About Dr. Li Huiping
Dr. Li Huiping (李惠萍) is Chief Physician, Professor, and Director of the Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Center at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine — China's largest and most specialized pulmonary disease center and the national reference institution for interstitial lung disease diagnosis and management. She is one of China's most experienced and internationally recognized ILD specialists, with a clinical and research career dedicated to the diagnosis, classification, and treatment of the full spectrum of interstitial lung diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), connective tissue disease-associated ILD (CTD-ILD), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), sarcoidosis, and rare ILDs.
Dr. Li's clinical program is built around the principle that accurate diagnosis is the foundation of effective ILD management. The ILD Center at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital operates a multidisciplinary diagnostic team (MDT) that integrates pulmonology, radiology, pathology, rheumatology, and thoracic surgery to achieve the highest diagnostic accuracy for complex ILD cases — including cases where prior diagnosis at other institutions has been uncertain or incorrect. For patients with IPF, Dr. Li's program offers access to antifibrotic therapy (pirfenidone, nintedanib) with structured monitoring protocols, as well as enrollment in clinical trials of novel antifibrotic agents. For patients with CTD-ILD, her close collaboration with rheumatology ensures that both the underlying autoimmune disease and the pulmonary manifestations are managed in an integrated, coordinated fashion.
Dr. Li is also a recognized expert in the management of acute exacerbation of ILD — a life-threatening complication that requires rapid, expert intervention — and in the evaluation of ILD patients for lung transplantation, for which Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital is one of China's leading centers.
Hospital Affiliation: Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital
Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (同济大学附属上海市肺科医院) is China's largest and most specialized pulmonary disease center, affiliated with Tongji University School of Medicine. The ILD Center is one of the largest dedicated ILD programs in Asia, with a multidisciplinary team, a high-resolution CT (HRCT) reading program with ILD-specialized radiologists, a surgical lung biopsy program with thoracic surgeons experienced in VATS biopsy for ILD, and a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) program for minimally invasive tissue sampling.
The hospital's lung transplantation program is one of China's most active, and Dr. Li's ILD program works closely with the transplant team to identify and prepare appropriate candidates for transplant evaluation. The clinical trials program at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital offers ILD patients access to investigational antifibrotic agents and novel immunomodulatory therapies not yet commercially available.
Clinical Expertise
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) — diagnosis and classification; antifibrotic therapy (pirfenidone, nintedanib); disease monitoring and progression assessment; acute exacerbation management; transplant evaluation and referral
- Connective tissue disease-associated ILD (CTD-ILD) — RA-ILD, SSc-ILD, myositis-ILD (including anti-MDA5 rapidly progressive ILD), SLE-ILD, Sjögren's-ILD, MCTD-ILD; immunosuppressive therapy; nintedanib for SSc-ILD; coordination with rheumatology
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) — acute, subacute, and chronic HP; antigen identification and avoidance; immunosuppressive therapy; fibrotic HP management
- Sarcoidosis — pulmonary and extrapulmonary sarcoidosis; corticosteroid and steroid-sparing therapy; refractory sarcoidosis management
- Rare ILDs — lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM); pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH); alveolar proteinosis (PAP); cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP); acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP); respiratory bronchiolitis-ILD (RB-ILD)
- Drug-induced ILD — diagnosis and management of ILD caused by chemotherapy agents, targeted therapies, immunotherapy (checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis), amiodarone, and other medications
- Acute exacerbation of ILD — rapid diagnosis and intensive management; high-dose corticosteroid protocols; immunosuppressive rescue therapy; ICU coordination
- Diagnostic procedures — bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL); transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC); surgical lung biopsy coordination; multidisciplinary diagnostic discussion (MDD)
- Lung transplant evaluation — ILD patient assessment for transplant candidacy; pre-transplant optimization; coordination with Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital transplant program
Academic Leadership & Research Contributions
Dr. Li Huiping has made significant contributions to ILD research in China, with publications in leading pulmonology and respiratory medicine journals covering IPF treatment outcomes, CTD-ILD management, the epidemiology of ILD in China, and the diagnostic accuracy of TBLC versus surgical lung biopsy. Her research has informed national ILD clinical guidelines and contributed to the evidence base for antifibrotic therapy use in China.
She is an active member of the Chinese Thoracic Society ILD working group and has contributed to the development of consensus recommendations for ILD diagnosis and management in China. Dr. Li has presented her research at major international respiratory medicine congresses including ERS, ATS, and the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), and is recognized internationally as a key opinion leader in ILD.
Her academic program at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital includes the training of pulmonology fellows and residents in ILD diagnosis and management, and she has established collaborative research relationships with leading ILD centers in Europe and North America.
Why International Patients Choose Dr. Li Huiping
For international patients with interstitial lung disease — particularly those with complex or uncertain diagnoses, rapidly progressive disease, or conditions that have not responded to treatment at other institutions — Dr. Li's program at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital offers a combination of diagnostic precision, multidisciplinary expertise, and treatment access that is genuinely among the best in Asia.
The ILD Center's multidisciplinary diagnostic team is particularly valuable for patients with uncertain or disputed diagnoses, where the integration of HRCT interpretation, pathology review, and clinical assessment by a dedicated ILD MDT can resolve diagnostic uncertainty and redirect treatment appropriately. For patients with anti-MDA5 myositis-associated rapidly progressive ILD — a condition with high mortality that requires urgent, aggressive immunosuppressive therapy — Dr. Li's program has extensive experience and established protocols that are not widely available outside of specialized centers.
Treatment costs at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital are substantially lower than equivalent ILD care in Western healthcare systems, and the speed of access to specialist consultation, diagnostic procedures, and treatment initiation is typically far faster than in public healthcare systems abroad. CMCS has coordinated ILD consultations and treatment programs for patients from North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East through Dr. Li's department.
What to Expect at Your Consultation
Consultations with Dr. Li begin with a comprehensive review of all prior imaging (HRCT chest with thin-slice reconstruction is essential), pulmonary function tests (spirometry, DLCO, 6-minute walk test), bronchoscopy and BAL results, surgical lung biopsy pathology if available, serological workup (ANA, anti-CCP, myositis antibody panel, etc.), and complete treatment history. CMCS will arrange certified translation of all medical records and imaging reports in advance.
Dr. Li will assess whether additional diagnostic workup is indicated (repeat HRCT, TBLC, surgical biopsy, expanded serological panel), present the multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment, outline the recommended treatment strategy with rationale, and discuss the monitoring plan and follow-up schedule. For patients with progressive disease, transplant evaluation criteria will be discussed proactively. A written English-language consultation summary is provided after every appointment.
Book a Consultation Through CMCS
China Medical Concierge Shanghai (CMCS) provides end-to-end support for international patients seeking ILD consultation and treatment with Dr. Li Huiping at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital. Our services include priority consultation scheduling, certified medical record and imaging translation, pre-consultation HRCT and pathology review coordination, treatment logistics, on-site interpretation, and ongoing follow-up coordination between Dr. Li's team and the patient's home pulmonologist or rheumatologist.
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