About Academician Liao Wanqing
Academician Liao Wanqing (廉万清) is Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and one of China's most distinguished and internationally recognized authorities on dermatology, medical mycology, and fungal infectious diseases, based at Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University) — one of China's premier military-affiliated academic medical centers. Academician Liao is widely regarded as the founding father of modern medical mycology in China, having built the discipline from its earliest foundations into a nationally recognized clinical and research specialty, established China's first dedicated medical mycology laboratory, and trained the generation of dermatologists and mycologists who now lead fungal disease programs across the country.
Medical mycology — the study and clinical management of fungal infections in humans — is a discipline of growing global importance. Invasive fungal infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, including those receiving chemotherapy, organ transplantation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, prolonged corticosteroid therapy, or biological immunosuppression. Superficial and subcutaneous fungal infections, while rarely life-threatening, cause significant morbidity and are frequently misdiagnosed or inadequately treated in settings where mycological expertise is limited. Academician Liao's career has been defined by his commitment to improving the diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections at every level of severity — from common dermatophytoses and onychomycosis to life-threatening invasive aspergillosis, cryptococcal meningitis, and rare endemic mycoses — and by his foundational role in building the scientific and clinical infrastructure for medical mycology in China.
Beyond medical mycology, Academician Liao maintains broad clinical expertise in general dermatology, including inflammatory skin diseases, autoimmune dermatoses, skin infections, and skin tumors. His department at Changzheng Hospital is a national referral center for difficult-to-diagnose and difficult-to-treat dermatological conditions, and his clinical experience encompasses decades of managing the full spectrum of skin disease in a high-volume tertiary care setting.
Hospital Affiliation: Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University
Changzheng Hospital (长征医院), affiliated with Naval Medical University (formerly Second Military Medical University), is one of Shanghai's largest and most respected tertiary care hospitals. The Department of Dermatology at Changzheng Hospital is a national key clinical specialty and one of China's leading dermatology programs, with particular strength in medical mycology, skin infections, and inflammatory skin disease. The department's medical mycology laboratory — established and developed under Academician Liao's leadership — is one of the most comprehensive and experienced in China, with capabilities for fungal culture, species identification, antifungal susceptibility testing, molecular diagnostics, and the identification of rare and novel fungal pathogens.
The department maintains a national fungal strain repository, an active clinical trials program evaluating novel antifungal agents and diagnostic technologies, and research collaborations with medical mycology centers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Australia. It is a national training center for medical mycology and has hosted dermatologists and infectious disease specialists from across China and internationally for fellowship training and laboratory observation.
Clinical Expertise
- Invasive fungal infections — invasive aspergillosis; invasive candidiasis and candidemia; cryptococcal meningitis and disseminated cryptococcosis; mucormycosis (zygomycosis); rare invasive mold infections (Fusarium, Scedosporium, Lomentospora); diagnosis using culture, histopathology, serology (galactomannan, beta-D-glucan, cryptococcal antigen), and molecular methods (PCR, metagenomic next-generation sequencing); antifungal therapy optimization including azoles, echinocandins, and polyenes; management of antifungal drug resistance; coordination with hematology, oncology, and transplant medicine for immunocompromised patients
- Subcutaneous and deep fungal infections — sporotrichosis; chromoblastomycosis; mycetoma (eumycetoma); phaeohyphomycosis; lobomycosis; diagnosis and surgical and antifungal management; management of treatment-refractory cases
- Endemic mycoses — talaromycosis (Talaromyces marneffei, formerly Penicillium marneffei) in immunocompromised patients; histoplasmosis; coccidioidomycosis in travelers; paracoccidioidomycosis; diagnosis and management in non-endemic settings
- Superficial fungal infections — dermatophytosis (tinea capitis, tinea corporis, tinea pedis, tinea unguium/onychomycosis); candidal skin and mucosal infections; pityriasis versicolor; Malassezia-associated dermatoses; diagnosis including KOH microscopy, culture, and dermoscopy; systemic and topical antifungal therapy; management of recurrent and treatment-resistant cases
- Onychomycosis — diagnosis and species identification; oral antifungal therapy (terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole); laser and device-based adjunctive treatment; management of onychomycosis in patients with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or immunosuppression; nail avulsion and surgical management for severe cases
- Inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases — psoriasis; atopic dermatitis; urticaria; pemphigus and pemphigoid; lupus erythematosus; dermatomyositis; vasculitis; management with biologics (dupilumab, secukinumab, ixekizumab, guselkumab, risankizumab) and immunosuppressants
- Skin infections — bacterial skin infections; viral skin infections (herpes zoster, herpes simplex, warts, molluscum); parasitic skin infestations; differential diagnosis of skin infections in immunocompromised patients
- Skin tumors — diagnosis and management of benign and malignant skin tumors; melanoma; basal cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma; cutaneous lymphoma; coordination with dermatopathology and oncology
- Expert second opinion — review of culture results, histopathology, and clinical findings for patients with difficult-to-diagnose or treatment-refractory fungal infections; written English-language second opinion reports available through CMCS
Academic Leadership & Research Contributions
Academician Liao Wanqing is one of the most prolific and internationally recognized researchers in medical mycology in Asia. He has authored and co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications in Chinese and international journals, including contributions to Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Medical Mycology, Mycopathologia, Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Chinese Medical Journal. His research has focused on the epidemiology of fungal infections in China, the discovery and characterization of novel fungal pathogens, the molecular mechanisms of antifungal drug resistance, the development of rapid diagnostic methods for invasive fungal infections, and the clinical outcomes of antifungal therapy in immunocompromised patients.
Academician Liao has served as editor-in-chief of the Chinese Journal of Dermatology and editorial board member of multiple international mycology and dermatology journals. He is a past president of the Chinese Society of Dermatology (CSD) and the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM), and has served on the scientific advisory boards of major international mycology organizations. He has been a keynote speaker at ISHAM, the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) annual meeting, and international dermatology congresses, and is recognized globally as one of the most influential voices in medical mycology.
Academician Liao has trained more than 150 dermatology and mycology fellows and residents who now lead programs across China, and his foundational role in building medical mycology as a clinical and scientific discipline in China is acknowledged by virtually every mycologist practicing in the country today. His election to the Chinese Academy of Engineering reflects the transformative impact of his research and clinical leadership on the management of fungal diseases in China and his contributions to the global understanding of fungal pathogens.
Why International Patients Choose Academician Liao Wanqing
For international patients with difficult-to-diagnose or treatment-refractory fungal infections — whether superficial infections that have failed multiple courses of standard antifungal therapy, subcutaneous or deep fungal infections that are rarely encountered outside tropical or subtropical regions, or invasive fungal infections in the context of immunosuppression — Academician Liao's combination of unmatched clinical experience, world-class mycological laboratory capabilities, and decades of research expertise in fungal pathogen identification and antifungal therapy represents a genuinely unique resource.
Many international patients arrive at CMCS after years of misdiagnosis or inadequate treatment for chronic fungal skin infections, having been seen by multiple dermatologists in their home country without a definitive diagnosis or effective treatment plan. Academician Liao's ability to perform comprehensive mycological workup — including culture, species identification, antifungal susceptibility testing, and molecular diagnostics — and to provide a clear diagnosis and evidence-based treatment plan is of decisive value to patients who have exhausted the diagnostic and therapeutic resources available in their home country.
For immunocompromised patients — including those receiving chemotherapy, biological therapy, or organ transplantation — who develop invasive or unusual fungal infections, Academician Liao's expertise in the diagnosis and management of rare and emerging fungal pathogens, including those with intrinsic or acquired antifungal resistance, provides access to a level of mycological expertise that is available at only a handful of centers worldwide. Treatment costs at Changzheng Hospital are substantially lower than equivalent care in Western healthcare systems, and the speed of access to specialist consultation and comprehensive mycological workup is typically far faster than in public healthcare systems abroad.
What to Expect at Your Consultation
Consultations with Academician Liao begin with a comprehensive review of all prior diagnostic results — including culture reports, histopathology, serology, molecular diagnostic results, prior treatment records, and clinical photographs — as well as the patient's medical history, immunological status, and any relevant comorbidities including diabetes, immunosuppressive therapy, or hematological malignancy. CMCS will arrange certified translation of all medical records, laboratory reports, and pathology results in advance of the consultation.
Academician Liao will assess the diagnosis, evaluate the adequacy of prior diagnostic workup, outline the recommended diagnostic and treatment strategy with detailed rationale, and provide a clear plan for antifungal therapy, monitoring, and follow-up. For patients with invasive fungal infections in the context of immunosuppression, a multidisciplinary assessment involving infectious disease, hematology, or oncology will be coordinated as appropriate. A written English-language consultation summary — including diagnostic assessment, recommended treatment plan, and follow-up protocol — is provided after every appointment, and CMCS will facilitate direct communication between Academician Liao's team and the patient's home dermatologist or infectious disease physician for continuity of care planning.
Book a Consultation Through CMCS
China Medical Concierge Shanghai (CMCS) provides comprehensive end-to-end support for international patients seeking dermatology or medical mycology consultation with Academician Liao Wanqing at Changzheng Hospital. Our services include priority consultation scheduling, certified medical record and laboratory report translation, pre-consultation diagnostic review by our clinical coordinators, hospital logistics and admission coordination where required, visa and travel support, accommodation recommendations near Changzheng Hospital, on-site interpretation throughout the consultation, pharmacy and antifungal medication coordination, and ongoing follow-up coordination between Academician Liao's team and the patient's home physicians after return.
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