The Department of Hypertension Research, a team integrating clinical work, scientific research and teaching, was established in 1998. The main interests of research are cardiac and pulmonary vessel diseases and endocrinology of the circulatory system, especially comprehensive research of hypertension. The purpose of the team is combine clinic medicine with basic medicine to make basic medicine serve clinical work.

The team investigates relevant issues surrounding hypertension and the relationships between particular peptide hormones and cardiopathy at all levels of tissues and organs, including cellular and subcellular, molecular and gene levels.

The major research directions of the Department are endocrinology of the cardiovascular system and cardiology; diagnosis, therapy and genomics of hypertension; basic and clinical research of pulmonary embolism; and fluid therapy of hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

The Department of Hypertension Research team has accomplished a variety of experimental and research methods and has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience. In 2004, a dissertation was published in Nature Cell Biology written by the Department of Hypertension Research in collaboration with Peking University Health Science Center. The team has also accomplished over 20 projects, including work for the National High Technology Research and Development Program, National Key Program in Science and Technologies, National Research Special Prior to 973, projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing Natural Science Foundation, the Beijing Scientific Association and tasks for the Ministry of Health and Beijing Key Discipline.

The Department’s current work includes “A study of the establishment of the early warning system and risk assessment for essential hypertension in Beijing area”, supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation.

The team has two accession numbers in the SNP database of GenBank, and has published more than 200 articles in core journals and 18 articles in SCI. The Department has won nine provincial and ministry-level scientific achievements, and has applied for 15 national invention patents, with 13 authorized.

The Department of Hypertension Research is a Masters and Doctoral facility of Capital Medical University and a Masters facility of the Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Vessel Diseases. With regard to teaching, more than 20 Masters and Doctoral graduates have been trained independently or with other tutors from cardiac surgery, cardiology, neurology, application of phytochemistry and immunology. Many dissertations have been awarded as outstanding theses. The Department also undertakes annual teaching and intern placement of undergraduates at Capital Medical University, as well as teaching Masters and Doctorate courses.

The development and maintenance of relationships with other centers are important. The Department collaborates with Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing Fuwai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, the Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and MRI Center of Peking University, and participates in various projects in cooperation with other departments of Beijing Anzhen Hospital. The Department partakes in various academic exchanges both domestic and international.

The Department attaches great importance to the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cardiocerebrovascular diseases, and always offers outpatient services for geriatric cardiology, special needs angiocardiopathy and artery atherosclerosis.

Besides their clinical work and scientific research, the Department actively participates in public welfare activities such as free clinics.