

From 2014 to 2017, the number of patients served by Dr. Bao online grew proportionally to the number of patients treated by her team at FMIH. Due to the rapid growth of patients seeking medical treatment from all over the country, FMIH established a reproductive immunology department led by Bao Shihua in 2015. The department is staffed with six physician assistants. It has also established the Reproductive Immunology Lab.

Wan Xiaoping believes that Dr. Bao is just one of the doctors from his hospital who is active online. Their roadmap for success is roughly the same and iterates as follows: (1) increase the number of online patients, (2) increase outpatient traffic, (3) establish clinical and research teams, (4) achieve research success, and (5) establish individual, team and hospital reputation.  

Data show that from 2008 to 2018, FMIH has 227 clinicians active online, accounting for 54% of the total number of clinicians.

According to the 2018 National Hospital Internet Influence Ranking jointly released by HaoDaifu and China’s Academy of Social Sciences, FMIH’s overall score ranked second among national hospitals specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The ranking was based on the number of visits, number of patients served, and patients’ satisfaction. However, many well-known comprehensive top ranked hospitals were ranked below FMIH.

Wan Xiaoping says that interacting and communicating with patients online actually can be a training for both junior and senior doctors. "It is impossible for a doctor to be an internet celebrity who has a bad service attitude and character, cares too much about himself or herself, and is unwilling to sacrifice his or her own time. Patients boost your popularity to become an internet celebrity because you treat them nicely.”

Would a doctor leave his or her hospital after becoming an Internet celebrity? Wan Xiaoping answered with a smile that such concern was unnecessary. He then explained that both online and offline medical services have their own platforms.  "As a typical example, online hospitals cannot offer operations. They must be done in a hospital. Therefore, no matter how popular a doctor is on the Internet, he or she needs a physical place to exam and operate on his or her patients. When doctors become popular on the Internet, so will hospitals. Is it not a win-win situation?"

Doctor Ai Ai was recommended to the Department of Reproductive Medicine at FMIH. However, at that time, she did not have a Ph.D., did not have any high-score SCI articles, and had not studied abroad. Therefore, she did not meet the requirements to be introduced into the hospital as a talent. However, she has more than 20 million visitors online.

"My eyes light up. She is an internet celebrity doctor. I immediately decided to circumvent the requirements and appoint her as the deputy director of the Assisted Reproductive Medicine Department. Previously, the oocyte retrieval cycle of the reproductive department has hovered around 3,600. However, it increased by 53% and soared to 5,514 in 2018. Doctor Ai Ai’s contribution cannot be overlooked," Wan Xiaoping said proudly.

"In addition to the hospital platform, star doctors have an Internet professional platform. The talent turn-over rate may increase. However, if hospital leaders adjust their mindset and adapt to the new situation, we will be able to attract more instead of losing them.” In his opinion, offline hospitals and online professional platforms complement each other and coexist.

A Good Hospital President Should Serve Its Doctors

Statistics show that one out of every seven newborn babies in Shanghai is born in FMIH, affectionately called "Shanghai's big cradle" by the residents in Shanghai.  However, when the East Hospital of FMIH located at No.2699, West Gaoke Road officially opened in 2013, the patient traffic was low because it lacked popularity. In addition, there were three well-known top ranked hospitals and specialized hospitals nearby. It was a big challenge for the newly opened "little brother" to quickly get on an equal footing with the “big brothers”.

It was at this time that Wan Xiaoping came to FMIH to take up the management position. "There were only six cars parked in the huge parking lot that year. I found that almost no one knew that a big hospital (FMIH) had just opened nearby when I talked to people on the subway," Wan Xiaoping recalled.

Wan Xiaoping regards constantly challenging himself as a "weightlifting" exercise. "A person who wants to do more is like lifting weights. If I do not try to make progress, I can only lift, for example, 50 pounds. However, I need to constantly challenge myself to lift 70, 80, or even 100 pounds. I am very happy the moment I am able to lift more."

He said frankly that his administration role and past experiences were not honors but responsibilities. He is proud of what he has accomplished previously at other hospitals.  The experience has “trained” him to be courageous and taught him to be calm when facing difficulties and challenges.

Behind the continuous improvement of "strength" is the accumulation of management wisdom. After joining FMIH, to break through operational dilemmas and build a reputation for the hospital, Wan Xiaoping and his team started the marketing effort to promote the hospital. In addition, they advocated talent training and established additional disciplines. They also worked hard to attract and retain talent.  Consequently, FMIH became the “cradle” of obstetricians and gynecologists in Shanghai.

Wan said: "To obstetricians, the delivery room is the battlefield, and to gynecologists, the operating room is the battleground. There is no better way to train our doctors than to place them in the battlefield to learn from real cases.”

In addition to paying close attention to clinical quality and safety, FMIH also devoted nearly 3,000 square meters to build a Clinical Simulation and Training Center. It can be used to design and create simulated patients and clinical scenarios to replace real patients and provide clinical teaching and practices to clinical doctors, nurses, medical students, and community preventive care personnel.

Moreover, FMIH has established a long-term exchange and corporation agreement with the DACCPM Simulation Training Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, the CAPE Training Center at Stanford University, the Toronto Training Center of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the Asia-Pacific Association for Gynecologic Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Therapy.

In the past, FMIH lacked in scientific research activities. It was not until 2009 that it received the first project from the National Natural Science Foundation. However, during the 2017 National Natural Science Foundation project review, FMIH received funding for 23 projects totaling 21.35 million yuan. It became the hospital that received the most funding from National Natural Science Foundation among the obstetrics and gynecology hospitals nationwide.

How was this huge change achieved? It began from a series of innovation in hospital management systems and models. For example, FMIH launched and implemented paid research leaves and invited industry experts to conduct trainings. It also perfected the process for establishing new disciplines and improved the talent pool. Through continuous effort, the hospital has gained unprecedented progress.

"Doctors are busy with patients and research. The fragmentation of time resulting from multitasking hinders the depth and breadth of their innovation effort." In response to this problem, Wan Xiaoping tried to create a more humane innovation environment for front-line medical workers to tap into their innovation potential.  Once awarded a municipal or national research project, an awardee can enjoy a total of 6-10 months of "paid research leave".

"I have always told them that only by doing scientific research personally can they cultivate and improve their thinking ability. When they encounter difficulties, it is my responsibility to step in. What does a president do? The president is to serve, to anticipate their needs, and to help fulfill their dreams," said Wan.

"We used to have 500-600 employees. Over the years, the number has grown to 1,500." Wan Xiaoping said: “They did not come out of nowhere. They were recruited from all over the world. We welcomed them with open arms. I met with these talents more than five times on average to attract them."

"A hospital has vitality only if talents flow." Although Wan Xiaoping admits this fact, he still feels sad when talents leave since he treasures them. Therefore, he conducts exit interviews to first express his reluctance and then offer his advice on their new positions.

What makes the employees feel warm is that Wan Xiaoping gives a small gift to everyone who resigns and treats them to dinner as a token of his gratitude for their contributions to the hospital. "I hope that wherever they are in the future, they will think of FMIH, visit us, and offer suggestions and criticisms. We will listen carefully and make changes if applicable," Wan Xiaoping said sincerely.

Managing a hospital successfully requires high IQ and EQ. Wan Xiaoping has done well. His flexible yet firm and strict yet compassionate management style enabled him to build a wide and broad platform for the hospital.

Data showed that from 2014 to 2019, among municipal hospitals specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology affiliated with Shanghai Shen Kang Hospital Development Center, FMIH ranked first in terms of the number of outpatient visits, the increase in the number of inpatient discharges, and the number of annual childbirths. Judging from the number of scientific research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, the number of projects approved ranked first in the country among hospitals with gynecology and obstetrics specialties for three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019. Recently, the hospital has attracted a few highly qualified talents. It currently employs six national-level talents and sixteen doctoral advisors.

FMIH continues to rise in recent years in the ranking of the Chinese Hospital Science and Technology Value (obstetrics and gynecology). Its ranking climbed to No. 3 in 2019. Its Chinese Hospital Ranking (Comprehensive Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialties) has risen from 13th in 2016 to 8th in 2018.

Wan Xiaoping said that when FMIH was established, the healthcare system for women and children was not well developed. FMIH courageously shouldered the heavy responsibility to forge ahead. Today, FMIH has achieved the top ranking in many disciplines. “We will always serve the community with a sense of responsibility and mission.”