Author: Gu Shixian, Sun Jing

On May 25, Tie Dazhao, a 2026 professional doctoral candidate in Surgery (Orthopedic Surgery) at Peking University Third Hospital, successfully completed a special dissertation defense under the supervision of Professor Zhou Feifei, based on his independently developed clinical classification of congenital cervical scoliosis deformity.

The defense committee was led by Tang Peifu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and comprised seven authoritative orthopedic experts from across the country, with relevant leaders from the Ministry of Education and the National Medical Education Steering Committee present to supervise and provide guidance on site. Following a secret ballot, the defense committee unanimously approved his defense of practical achievements. Upon review and approval by the Peking University Academic Degrees Committee, Tie Dazhao became the first graduate student nationwide in the medical field to apply for a Doctor of Clinical Medicine professional degree by substituting practical achievements for a traditional dissertation.

This pilot program anchors on the core characteristics of clinical medicine, “emphasizing practice, strengthening capability, and valuing application”, and further focuses degree evaluation on clinical innovation contributions and practical application value. The hospital will systematically summarize the experience and continue to expand the coverage of the practical-achievement degree reform, advancing higher-quality innovation in educational evaluation.

Scene of the practical achievement report defense

Student presenting the content of the practical achievement

Group photo of the student with the supervisor and defense committee