Ⅱ. Peking University and Sichuan University Jointly Convene Symposium on Revising the Medical Technology Discipline and Program Catalog

In line with national requirements for revising the academic discipline and degree program catalog in the medical field, Peking University and Sichuan University jointly held an online symposium on March 25 to discuss updates to the Medical Technology discipline and program catalog. The meeting was co-chaired by Professor Han Hongbin, Executive Vice Dean of the Institute of Medical Technology at Peking University Health Science Center and Chair of the Expert Review Working Group on the Establishment of Professional Degree Categories in Medical Technology, and Professor Luo Fengming, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of West China Clinical Medical College at Sichuan University and Chair of the Expert Review Working Group on the Adjustment of the First-Level Discipline of Medical Technology.

Building on prior research and consultation, the symposium featured in-depth discussions on key revision issues and follow-up plans. The participants reached a consensus on establishing a joint working mechanism to collaboratively advance the revision process, marking a significant milestone in this national initiative.

Deputy Secretary Luo Fengming emphasized that the leadership of Sichuan University attaches great importance to this revision work and that the working group has already completed extensive preparations. He expressed hope that both universities would leverage their leadership roles in the field of Medical Technology to foster broad expert and institutional consensus, establish a long-term cooperative mechanism for discipline development, and complete the revision at a high standard to promote the discipline’s high-quality advancement.

Executive Vice Dean Han Hongbin stated that Peking University also places strong emphasis on this catalog revision and has organized multiple discussions among discipline experts and working group members. He affirmed that, as co-founders of the Medical Technology discipline in China, the two universities have both the responsibility and capability - and the confidence - to lead this effort in collaboration with other institutions and experts. He called on both parties to build on earlier communications, clarify the next steps and task assignments, and lay a solid foundation for China’s long-term development and high-quality construction of the Medical Technology discipline.

Participants then discussed in detail the requirements for the revision research and expert review process, the structure of the joint working mechanism, and the specific arrangements for the next phase. The symposium also highlighted the need to further implement the directives from the National Conference on the Discipline and Program Catalog Revision Work, to collaborate with institutions such as Peking Union Medical College and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and to jointly organize research, consultation, and expert evaluations.

Experts and working group members in attendance included Li Zhenlin (Medical Imaging Technology), Hu Wen (Clinical Nutrition), Bai Sen (Radiation Therapy Technology), Yang Yonghong (Rehabilitation Therapy), and Xu Yuemeng (Institute of Medical Technology) from Sichuan University; and Wang Ninghua (Rehabilitation Therapy), Liu Peng (Clinical Nutrition), Zhang Yibao (Radiation Therapy Physics), Peng Zisu (Optometry), Cao Yuan (Office of Discipline Construction), Cheng Fangxiao (Institute of Medical Technology), and Peng Geng (Graduate School, Health Science Center) from Peking University.

Further Reading:

To implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s key instructions on graduate education, and in accordance with the directives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on reforming the academic discipline system - as well as the deployment of the 36th meeting of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council - the Office of Academic Degrees has issued the “Notice on the Establishment of Expert Review and Working Groups for the Revision of the Discipline and Program Catalog” (Degree Office [2021] No. 4), formally launching the revision project.

According to the national plan for revising the discipline catalog in the medical field, Sichuan University and Peking University, as lead institutions, along with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Peking Union Medical College, and others, are jointly responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for adjusting the first-level discipline of Medical Technology and related professional degree categories.