The Department of Health Politics/ Center for Marxist Theory not only undertakes the teaching of ideology and political theory to students at Peking University Health Science Center, but also conduct pioneering researches in health politics with Chinese characteristics. There are 11 teachers, including 1 full professor (doctoral supervisor), 6 associate professors and 4 lecturers.

Health politics is a newly emerging subject and an important part of medical humanities. Our department is committed to the study of health political philosophy, history of health politics, health political sociology, comparative health political science and other disciplines, based on China's national conditions, and endeavor to carry out pioneering researches in health politics with Chinese characteristics. Teachers in our department have published many works and translations, and edited or participated in the compilation of many textbooks. The research results have been published in such important academic journals as Research on Ideological Teaching,Research on Marxist theory, Historical Research,Research on Modern History, Chinese Journal of Science and Technology History, Research on Contemporary Chinese history,Economic Research, etc. Some of the research results have been reprinted by authoritative academic journals such as Xinhua Digest, China Social Sciences Digest and Remin University Replicated Journals. Moreover, the research results of some teachers have also been translated into English, Japanese, Korean and many other languages.

Our center undertakes undergraduate courses such as: Introduction to Basic Principles of Marxism, Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought and Socialism with Chinese characteristics, Outline of Modern Chinese History, Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Basic Knowledge of Laws, Situation and Policy, etc., and postgraduate courses such as: Theory and Practice of Socialism with Chinese characteristics and Marxism and social Science Methodology. Some of the teachers also give lectures to postgraduate students in Introduction to Medical Humanities. For international students (including students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), a course series— Introduction to Nations is offered. The elective courses include: Chinese Traditional Culture, Logic and Critical Thinking, Aesthetics and Medical Aesthetics, Modern Chinese Ideology and Culture, Chinese History of Drug Control and Problems in Contemporary Drug Control, Chinese Women Issues, History of Chinese Modern Medical Society and Culture, Contemporary Western Social Thoughts, Medicine and Politics, Basic Knowledge of Finance, etc. In 2011, the Center for Medical Aesthetics Research was established, which is dedicated to the teaching and research of aesthetic quality cultivation among medical students with the aim of promoting emotional education, offering elective courses of medical aesthetics for undergraduates and postgraduates, and actively carrying out academic exchanges at home and abroad for aesthetic quality training of medical students.

The center now has a first level master’s degree program in Marxist theory, which comprises of three second level disciplines: Ideological and Political Education, Basic Principles of Marxism and Research on Basic Issues of Modern Chinese History, with a number of doctoral supervisors and master's supervisors.