Shen Xingping: Diligently Cultivating "Internal" Skills, Thirty-Eight Years of Pioneering "Secretory" Exploration

This is a physician skilled in medicine and passionate about art.

Dr. Shen Xingping, Director of the Endocrinology Department at HeYou Hospital, has practiced medicine for 38 years. Time has transformed him from a young novice into a compassionate healer. With the passage of years, he has gained not only a still-energetic countenance but also more refined medical skills and a higher medical ethic.

Beyond medicine, art has always been his unwavering pursuit. Medicine is his tool to help “old comrades” wage a long-term battle against chronic diseases. Art is a vital medium for him to cultivate observation skills and achieve effective communication with patients.

The integration of medicine and art not only cures diseases but also comforts the soul. This original intention of returning to the essence of healthcare highly aligns with HeYou’s philosophy of “Upholding Integrity and Sincerity, Protecting Life.”

As HeYou embarks on a new journey, Shen Xingping will stand shoulder to shoulder with the department’s medical and nursing staff, bravely scaling the heights of the discipline, and conveying the warmth of medical care through every detail.

Shen Xingping will stand shoulder to shoulder with the department’s medical and nursing staff, bravely scaling the heights of the discipline.

Promoting the Return of Healthcare to the Essence of “Protecting Life”

“Remember to monitor your blood sugar every day.” On June 12, in the hospital’s endocrinology clinic, Shen Xingping carefully examined the patient, inquired about their daily dietary habits, and prescribed treatment. As the patient was leaving, he did not forget to remind them of precautions regarding daily diet, exercise, and blood glucose monitoring.

After retiring from Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Shen Xingping was rehired by HeYou Hospital in March of this year, continuing to shine on the clinical front line.

In fact, around the time of his retirement, many hospitals approached Shen Xingping, inviting him to join their development. He did not choose a hospital close to home but decided to travel over 700 kilometers to Foshan to join the HeYou “family.”

“Enable patients to seek medical care with dignity, and enable physicians to practice medicine with dignity.” Shen Xingping stated that this is the medical environment he has always pursued and yearned for. The reason he chose to travel a thousand miles to HeYou is that this philosophy of HeYou moved him.

The lack of trust between doctors and patients is a significant cause of doctor-patient conflicts. Respect is the “prescription” for improving the doctor-patient relationship. He believes this respect includes not only the hospital’s and doctor’s respect for patients but also the patient’s respect for the doctor and the hospital’s respect for the doctor.

“This philosophy of HeYou allows medical practice to return to its purest state. Returning to the essence of healthcare is what I value most.” Shen Xingping said that HeYou was born in the context of the national vigorous development of the big health industry. As a newly established hospital, it is easier to break the original limitations and inertial thinking of the medical industry.

In the months at HeYou, Shen Xingping has deeply experienced the hospital’s respect for doctors. Here, doctors have sufficient voice in their professional fields and ample space for professional development in medicine.

Even though starting a new job in Foshan requires adapting to many things and facing various challenges, he still does not regret his initial choice. “Many young people at HeYou are going all out, fully integrating into the hospital’s open, pragmatic, inclusive, and enterprising environment. I must also steer the direction, keep pace with modern medical development, pass on the torch, dedicate myself to building a high-quality team, and manage and develop the department well.” Shen Xingping said.

Fulfilling the Role of a Patient’s Health “Battle Partner”

In the 1980s, a young Shen Xingping embarked on the path of medicine. During the long journey of medical study, the obscure and difficult medical theory knowledge ignited his fighting spirit. Gradually, he grew fond of this specialty and found endless joy in it.

After graduating from Chongqing Medical University in 1985, Shen Xingping stayed in Chongqing, not far from his hometown of Chengdu, to pursue his medical dreams where they began. In 2003, Shen Xingping stepped out of his comfort zone and was invited to Xiamen as a key introduced talent. He has been engaged in medical care, teaching, scientific research, and faculty training, accumulating rich experience in the clinical practice of diagnosing and treating endocrine diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia. He is one of the first batch of medical science and technology leaders in Xiamen and has received honors such as the Xiamen Medical Innovation Award. In 2023, Shen Xingping set out again, heading to the Greater Bay Area to join HeYou.

Unlike surgeons who “cure diseases with a single cut,” patients in the endocrinology department are mostly chronic disease sufferers. Endocrinologists need to track and guide patients’ diet, exercise, etc., over the long term, urge them to monitor their blood sugar carefully, maintain a reasonable diet, regularly evaluate treatment plans, adopt more suitable treatment methods, control the progression of chronic diseases, and prevent complications.

In the process of preventing and controlling chronic diseases, there is a subtle relationship between endocrinologists and patients.

“Doctors and patients are comrades-in-arms; we fight against disease together.” Shen Xingping stated that he is a battle partner to his patients.

Many patients require lifelong treatment. After more than a decade of medical journeys, many patients have become friends with Shen Xingping. In the long-term process of cooperating with patients, Shen Xingping has helped many patients “defuse mines,” successfully controlling the progression of chronic diseases. The patients deeply trust this slow-speaking, steady physician. Many old comrades and patients he met in Xiamen still contact him via WeChat for professional guidance and treatment advice. Even foreign friends often follow him to seek medical consultations.

Endocrine diseases are invisible and intangible, with diverse clinical manifestations. However, these “disguised” diseases often cannot escape Shen Xingping’s eyes. Relying on his rich clinical experience, meticulous attention to detail, he correctly diagnoses and treats many difficult and complex endocrine diseases, helping patients avoid detours.

Last year, a retired teacher in his 70s visited the hospital due to frequent foaming at the mouth and convulsions. For years, he had been treated for epilepsy and mental illness, taking epilepsy medication for six years without improvement. After carefully reviewing the medical history and symptoms, Shen Xingping diagnosed the elderly man with an insulinoma, not epilepsy or mental illness, preventing the patient from being misdiagnosed and delaying treatment.

After arriving at HeYou, Shen Xingping has paid special attention to actively creating an equal and harmonious doctor-patient atmosphere, establishing a good relationship of doctor-patient affinity and mutual trust. Because of trust, there is entrustment. In just three months, Shen Xingping has already accumulated a considerable number of “fans” locally. He holds outpatient clinics at fixed times every day to solve problems for patients.

Chasing Dreams on the “Medical” Path, Passion Makes Life Bloom

Besides his role as a doctor, Shen Xingping is also an art enthusiast. In his spare time, he often visits various art exhibitions, lingering and forgetting to leave. People can virtually tour art exhibitions through his social media posts.

“Approaching art requires an eye for discovering beauty and a spirit of questioning.” Shen Xingping stated that what doctors and artists have in common is that observers must have an open vision and keen perception.

In fact, life itself is an art form with its own rhythm. Medicine inherently carries artistic elements. Patients come in all forms, from different groups, with varying personalities, ages, and appearances. Doctors need to harbor a benevolent heart, be adept at observation and communication, and then prescribe the right treatment.

“Good communication can heal the heart.” Shen Xingping stated that when facing patients, communication comes first, followed by medical technology. Through effective communication, doctors can truly understand the patient’s symptoms, disease progression, and other information. For example, treating diabetes usually requires a combination of multiple medications. If a doctor’s medication combination is appropriate, the therapeutic effect on diabetes is evident. This is inseparable from the doctor’s grasp of details and in-depth understanding of the condition during communication with the patient.

This keen awareness can also help doctors discern the patient’s psychological state, thereby healing their hearts.

“We must have both the lofty ideal of looking up at the stars and the practical drive to keep our feet on the ground.” Shen Xingping requires the department to strengthen its “internal” foundation and cultivate “internal” skills, striving for excellence in technology, continuously enhancing the department’s quality connotation, bravely scaling heights in academia, and winning the trust of the vast patient population with a pragmatic work style and superb medical skills, bringing warmth to patients.

He believes that medical quality is the lifeline of hospitals and doctors, and it must be continuously improved. At the same time, young doctors should learn to communicate fully with patients, root the concept of “patient-centeredness” in their hearts, and provide patients with satisfactory treatment outcomes.

Currently, four newly recruited young endocrinologists have been sent by HeYou to major hospitals for further training, ensuring that after the hospital opens in June next year, they can truly provide high-quality medical services to patients.

With unwavering original intention and steadfast action, Shen Xingping will ride the wind and waves with his team, chasing dreams at HeYou.

■ Quality Medical Notes

Shen Xingping: Dedicate Yourself to Perfecting the Fundamentals

Quality medical care and excellent physicians are what every patient entering a hospital desires.

As a doctor, what I care about most is whether patients can receive better treatment and whether they are satisfied with the treatment process and outcomes. In my daily work, I strive to provide patients with good medical services and technical services, always putting the patient at the center and considering issues from the patient’s perspective.

However, the professionalism of medicine often creates a significant knowledge barrier between doctors and patients. Most patients in the endocrinology department are elderly with multiple comorbidities. Good communication skills are also within the scope of my thinking and continuous learning. The path of refinement in the professional field never ends. Being kind to others and improving friendly communication skills are also things worth repeatedly studying and continuously improving.

Doctors only need to devote all their knowledge and strength to serving patients, perfecting these most fundamental things to the extreme, and truly allowing healthcare to return to its essence. I believe this is the essence of quality medical care.