Pathology Master Li Weihua Passes Away
On February 6, 2014, Comrade Li Weihua, former Director of the Pathology Department at the General Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Chief Physician, and Professor, passed away due to ineffective medical treatment, ending his life-long companionship with pathology at the age of 87.
Professor Li Weihua, a Han Chinese, was born in Lintao County, Gansu Province. He was a member of the Communist Party of China. He worked successively in the Pathology Department of the Fourth Military Medical University of the People’s Liberation Army and the General Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army. He served as a Standing Committee Member and Secretary of the Chinese Society of Pathology, Vice Chairman of the PLA Pathology Professional Group, Advisor to the Tumor Pathology Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, Advisor to the Pathology Committee of the PLA Science and Technology Committee, Standing Editorial Board Member of the Chinese Journal of Pathology, Editorial Board Member of the Medical Journal of the People’s Liberation Army, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Diagnostic Pathology, Advisor to the Editorial Board of the Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer, Specialist Member of the Chinese Society of Pathology, and Member of the Expert Pool for Medical Accident Technical Appraisal of the Chinese Medical Association. He held a professional technical rank of Level 2 and a civilian service rank of Level 1. Since 1991, he enjoyed special government allowances. For over 60 years, Professor Li had been engaged in pathology teaching, scientific research, and pathological diagnosis work. He authored or co-authored more than 10 pathology monographs, mainly including “Pathology,” “Diagnostic Pathology,” “Tumor Pathology,” “Chinese Tumor Pathology Classification—Pathology Classification of Lung and Pleural Tumors,” “Chinese Surgical Pathology,” the Chinese-English multimedia CD “Classification and Pathological Diagnosis of Tracheal and Lung Tumors,” “Atlas of Pathological Diagnosis of Lung and Pleural Tumors,” and others. In 2011, he edited and published “Respiratory System Pathology.” He published over 160 papers and writings in total. He received one First Prize, three Second Prizes, and sixteen Third Prizes for PLA Science and Technology Progress Awards. In 2011, he was recognized as an outstanding contributing pathology expert by the Four Northern Theater Commands (Shenyang, Beijing, Jinan, and Lanzhou Military Regions); the PLA Pathology Professional Committee awarded him the “Lifetime Achievement Award in PLA Pathology.” He was awarded one Second-Class Merit and two Third-Class Merits. In 1996, invited by Dr. Travis, Chairman of the Pathology Professional Group of the World Health Organization, he represented Chinese pathologists in the revision of the WHO histological classification of lung tumors. In July 1998, he was again invited as a member of the review panel to participate in the re-evaluation of the international classification of interstitial lung diseases.
As one of the “Three Huas” in Chinese pathology, the passing of Professor Li Weihua is undoubtedly a great loss to the pathology community. As a mentor and friend to pathologists, Professor Li was dedicated to his passion for pathology and his care and affection for the younger generation in pathology. He was active in disseminating and teaching pathology knowledge, becoming a model for pathologists to learn from. Grateful for his long-standing care for the industry and his esteemed character, we hereby mourn the loss of Professor Li Weihua with deep sorrow and thank him for his continuous support and care for Maixin!
May the eternal pathology giant in time and space—Professor Li Weihua—rest in peace!