Academician Hu Yamei

2026-03-02 15:00:33 Browse times：

Hu Yamei (March 24, 1923 – October 3, 2019) was a distinguished pediatrician and a leading expert in pediatric hematology in China.

Born in Beijing, she graduated from the School of Medicine, Peking University, in July 1947. From 1947 to 1952, she worked as a resident and later as an attending physician at Beiping Private Children’s Hospital. Between 1952 and 1955, she served as an attending physician and subsequently as Deputy Chief Physician at Beijing Second Children’s Hospital.

From 1955 to 1989, she served successively as Deputy Chief, Chief, and Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Internal Medicine at Beijing Children’s Hospital. She also served as Dean of the Department of Pediatrics at Capital Medical College and later became Honorary Dean.

Beginning in 1980, Professor Hu served as Vice President, President, and subsequently Honorary President of Beijing Children’s Hospital. In 1994, she was elected Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Clinical and Scientific Contributions

Professor Hu accumulated extensive experience in clinical practice, teaching, research, and disease prevention over several decades.

In the late 1970s, she led the Beijing Children’s Hospital hematology team in tackling childhood leukemia, which at the time posed a severe threat to children’s health in China. She treated more than 1,000 patients, achieving a five-year leukemia-free survival rate of 74.4%, reaching international standards and attracting wide attention both domestically and internationally.

In subsequent years, in addition to leukemia research, she contributed to the national special fund committee on childhood leukemia, promoting the establishment of a national center for the treatment and research of pediatric leukemia and benefiting more patients across China.

Professor Hu also made important contributions in the fields of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis, thrombocytopenic purpura, pediatric nutritional deficiencies, and infantile diarrhea.

Academic and Educational Contributions

She assisted Professor Zhu Futang in compiling Practical Pediatrics, which has undergone multiple revisions. She also compiled Practical Clinical Handbook of Pediatrics and Encyclopedia of Infant and Child Health.

Over her more than 50-year career, Professor Hu published numerous academic papers. Her research in hematologic diseases and related fields received first-, second-, and third-prize awards from the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission; second prize for scientific and technological achievements from the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau; and third prize for health science from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

International Academic Exchange

Professor Hu actively participated in international academic exchange. She visited the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Belgium, Sweden, India, Thailand, and the Philippines to promote professional collaboration and exchange. Through these efforts, she contributed to enhancing international understanding of China’s progress in healthcare and pediatrics and strengthened global communication in the field.