www.hku.hk/facmed/newsletterVol. 15 • Issue 3 January 2011

Spotlight

Faculty Graduation and Prize Presentation Ceremony 2010

Feature

Equipped for Success –Faculty Core Facility

8

Editor-in-ChiefProfessor Daniel TM Chan（陳德茂）MembersProfessor Godfrey CF Chan（陳志峰）Professor Sophia SC Chan（陳肇始）Dr LK Chan（陳立基）Professor NK Leung（梁乃江）Professor CM Lo（盧寵茂）Professor Louis CK Low（盧忠啟）Dr John M Nicholls（黎國思）Professor NG Patil（彭達）Dr MH Sham（岑美霞）Dr Z Zhang（張樟進）

Li Ka Shing FacuLty oF Medicine

21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong KongTel: 2819 9175 Fax: 2974 0678Email: medfac@hku.hkWebsite: www.hku.hk/facmed

editoriaL Board

Volume 15 • Issue 3 • January 2011

Student RepresentativesMr Adrian Fung（馮智衡）, MBBS IIIMiss Joyce Lai（黎可恩）, MBBS III

Publishing EditorsMs Yvonne Li（李琬雯）Ms Celia Ip（葉敏漩）Graphic DesignVisionguard

From the EditorT here are so many ‘must read’ articles in this issue that if

you decide to read only three articles from this issue go no further with the Editor’s message.

The Dean’s Message not only highlights pivotal developments in teaching and research over the past year, but also gives a thought provoking discourse on societal values, professionalism, and medical education. Also in this issue, it is our honour to include the speech by Professor Sir David Todd at the Faculty Graduation and Prize Presentation Ceremony 2010. The beginning of a new year proves most fitting for both articles, which offer much wisdom and food for thought.

When the Editorial Board decided to report on the recently established Faculty Core Facility for research, we found ourselves in a dilemma. On the one hand, we wanted to let readers know about recent developments in the Faculty and, as medical research is one of our central missions, such a subject seemed highly relevant. On the other hand, we did not want readers to be faced with an academic monograph. Thanks to Professor YL Lau, Professor George Tsao, and the student editorial board members who interviewed both professors about the Facility, we have ended up with a Feature article that is interesting and accessible to all. The colourful pictures, which show photomicrographs taken with the high-tech imaging facility, are also truly mesmerising.

After incubating for a hundred years, the Kick-off Ceremony for HKU’s Centenary Celebrations on January 9, 2011, was indeed more important than other festivities in recent months such as Christmas or New Year which come on an annual basis. The picture below was taken on that unusually warm and sunny day in what has proved overall to be a very cold month.

I must thank you if you have gone this far, and it is comforting to know that I have successfully captured your attention. Lastly, on behalf of the Editorial Board, we would like to thank our readers for their continued support over the years, and to wish you a Happy Chinese New Year!

Professor Daniel Chan Editor-in-Chief

4

Contents

15

10

DEan’S MESSaGE 1

THE FaCULTY In 2010 3FEaTUREEquipped for Success 4

EDUCaTIon MaTTERS 7SPoTLIGHTFaculty Graduation and Prize Presentation Ceremony 2010 8

InSIDE THE FaCULTY 10

aLUMnI nEwS 15

nExT GEnERaTIon 17

ConGRaTULaTIonS & MEDIa HIGHLIGHTS 19

PEoPLE & DonaTIonS 21

FoRTHCoMInG EvEnTS 22

From the EditorDean’sMessage

Gaudeamus Igitur (Therefore let us rejoice)1

The Latin words are from the first line of a traditional verse which was sung to mark the significance and the spirit of special academic occasions. In Europe, the words and the tune constitute the hallmark of celebration of graduation of university students as they

symbolically start a new beginning. Johannes Brahms incorporated this song into the climatic finale segment of his “Academic Festival Overture”.

We now have a new cohort of graduates, a new issue of the Faculty Newsletter, a new curriculum reform evolving, and a new year beginning. The University of Hong Kong kick-started her centenary celebrations and China looks back 100 years and remembers her new beginning.2 This also affords a chance for us to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next one. It is not how we measure Time, but how we live it that is important. You can mark time using the inexpensive worn-out watch on my wrist or a diamond-studded one on others’, using the shadow that moves across the face of a sundial, grains of sand slipping through your fingers like an hour glass, or an electronic digital display to the nearest millionth of a second – but it is what you remember and how you remember the contents within the passage of time that is ultimately relevant. And in the year past, we have lived the precious moments well.

For those with an analytical mind, there is the “fact sheet” in this issue which chronicles our achievements, our growth and the momentum we are generating. On the heels of launching the School of Public Health and the School of Nursing, we now have a new Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, and a new Pharmacy Division in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy. Following the restructuring of our Research Centres and a programme in Structural Biology, we have created Faculty Core Facilities, new programmes in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine; and gained additional research recognition in Area of Excellence and State Key Laboratory awards. To build capacity in academic excellence, we have introduced schemes to recruit, nurture and retain talents with a structured pathway of support in the postgraduate training of academic medicine.

But we cannot and must not bask in complacency while pondering the unfolding of the New Year. Last year’s words belong to last year’s language and the next year’s words await another voice. In making a new beginning, we are compelled to rediscover and reinvent ourselves and find an opportunity to get things done even better. The purpose of a New Year is not that one should have another 365 calendar days, but that we have a new soul.

If this is a time for us to reiterate the affirmation of our commitment to the healthcare profession and our students, then what might it be? We will foster creative thinking in research and add vigor in the pursuit and quest for truth. We must live and lead by example. To do so, we must be honest with ourselves and not trade the noble principles of our profession with conventional parameters of success, most visibly dollars-and-cents and political status. Dr Tertius Lydgate’s3 rise to success as he generated increasing income, social and political status was commensurate with his downfall in morals and ethics. This is an indictment to the prevalent professional behaviour in Hong Kong. His sad and yet real downward spiral path was a result of small, imperceptible, day-to-day compromises; rationalisation and participation

1

In making a new beginning, we are compelled to rediscover and reinvent ourselves

and find an opportunity to get things done

even better.

Dean’s Message • Medical Faculty News

2 Medical Faculty News • Dean’s Message

Dean’sMessage

in a hypocrisy that tempts and confronts us and our young all the time. The entire healthcare community is vulnerable to these pressures and we are mirror images of one another and role models to future generations. We must move forward and at the same time be rid of the greed, the malevolent destructive competitiveness, the spite and meanness that have brewed in our profession. Beyond any lectures and seminars, powerpoint and web-based materials, our behaviour and ours alone is the most powerful testimony to the next generations of how noble our profession should be and can be.

It is only by understanding the past that we can anticipate the future; doing it right in ourselves that we can do good to others; by casting the vision wide and far that we can see the forest, the hills and valleys and not just a single tree. It is then that we will understand why scholarship can sublimate over materialistic things; humanistic qualities are more valuable assets than technical information and devices; being well grounded in sound fundamentals and common sense are just as important as the training to be a super-specialist. In this date and age when hospitals are clambering to an “arms race” to outfit with the latest hardware of healthcare delivery, our challenge is how to restore and upgrade the software of our mind. The young must learn the meaning of human existence through us. They will need to look smart and feel ignorant, like us. They will learn that the laboratory results, the CT and MRI scans, are but numbers and images documenting what are going on with our patients and do not control or dictate what become of them. They will find out that the placebo will work and they will think they know why. The placebo will have side effects and they will know that they do not know why. They will realise that the best hospital is a home of joy, even if it has rooms of pain and loss and exits of misunderstanding. They will see both health and disease dance like changing partners. Computers will churn out mountains of data and they will understand how the trivial will trap and the important can escape them. They will find out at the final hour when Committees will not be able to resolve the question, then the art of Medicine - the understanding of the human being and humanity - will be called to make the judgment. They will be proud to find out what they believe in, and love and care for are the reasons why the fever will drop, the tented T wave will calm down to its rightful peak, and the osteoblasts will lay down new bone at right angles to the line of stress. This is the reason why while pain may be inevitable, suffering is always optional. And why eyelids will flutter and speech will return out of a coma, and why there will be days of joy and feelings of elation. They will walk triumphantly along the ancient hallways of the good old Queen Mary Hospital and, like you and I, whisper to our soul and shout Yes to the world and all the meandering corners down Sassoon Road, even when no one is listening. Life is short4 and the Art is long.5 The heart will lead and the head will explain and what matters finally is how the human spirit is spent. This is a time of joy. This is a time of pride. This is the beginning. Therefore, let us rejoice. Gaudeamus Igitur. Hop Hop Hooray.6

Professor SP LeeDean of Medicine

Footnotes1. Here I borrow the title and many words from the Commencement speech given by Professor John Stone at Emory University School of Medicine in July 1982.

Professor Sir David Todd addressed the congregation of our Medical Faculty in January 2011. The words of these two men resonated in my head, and inspired me to write this message.

2. The University of Hong Kong was officially incorporated by ordinance in 1911 (after the College of Medicine in 1887). The Xinhai Revolution（辛亥革命）took place in Wuchang on October 10, 1911. The movement to overturn the Qing Dynasty was led by Dr Sun Yat-sen, one of the first graduates of our Medical Faculty.

3. In: Middlemarch by George Eliot 1872.4. “Life is short.” Ugo Benzi (Hugo Senensis). Commentary on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates, circa 1428. The analysis concluded that however long or short human

life might be – it is never long enough to discover and master the whole of Medicine.5. “……the Art is long” Hippocrates, in Omnia Opera Hippocratis circa 460BCE. The “Art” (techne) refers to the combination of knowledge in science and philosophy,

power of observation, logical reasoning and experience.6. Not a misprint. This is Year of the Rabbit.

Our behaviour and ours alone

is the most powerful

testimony to the next generations of how noble our profession should

be and can be.

3The Faculty in 2010 • Medical Faculty News

The Facultyin 2010

Undergraduate Programmes Programme (full-time) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 TotalBachelor of Medicine and 170 163 133 120 125 711Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Nursing 189 184 178 162 -- 713Bachelor of Chinese Medicine 24 15 23 19 16 97Bachelor of Pharmacy 25 26 N/A N/A N/A 51

Through the 2010 Early Admissions Scheme for outstanding Form Six students, our Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme admitted six students with 10As, 25 students with 9As and 23 students with 8As in HKCEE. Students with excellent HKAL results were also admitted to the MBBS through the JUPAS scheme, the average score was 2As and 1B.

The admission result for the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme was also highly satisfactory. The average score of students admitted through the JUPAS scheme was 2As and 1B. The average score of JUPAS students admitted to our Bachelor of Nursing programme was the highest among similar programmes in Hong Kong.

Postgraduate EducationThe Faculty currently offers 17 taught postgraduate programmes.

The Faculty successfully admitted 187 Research Postgraduate (RPg) students in 2010-11. Three of our new PhD intake have been awarded Hong Kong PhD Fellowships by the Research Grants Council (RGC) and 10 have been awarded University Postgraduate Fellowships. One PhD student won the Li Ka Shing Prize. One PhD and two MPhil students received Outstanding Research Postgraduate Student Awards, and one student was awarded a Croucher Foundation Scholarship to undertake the combined MBBS/PhD programme.

Ten RPg students gained admittance to exchanges at renowned universities overseas, including Imperial College, UK and Johns Hopkins University, USA, and about HK$1 million was allocated to support the exchange students and their supervisors.

Research GrantsGrant number of amount Projects (HK$)(million) RGC General Research Fund 61 62.1RGC Collaborative Research Fund 2 12.61UGC Area of Excellence – Development Genomics & Skeletal Research (sustained funding) 1 35.62

National Natural Science Foundation of China/ 3 2.06RGC Joint Research Scheme

Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases 12 9.46Health and Health Services Research Fund 10 5.83SK Yee Medical Foundation Grants 13 6.03

Research grants awarded to Faculty members totalled over HK$140 million.

Research OutputThe Faculty’s refereed research output saw 3,154 items produced in 2009-10, accounting for 37% of the University’s total of 8,501 refereed items. Output included important publications in Science and Nature Biotechnology. According to ISI Essential Science Indicators, Faculty members published 147 Highly Cited Papers, which accounted for 49% of the 301 papers from HKU.

Public EducationProjects numberPublic lectures/ Symposia/ Forums 41Media interviews & press conferences 47Health programmes on television and radio 59Regular newspaper columns 116Media coverage generated 1,450

The Faculty in 2010

Number of Staff Number of StudentsProfessoriate: 249 Postgraduate: 1,164 Honorary academic 1,224 Undergraduate: 1,915

(as of December 2010)

4 Medical Faculty News • Feature

Feature

T he setting-up of the Faculty Core Facility (FCF) has been a long-held dream of Professor YL Lau, who now chairs the Management Committee tasked with overseeing the Facility.

Before the Facility came into operation, these research equipment was managed by and housed in individual departments or research centres with different levels of accessibility. The procedures to book the equipment were variable and complicated, and the charges were relatively expensive. Now the FCF can avoid these problems by making its high-end, high-demand equipment accessible to all researchers and research students within the Medical Faculty. Members of other faculties or other institutions also will be able to use these equipment, thereby promoting multi-disciplinary and cross-departmental collaboration.

Hardware and Software Boost “If pieces of equipment had souls,” Professor Lau said, “we would be making them happy by putting them to good use, lowering the amount of time they were idle, and enabling them to live a long and fulfilled life. With the sharing of resources, we avoid unnecessary duplication, creating greater efficiency and more space for research.”

In addition to hardware, the Facility also provides advanced software for imaging and flow cytometry for data analysis, further assisting researchers in their research studies. Professor George Tsao, Director of the Facility, said, “We aim to continuously review, expand and advance our capabilities to serve the needs of researchers.”

The launch of the Faculty Core Facility in November 2010 marked an exciting advance for biomedicine research at HKU with its centralised provision of state-of-the-art high-resolution imaging and high throughput flow cytometry. Professor YL Lau（劉宇隆）, the Faculty’s Associate Dean (Research) and Chairman of the Facility’s Management Committee, and Professor George Tsao（曹世華）, Director of the Facility, talk to Medical Faculty News about the significant impact of the move.

EquippedSuccessfor

If pieces of equipment had souls, we would be making them

happy by putting them to good

use, lowering the amount of time

they were idle, and enabling them to live a long and

fulfilled life.

5Feature • Medical Faculty News

Excellence in Training and ResearchTo enable researchers to benefit fully, the FCF provides training courses and workshops to all faculty members, postgraduate students and potential users, ranging from an intensive one to half-day courses to a comprehensive week-long programme. Such training equips users with information on the most up-to-date technology and the applications in advanced imaging and flow cytometry. A Laboratory Manager and a Technical Officer are also on board to provide expertise and support.

At the same time, the Facility will continue to introduce and explore innovative and advanced applications in imaging and flow cytometry.

Professor Tsao explained, “The FCF will regularly invite experts from international research institutes to share their experience. This will certainly push the standard of technology to higher levels as well as broaden researchers’ perspectives of biomedical research.”

In terms of boosting research excellence, the centralised nature of the FCF allows it to offer technology platforms which may previously

have been out of the reach of individual departments on cost grounds. One example is advanced flow cytometry technology. The high performance cell sorter and analyser will be too costly for a single department to acquire and maintain on its own. However, it is an essential piece of equipment for isolation of stem cells and genetically modified cells and has the capacity to analyse as many as 70,000 events in a second with laser activatable probes. Support from the University Development Fund and Faculty Development Fund has made the advanced technology platform available and affordable to all researchers within and outside the Faculty.

Fur ther more, the FCF creates an opportunity for members from different disciplines to meet and generate ideas together. “A platform such as the FCF is where a meeting of minds occurs. The most brilliant ideas are often cultivated this way,” explained Professor Lau. Professor Tsao also hopes that the FCF will promote collaboration between researchers both inside and outside the Faculty.

Exhilarating OutlookLooking towards future plans for the FCF, Professor Tsao said, “With advanced instruments, experienced technicians and innovative projects, we hope that HKU’s research projects that involve imaging and cell sorting technology can scale new heights.” The FCF also intends to make the Medical Faculty a regional training centre for high resolution imaging in Asia. “We want to go beyond being a service provider. We aim to emphasise training and education, promote greater research collaborations, enhance diversity in research projects and offer more opportunities for possible research discoveries.” Professor Tsao wants to see the FCF as a means to provide a solid foundation for future funding applications. The Faculty Core Facility is located at L6-11 Laboratory Block, 21 Sassoon Road. For more information, please visit www.med.hku.hk/corefac.

We aim to emphasise

training and education, promote

greater research collaborations,

enhance diversity in research projects

and offer more opportunities for possible research

discoveries.

6 Medical Faculty News • Feature

Researchers Share Their Thoughts

“T he FCF’s availability to scientists outside the Medical Faculty will certainly enhance inter-departmental and inter-faculty research. My laboratory has made use of the FCF’s confocal

microscopy facility in the past and we look forward to further use of this and other FCF facilities in collaboration with colleagues there in the near future.”

Professor Chye Mee Len（蔡美蓮）Professor School of Biological Sciences

“Emerging infectious diseases have become a global issue of increasing importance, especially since the emergence of SARS, avian H5N1 and the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus. It may be difficult to predict the nature,

type and extent of newly emerging viral infectious diseases. Nevertheless, it is recognised that there are different stages leading to successful human-to-human transmission for an emergent virus crossing the species barrier. The FCF and its imaging systems have provided a unique opportunity for studying the mechanism for host range restriction of cross-species transmission of emerging pathogens and the likelihood of a zoonotic and epizootic infectious agent progressing from one stage to another during host adaptation.”

Dr Honglin Chen（陳鴻霖）Associate ProfessorState Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases Department of Microbiology

“T he Faculty Core Facility (FCF) has opened up a tremendous avenue for research groups like ours who are interested in studying leukaemia and stem cell biology. For example, Fluorescent

Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) and live-cell imaging equipment have allowed the isolation of a rare population of stem cells in bone marrow and the direct visualisation of fluorescent images of blood stem cells in zebrafish embryos. As a result, we have been able to initiate more collaborative projects in stem cell biology. The FCF has become an integral part of our research strategy and has enabled us to generate important data which could not be accomplished previously.”

Dr anskar Leung（梁如鴻）Clinical Associate ProfessorDepartment of Medicine

Feature

Education Matters • Medical Faculty News 7

EducationMatters

one-day Professional Development Programme on Medical Education was successfully held on October 9, 2010 as

part of the Faculty’s in-house training programme. The event is organised on an annual basis by the Institute of Medical and Health Sciences Education (IMHSE) to nurture high-quality teachers.

This year ’s participants included teachers who have joined the Faculty within the last two years as well as staff members who wanted to acquire more insight into teaching excellence. Those attending received an in-depth orientation to the MBBS programme and outcome-based learning, an approach adopted by the Faculty and the University, which focuses on what students are expected to learn and achieve. Additionally, the programme covered topics including problem-based learning (PBL), clinical teaching, quality assurance, examination question writing and lecturing techniques. Each session was followed by a discussion on the topic, which provided an invaluable opportunity for the exchange of ideas and teaching experiences.

The highlight of the training w a s t h e P B L t u t o r i n g workshop. To experience PBL first hand, participants were divided into groups, e a c h f a c i l i t a t e d b y a n IMHSE member. They then worked through a PBL case with the facilitator. After completion of the one-day programme, participants also sat in actual PBL sessions and discussed with experienced trainers the techniques for facilitating PBL. The Institute hopes that the workshop will help new staff members make an effective start in their academic career.

Since January 2010, IMHSE also offers a Certificate in Medical and Health Sciences Education course. The online learning programme for healthcare professionals offers modules on teaching skills, assessment, curriculum planning, quality assurance, and medical education scholarship. The course has already attracted outside participants from both local and overseas institutions. More information about the programme is available at www.hku.hk/facmed/imhse/cimhse/.

Teacher training:

THE ROAD TO EXCELLENCE

V ice-Chancellor, Dean of Medicine, Professor Leung, fellow graduates and your families, distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen:

It is an honour to have been asked by the University to share my thoughts with today’s graduates for which I am deeply grateful. To all graduates I offer heartiest congratulations. This is the University’s Centennial Year so the timing of your ceremony is excellent. You have worked hard and are now duly rewarded. But this is just the beginning of your new life and that is perhaps why in North America graduation is known as commencement.

Nearly 60 years ago I sat where you are today nervously waiting to be ‘capped’. Times have changed. The Medical Faculty in 1952 had less than 50 full time teachers, now it has 237. Queen Mary Hospital had 546 beds, now it has 1,544. There were only 5 prizes to be awarded, now there are over 20. You are fortunate to have studied in a leading medical school and teaching hospital.

The functions of a medical school are to teach, foster research and care for patients. It is gratifying to see research and higher degrees awarded and teaching recognised today. In your career choice, I hope a significant number of you will choose academic medicine (including nursing and allied health disciplines). There is nothing more satisfying. The Hippocratic Oath and its modern version exhort us to share our knowledge with others and organise the educational process for future members of the profession. As for research, how would medicine progress without it? Why should medical doctors do research? There is always research relevant to human disease and a medical background is surely helpful. The Nobel Laureate Sir John Sulston, who contributed so much to the human genome project, stated ‘The free release of genomic sequences, so valuable as a foundation is only a starting point; without equitable application to healthcare it will become an empty gesture. The current era of biology is full of intellectual excitement and medical promise’. This University owes much of its eminence to research and much more could be achieved with new blood, and of course more funding. Where will the future academic staff come from? Surely from some of you.

Apart from academic medicine, you have a wide choice of careers which may include administration and even politics! It is likely that

Speech by Professor Sir David ToddFaculty Graduation and Prize Presentation Ceremony 2010Queen Elizabeth StadiumJanuary 15, 2011

most of you have decided what to do and I wish you every success in your chosen field. I hope many of you will become ‘generalists’ rather than specialists or super-specialists. Of course there is a need for all kinds. As medical care became more complex, specialisation was inevitable but perhaps we have become too organ/system orientated. There is a tendency to overlook the fact that a patient is a human being living in his or her special environment and these are important considerations in patient care. The ‘generalist’ perhaps has a more holistic approach. More Family Physicians are needed, especially with an aging population. A friend of mine asked me to recommend a good family physician. At 60, she thought she was too young to see a geriatrician! Family Medicine is now a specialty in its own right with departments in both local medical schools, and higher education and training is organised by the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians.

May I raise another discipline for your consideration? We should remember that, perhaps with the exception of inoculations against disease, food, sanitation, housing and education are more important determinants of health than medications. What is the most important cause of preventable death? It is poverty. Public health is an attractive option for those who have a broader view of health care, and prevention is always better than cure. It was good old fashioned public health measures that brought the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS under control. The impressive health statistics of Hong Kong owe much to public health measures. Of course the prevention of disease is the responsibility of all healthcare professionals. Infections such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS; cancer; cardiovascular and life-style diseases; and environmental pollution are major causes of premature death. Many of these can be prevented by essentially public health measures. If you wish to explore something new, there is public health genomics. This is defined as ‘the responsibility and effective translation of genome-based knowledge and technologies for the benefit of population health’. Something for you to ponder.

When I graduated MBBS, I was on the top of the world. But the first day on the ward brought me crashing down to earth. Nothing I did was right. The nursing staff found me a nuisance and the patients thought me clumsy. The relatively short undergraduate course provides only basic education in medicine. The vocational

Medical Faculty News • Spotlight8

Spotlight

Spotlight • Medical Faculty News 9

aspects, as well as the art of practice, are learnt during the period of postgraduate medical education and training. This is later carried into continuing medical and professional education and development. In Hong Kong, the postgraduate specialty colleges, now under the Academy of Medicine, were formally established to organise and supervise these functions. You owe it to your patients, community and colleagues to be fully qualified in your specialty. These programmes are internationally recognised and ensure that the quality of practice is of high standard and is maintained. Still there is much to learn from other centres of excellence and overseas studies should be accorded high priority. We cannot be inbred and provincial. Sir William Osler stated that medical education is not a medical course but a life course. The American playwright G.S Kaufman said ‘ The kind of doctor I want is one who, when not examining me, is at home studying medicine.’

Medicine is a time honoured profession. It is not a trade and making a profit should not be your aim. There should be a large component of service which implies personal sacrifice. The labeling of patients as clients has somewhat undermined this concept.

What Mencius（孟子）said over two thousand years ago when he went to see King Hui of Liang（梁惠王）is relevant to medical practice today ‘ What is the point of mentioning the word “profit”? All that matters is that there should be benevolence and rightness.’ 王何必曰利? 亦有仁義而已矣。）

You are now members of the medical profession. What is it to be a professional? What is medical professionalism? It is the basis of medicine’s contract with society. It demands placing the interests of patients above those of yourself, setting up and maintaining standards of competence and integrity, and providing expert advice to society in matters of health. Essential to this contract is public trust in medical doctors and nurses which depends on the integrity and expertise of individuals and the whole profession. The indoctrination of professionalism should start in medical school and I am glad this University has taken that step. We live

in a materialist world with many temptations; but you always have a choice, make the right one. The trust of patients cannot be breached.

It has been said that present day medical graduates lack the basic skill of handling people as humans, are poor at communication and lack kindness. Professor Sir David Weatherall of Oxford University stated ’A core of facts required to practice medicine together with communication skills and an understanding of social and ethical issues can be taught and continued into postgraduate training. But, except by example, no medical school can teach a young person how to be understanding and caring. This can only come from the experience of life’. I do not entirely agree as people in Hong Kong are now more socially aware. However, role models are important. The humanitarian and Nobel Laureate Dr Albert Schweitzer said ‘Example is not the main thing influencing others; it is the only thing’. Yet the art of medicine has somehow been lost amidst the science. This Faculty’s introduction of humanities into the curriculum is surely a move in the right direction.

This is a proud day for you all, and for your family, teachers and friends. Again, please accept my warmest congratulations. It is always heartening to see a new generation taking over. Medicine is a noble profession and it is up to you to keep it that way. It is also a stressful one, but do persevere.

I hope you all enjoyed your University days as much as I did and will remember your alma mater with affection and gratitude. Always be a credit to your University. As you embark on your new journey though life, may you meet with every happiness and success, and serve your patients and the community to the best of your ability. To borrow from John F Kennedy, ‘For you there is a new world to be won’.

Last but not least, I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy Year of the Rabbit.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Faculty Graduation and Prize Presentation Ceremony 2010

On January 15, 2011, some 2,500 graduands, awardees and their families and friends gathered in the Queen Elizabeth Stadium for the Faculty Graduation and Prize Presentation Ceremony. The ceremony was officiated by Professor Lap-Chee Tsui

徐立之）, Vice-Chancellor, with Professor Sir David Todd（達安輝） as the guest of honour.

At the ceremony, prizes were presented to graduands with exceptional academic achievements. Three Faculty Teaching Medals were awarded in recognition of teaching excellence to Dr William Li Ho Cheung（李浩祥）, Dr Wong Nai Sum（黃乃琛）and Professor Yuen Man Fung（袁孟峰）. The Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award was awarded to Professor Guan Yi 管軼）and Professor Malik Peiris（裴偉士）for their collective work published in Nature.

P rofessor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, a leading expert in HIV/AIDS and a 2008 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, gave the second of the University’s prestigious

Centenary Distinguished Lectures on November 22, 2010. The lecture, entitled “HIV/AIDS – a Scientific and Human Adventure in Response to an Emerging Epidemic”, was organised by the Medical Faculty in association with the HKU-Pasteur Research Centre. It attracted an audience of over 300.

The lecture, one in a series of talks launched as part of the University ’s Centenary Celebrations, was

fol lowed by a panel discussion moderated b y D e a n o f M e d i c i n e Pro fe s s o r S P Le e

李心平）. Panellists included University Council Chairman and Chairman of Hong

Kong AIDS Foundation Dr CH Leong 梁智鴻）, Co-Director of the Centre for

the Humanities and Medicine Dr Robert Peckham, and Chief Executive of AIDS Concern Ms Loretta Wong（黃慧筠）.

On the following day, a group of senior secondary school students and medical students were given the exciting opportunity to meet and exchange views with Professor Barré-Sinoussi. “Lunch with a Nobel Laureate”, an extension activity related to the lecture series, enabled the students to discuss a variety of issues with the eminent scientist, including the AIDS epidemic and the latest advancement in AIDS treatment. During the two-hour session, Professor Barré-Sinoussi also had the chance to share tips for success and her views on life.

About Professor Françoise Barré-SinoussiProfessor Barré-Sinoussi is a Professor at the Institut Pasteur and Research Director at INSERM in France. She has been involved in retrovirology research since the early 1970s and played a crucial role in the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the cause of AIDS in 1983. Her groundbreaking work has earned her more than 10 national or international awards, including the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008, which she shares with Professor Luc Montagnier.

10

HKU officially launched its Centenary Celebrations on January 9, 2011, with the HKU 100 Kick-Off Ceremony held at the Stanley Ho Sports Centre. The University’s

Centenary Celebrations, which will last for two years, began with

a parade of over 2,000 students, staff and alumni, showcasing the University’s unity and diversity. Performances, game booths and food stalls were also organised. Over 4,000 participants joined the fun-filled celebration.

Launch of HKU Centenary Celebrations

Nobel Laureate Gives Centenary Distinguished Lecture

Medical Faculty News • Inside the Faculty

T he 2010 Hong Kong International Cancer Congress, held from November 3-5, attracted over 1,000 participants with its theme of “Advances in Technology and New Perspectives

in Cancer”. The congress involved 20 sessions covering topics including molecular pathology, paediatric cancer, targeted therapy, personalised medicine, cancer imaging, gynaecology, orthopaedic surgery, public health, family physicians’ role in cancer and psycho-social oncology. Twenty-five leading local clinicians, scientists and healthcare practitioners and 13 internationally renowned overseas scientists were invited to deliver lectures and workshops.

Four Young Investigator Awards were presented to acknowledge outstanding work by young researchers and research postgraduate students. The recipients were Mr Andy Ho（何孝恩）, Centre on Behavioral Health; Ms Wylie Li（李蔚宜）, School of Public Health; Mr Vincent Cheung Chi Ho（張志豪）, Department of Pathology; and Dr Phyllis Cheung Fung Yi（張鳳兒）, Department of Surgery.

Inside the Faculty • Medical Faculty News 11

Conference Explores Integrative Medicine Against Cancer

T he 2010 International Conference on Integrative Medicine Against Cancer was held in conjunction with the 6th Pong Ding Yuen International Symposium on Traditional Chinese

Medicine and jointly organised by the School of Chinese Medicine, HKU and the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University（第二軍醫大學附屬長海醫院）, on November 27-28.

Twenty-five officiating guests got the conference underway, including Professor SP Chow（周肇平）, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU, Dr Lam Ping Yan（林秉恩）, Director of Health, Department of Health, HKSAR and Professor YC Cheng（鄭永齊）, Henry Bronson Professor of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine. The popular event drew more than 500 local and 150 mainland and overseas participants.

The 17th Hong Kong International Cancer Congress

round 200 healthcare professionals, staff, students and government officials attended the Hong Kong Public

Health Forum 2010, entitled “The Past and Future Roles of Academic Public Health”, on December 13, 2010. Professor Gabriel Leung （梁卓偉）, Under Secretary for Food and Health, officiated at the event, with Dr CH Leong （梁智鴻）, University Council Chairman, and Dr Leung Pak Yin（梁栢賢）, Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, the guests of honour.

The School of Public Health’s inaugural Anthony J Hedley Lecture was also held during the Forum, with keynote speaker Professor Hedley（賀達理） focusing his talk on “A Medical Emergency: Who Needs Academic Departments of Public Health, and Why?” Renowned speakers and participants from both healthcare and academic fields also shared their views on the future directions of public health development in Hong Kong. In his closing remarks, Professor TH Lam（林大慶）, Director of the School of Public Health, highlighted the bright future of medical practitioners given the increasing demand from Mainland China.

T he 3rd Annual Symposium for FAMILY: A Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society – BEST SCIENCE for BEST PRACTICE: Building a Harmonious Society Using

a Community-based Participatory Approach was held on December 6, 2010. The FAMILY project was launched by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in collaboration with the School of Public Health. The city-wide project, supported by HK$250 million in funding from the Trust, aims to address family

Inside the Faculty

Medical Faculty News • Inside the Faculty 12

Hong Kong Public Health Forum 2010

Building a Harmonious Society

problems and promote family health, happiness and harmony (the 3Hs) to foster a harmonious society.

Keynote speakers included Professor Meredith Minkler, University of California, Berkeley, USA and Dr Vish Viswanath, Harvard School of Public Health, USA. In addition, government officials and local community leaders/stakeholders from Sham Shui Po, Yuen Long and Kwun Tong were invited to the panel discussions on strategies for promoting the 3Hs. Professor Roland Chin（錢大康）, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of HKU, Mr Anthony Chow（周永健）, Steward of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Ms Grace Lui Kit Yuk（雷潔玉）, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs, and Professor SP Lee, Dean of Medicine, were among the officiating guests at the opening ceremony.

For more information about the FAMILY project, please visit www.family.org.hk/.

Inside the Faculty • Medical Faculty News 13

T he 9th Faculty Research Symposium, “Frontiers in Biomedical Research, HKU 2010”, was successfully held on December 3, 2010. The symposium featured three parallel

sessions on the Faculty’s strategic research areas: cancer; heart, brain, hormone and healthy aging; infection and immunology; public health; and reproduction, development and growth. The rapidly evolving fields of stem cells and genomics were also part of the programme. Twelve renowned overseas keynote speakers, together with two Best Research Output and Outstanding Young Researcher Awardees and 10 local experts from HKU were invited to present their latest discoveries. Riding on its success in the past

T he “Frontiers in Medical and Health Sciences Education: Assuring Excellence in Medical and Health Sciences Education” conference was held on December 10-

11, 2010. The conference, organised by the Institute of Medical

T he HKU-Pasteur Research Centre (HKU-PRC) organised the Annual Scientific Meeting and the 43rd Council of Directors of the Institut Pasteur International Network from November 22-25, 2010. The meeting began with a keynote lecture by Professor Françoise Barré-

Sinoussi, joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008 for the discovery of HIV. Three thematic sessions on current research in vaccine preventable diseases, neglected diseases, and networking to improve health were also held.

In addition, the meeting marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of HKU-PRC. At the opening ceremony, Professor Alice Dautry, President of the Institut Pasteur, and Professor Paul Tam（譚廣亨）, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU, praised the results of the partnership in fighting infectious diseases through biological research and teaching. They also paid tribute to the late chairman of HKU-PRC, Dr James Kung Ziang Mien（孔祥勉）.

nine years, the symposium was well received and attracted around 900 participants.

and Health Sciences Education, focused on four themes: outcome-based professional training in quality assurance; quality assurance of professionalism; tools in quality assurance; and quality assurance in assessment. Plenary sessions were presented by distinguished overseas and local scholars, including Professor Richard Baker, University of Leicester, UK; Professor David Fielding, University of British Columbia, Canada; Professor Amanda Howe, University of East Anglia, UK; Professor Elizabeth Farmer, Health Workforce, Australia; Professor Kevin Eva, University of British Columbia, Canada; Dr CT Hung（熊志添）, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and Dr Yibin Feng（馮奕斌）, Professor Grace Tang（鄧惠瓊）and Dr Agnes Tiwari（羅鳳儀）of HKU. The conference drew nearly 150 overseas and local participants.

Annual Scientific Meeting and 43rd Council of Directors of the Institut Pasteur International Network

Focus on Quality Assurance at Medical and Health Sciences Education Conference

Frontiers in Biomedical Research, HKU 2010

Medical Faculty News • Inside the Faculty 14

Inside the Faculty

F ollowing a generous donation from Dr Lily Sun Sui Fong（孫穗芳）, Dr Sun Yat-sen’s granddaughter and President of Dr Sun Yat-sen Foundation for Peace and Education,

a bronze statue of the Father of Nation has been erected in the Foyer of Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre on the medical campus. The unveiling ceremony took place on December 20,

2010, with officiating guests i n c l u d i n g D r L i l y S u n , Dr CH Leong, Professor Paul Tam, Professor SP Lee and Professor NK Leung 梁乃江）, President of HKU

Medical Alumni Association.

t a reception held on October 11, 2010, the 13th intake of Dr Cheng Yu Tung（鄭裕彤） Fellows expressed their

gratitude to Dr Cheng for his generosity and support. At the event, Dr Yu Jiaole（于皎樂）, a 2007-08 Fellow, shared her experience of the scheme and its impact. As with 32 other ex-Fellows, Dr Yu proceeded to higher degree studies (PhD) at HKU on completion of her fellowship training.

D r C h e n g e n c o u r a g e d t h e Fel lows to make the best

u s e o f t h e i r l e a r n i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s , a n d transfer the knowledge acquired at HKU back to their home institutions

in the Mainland.

Professor SP Lee, Dean of Medicine, thanked Dr Lily Sun for her donation and staunch support. He also noted how Dr Sun Yat-sen had been an excellent role model down the generations with regard to excelling in our endeavours and contributing to the community and the nation.

Dr Sun Yat-sen graduated from the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, predecessor of HKU Medical Faculty, in 1892. During his five years’ study, Dr Sun not only became a doctor, but also nurtured his revolutionary ideas, leading to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, a milestone in the history of modern China.

Established in 1998, Dr Cheng Yu Tung Fellowships aim to assist Fellows from Mainland China to undertake clinical attachment, management and research training at the Medical Faculty. A total of 218 Fellows have received support so far. Details of the scheme are available at www.hku.hk/facmed/04research_fellow_ drcheng.htm.

T he Medical Faculty received a record 6,500 visitors at HKU Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions on October 30, 2010. The event aims to introduce the Faculty’s latest

education, research and clinical developments to visitors. Activities included admission talks, guided tours, mock problem-based learning sessions, clinical and nursing skills demonstrations, exhibitions, video shows as well as interactive games and sharing sessions. Schools, departments and various facilities were also opened to the public to enable people to gain a better understanding of campus life for members of the Faculty.

Reception for Dr Cheng Yu Tung Fellows 2010-2011

Strengthening the Centenary Connection between Dr Sun Yat-sen and the Faculty

Information Day for Undergraduate Admissions First New Year Baby Born to MBBS Alumni Couple

Alumni News

HK U MA A Fo u n d i n g Pre s i d e n t Pro fe s s o r R o s i e Yo u n g 楊紫芝）(MBBS 1953) and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor

SP Chow（周肇平）(MBBS 1968) visited Vancouver in October and held a lunch gathering for MBBS alumni residing there. The event took place on October 9, 2010, with 24 alumni attending.

HKU Medical Alumni Association (HKUMAA) organised its annual outing on December 12, 2010, enabling over 80 alumni and

their families to get together for a relaxing and educational day at the Geopark. The park is located in Hong Kong’s Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region, an area with rich geological resources and scenic value. During the outing, participants enjoyed a boat trip and guided walking tour of some of Hong Kong’s most spectacular natural landscapes, including Toto Channel, Double Haven and Ap Chau, followed by a special village seafood dinner in Kat O.

Outing to Hong Kong Geopark and Dinner in Kat O

Programme Sub-Committee 2010-2011Chairperson Dr Kathleen So（蘇碧嫺）(MBBS 1971)

Secretary Dr Chong Lai Yin（莊禮賢）(MBBS 1979)

Members Dr Edmund Chan（陳祖鈞）(MBBS 1986) Dr Kingsley Chan（陳厚毅）(MBBS 2000) Dr Eliza Fung（馮寶恩）(MBBS 1997) Dr aziz Kam（甘嘉維）(MBBS 2010) Dr Barbara Lam（藍章翔）(MBBS 1981) Dr Kevin Lau（劉仲恆）(MBBS 2005) Professor Leung nai Kong（梁乃江）(MBBS 1966) Dr Janice Tsang（曾詠恆）(MBBS 1999) Dr Tsui Sik Hon（徐鍚漢）(MBBS 1990) Dr victor Yeung（楊協和）(MBBS 2006)

Overseas Gathering

First New Year Baby Born to MBBS Alumni Couple

Two MBBS 2006 graduates welcomed in theNew Year with a very special event when their baby became

the first to be born in Hong Kong in 2011. Mother Dr Noella Lo Lok Yan（羅樂欣）, who is married to Dr Ivan Tsang Cheuk Hang（曾卓恆）, was delighted by the early arrival. The baby boy, weighing in at 2.7kg, had been expected on January 5. “I’m very happy that he was born on January 1, 2011. A new year means a good beginning, and my baby is the best gift to celebrate it,” said Noella, who is herself a gynaecologist. We send our warmest congratulations to the Tsangs and wish them joy.

15Alumni News • Medical Faculty News

16 Medical Faculty News • Alumni News

50th Anniversary Reunion – Dinner at Luk Kwok Hotel (November 28, 2010)

Class Reunions

45th Anniversary Reunion Dinner (November 9 , 2010)

40th Anniversary Reunion – Dinner and talk at Alumni Chamber (November 9, 2010)

30th Anniversary Reunion – Visit to the Faculty and dinner at Loke Yew Hall (July 10, 2010)

Class 1960

Class 1965

Class 1970

Class 1980

Alumni News

25th Anniversary Reunion Dinner (December 4, 2010)Class 1985

Class 1990

Class 2000

10th Anniversary Reunion – Dinner at Hong Kong Football Club (November 20, 2010)

20th Anniversary Reunion - Dinner at Alumni Chamber (November 20, 2010)

To Serve Those Who Serve – Community Service for Foreign Domestic HelpersHealth Committee, MS, HKUSU

When it comes to Sundays, many people enjoy sleeping in late

or spending quality time with friends and family. However,

days off can also be fulfilling when spent serving the community. On

September 19, 2010, a group of students from the Medical Faculty

went to Statue Square and Chater Garden in Central to discuss health-

related issues with foreign domestic helpers. The students talked to

Pharmacy Society EstablishedPharmacy Society, MS, HKUSU

the helpers about diseases they may be susceptible to in their work,

for example, irritant contact dermatitis, and rectified misconceptions

about household first-aid and medical knowledge. Some 250 people

received information and the feedback from both foreign domestic

helpers and students was very positive.

The Pharmacy Society held its Establishment Ceremony on

October 22, 2010. The Society seeks to provide services and

welfare to its members, to represent these pharmacists-to-be, and

to promote better understanding of the role of pharmacists in the

community.

Officiating at this memorable event were Mr William Chui（崔俊明）, Chief of Pharmacy Service, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hospital

Authority ; Dr Sian Ng（吳楚珊), President of the Hong Kong

Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry ; Dr Alan J Worsley

and Professor Ricky Man（文英強）from the Department of

Pharmacology and Pharmacy; and Professor YS Chan（陳應城）,

the Medical Faculty ’s Associate Dean of Academic Networking

& Student Affairs. Over 100 guests from the pharmacy field and

related medical student bodies attended the occasion.

Next Generation

The annual Health Exhibition 2010, organised by medical

students, took place at Tsuen Wan Plaza and Shatin Town Hall on

October 2-3, and October 9-10, 2010 respectively. The 2010 exhibition,

organised in collaboration with the Hong Kong Thoracic Society,

focused on respiratory health issues affecting the Hong Kong public.

The event covered a number of common, serious and misunderstood

respiratory health topics and lifestyle tips, ranging from “cold vs flu”

and allergic rhinitis to asthma and smoking cessation.

During the exhibition, visitors were also given information on

and screened for potentially debilitating lung illnesses. Health

checks included blood pressure measurement, BMI measurement,

pulse oximetry, a lung function test and peak expiratory flow rate

measurement.

Founded in 1987, the Health Exhibition Organising Committee is

dedicated to disease prevention and general health education. This

year’s interesting and informative look at the respiratory system

attracted over 2,000 visitors.

Health Exhibition 2010: “Lung Express: Year of the Lung 2010”Health Exhibition Organising Committee, Medical Society (MS), HKUSU

17Next Generation • Medical Faculty News

On October 4, 2010, hundreds of Faculty freshmen

gathered for lunch to kick off the Buddy Scheme for

2010-2011. At the event, freshmen were warmly welcomed

by senior classmates and prepared for their challenging but

fruitful educational journey ahead.

Organised as part of the Programme for Effective Transition

and Student Suppor t (PET TS) , the Buddy Scheme

encourages senior year students to serve as big brothers

or sisters to students who have just joined the Faculty.

Through regular gatherings, the scheme seeks to ease

freshmen’s integration

into univers ity l i fe

through support from

fellow students.

Fan Pui Lunchtime Programme: “What We Talk About When We Talk About LOVE” by Mr Ong Yi Hing

Popular Hong Kong writer Mr Ong Yi Hing（王貽興）, the youngest

winner of the Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature, gave

a well-received talk on the philosophy of love on November 1, 2010. Mr Ong

is famous for his unique descriptions of life, love and dreams, and

in particular the complicated nature of relationships. In this

thought-provoking presentation, he focused on the

various ways that love is interpreted in today’s world,

drawing around 200 students and teachers. Mr Ong

also engaged in direct discussion with members of

the audience, adding to the relaxed but stimulating

nature of the event.

Next Generation

Medic Festival 2010

The Medical Society successfully held the Medic Festival 2010 in October, presenting a varied collection

of activities in line with this year’s “collage” theme. Programmes included a Halloween uniform

party, lunch gathering and, to end the event, a talent quest where skills on display ranged from

singing and playing the violin to drama, magic tricks and dancing. Miss Cathy Shum,

a BNurs Year 1 student, captured the championship of the singing division

while Simon Wong (MBBS II) became the champion in the non-

singing division with a wonderful magic show.

New Friends Lunch – Buddy Scheme 2010/2011

Medical Faculty News • Next Generation18

Poster Presentations

Miss Cheung Tsz Yan（張芷恩）, MPhil (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology)Mr Lee Kin Shing（李鍵成）, PhD (Department of Biochemistry)Miss Chen Meipian（陳美翩）, PhD (Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)Ms Ge Xuan（戈萱）, PhD (Department of Medicine)Miss Yu Jiaole（于皎樂）, PhD (Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)Miss Zhang Yingying（張瑩瑩）, PhD (Department of Medicine)Miss Wang Zuhao（汪祖昊）, MPhil (School of Chinese Medicine)Miss Mary Wu Kendra（吳梓明）, PhD (Department of Community Medicine)Mr Peter Cheung Pak Hang（張栢恆）, PhD (Department of Microbiology)Mrs Isabelle Cecile Angele Dutry, PhD (Department of Microbiology)Miss Kwan Hoi Tung（關愷彤）, MPhil (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology)Mr Lam Siu Chi（林少志）, PhD (Department of Medicine)

Oral Presentations

Ms Liu Ling（劉凌）, PhD (Department of Medicine)Miss Lo Wai U（羅慧瑜）, PhD (Department of Microbiology)Mr Tam Wai Kit（譚偉傑）, PhD (Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology)

15th Research Postgraduate Symposium

O ver 300 students presented posters and

almost 100 gave oral presentations at the 15th

Research Postgraduate Symposium held on December

1-2, 2010. The Symposium was honoured to have

six renowned academics from around the world

as chairpersons or adjudicators at the parallel oral

presentation sessions and the plenary session. Miss

Au Leung Kuen（區良娟）, PhD candidate from the

Department of Pathology, won the Best Presentation

Award. Students who gave the best presentations at

the parallel sessions received Certificates of Merit:

19Congratulations • Medical Faculty News

Congratulations

Professor Chan Ying Shing（陳應城）, Professor of the

Department of Physiology, has been awarded the Outstanding

Research Student Supervisor Award by the University.

Professor Fan Sheung Tat（范上達）, Sun Chieh Yeh Chair of

Hepatobiliary Surgery and Head of the Department of Surgery,

has been awarded Honorary Fellowship from The College of

Surgeons of Hong Kong. Professor Fan has also been awarded the

Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress by The Ho Leung

Ho Lee Foundation.

Professor Guan Xin Yuan（關新元）, Professor of the

Department of Clinical Oncology and collaborators at Fudan

University, have been awarded the Second Class State Natural

Science Award（2010年度國家自然科學獎二等獎）by the

National Office of Science and Technology Awards for the

project entitled “The identification and significance of the novel

mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis”.

Professor Ho Pak Chung（何柏松）, Chair of Obstetrics

a n d G y n a e co l o g y o f t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f O b s te t r i c s

& Gynaecology, has been awarded Honorary Fellowship from

The Korean Society of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

Professor Mary Ip Sau Man（葉秀文）, Mok Hing Yiu Professor

in Respiratory Medicine of the Department of Medicine, has been

awarded the Harasawa Award for research achievements by the

Asian Pacific of Society of Respirology.

Professor Lam Tai Hing（林大慶）, Sir Robert Kotewell

Professor in Public Health and Director of the School of Public

Health and Professor Gabriel Leung（梁卓偉）, Professor

of the School of Public Health, together with collaborators

f rom the Guangzhou 12th Hospita l and Univers i t y of

Birmingham, have been awarded the First-class Award of

the Guangzhou Scientific and Technology Progress Award

廣州市科學技術獎勵一等獎）by Guangzhou Pe ople ’s

Government for the project entitled “Guangzhou Biobank Project:

Professor Lau Chak Sing（劉澤星）, Chair of Rheumatology

and Clinical Immunology of the Department of Medicine, has

The paper entitled “A Mutation in Ihh that Causes Digit

Abnormalities Alters Its Signaling Capacity and Range”, published

in Nature, April 2009, authored by Dr Martin Cheung Chi Hang

張知恆）, P r o f e s s o r K a t h r y n C h e a h（謝賞恩）an d

Achievements & Awards

Appointment

Publications

Establishment and studies on environmental factors and major

chronic diseases”.

Professor William Wei（韋霖）, Li Shu Pui Professor in Surgery

and Chair in Otorhinolaryngolgy, has been awarded Honorary

Fellowship from The American College of Surgeons.

Professor Yuen Kwok Yung（袁國勇）and Professor Guan Yi

管軼）of the Department of Microbiology, have been awarded

the Excellent Research Awards (Basic and Laboratory Science)

respectively at the Health Research Symposium 2010 hosted by

the Food and Health Bureau. On the same occasion, Dr Benjamin

Cowling（高本恩) and Dr Irene Wong Oi Ling（黃愛玲) have

been awarded the Excellent Research Award (Public Health) and

the Excellent Research Award (Health and Health Services Research)

respectively.

Professor Yuen Man Fung（袁孟峰）, Clinical Professor of the

Department of Medicine, has been awarded the Outstanding

Researcher Award by the University.

Dr Agnes Fung Yee Tiwari（羅鳳儀）, Associate Professor of the

School of Nursing, has been awarded International Fellowship from

The American Academy of Nursing.

Dr Eric Tse Wai Choi（謝偉財）, Clinical Associate Professor of

the Department of Medicine, and Dr Wang Yu（汪玉）, Assistant

Professor of the Department of Pharmacology & Pharmacy, have

been awarded the Outstanding Young Researcher Award by the

University.

Dr Zhongjun Zhou（周中軍）, Associate Professor of the

Depar tment of Biochemistr y, and collaborators f rom the

Mainland, has been awarded the Second Class State Scientific and

Technological Progress Award（2010年度國家科技進步獎二等獎）by the National Office of Science and Technology Awards for the

project entitled “Study on the molecular mechanisms modulating

aging as well as the establishment and application of individual

aging-evaluating system”.

been appointed Director of the Institute of Medical and Health

Sciences Education.

Dr Danny Chan（陳振勝）of the Department of Biochemistry and

collaborators, has been awarded the Research Output Prize by the

University.

Medical Faculty News • Congratulations & Media Highlights20

Congratulations

Dean Awarded International Honours

D e a n o f M e d i c i n e P r o f e s s o r S P L e e

李心平）recently received two prestigious

international accolades in recognition of

his achievements in scientif ic research

and patient care. Professor Lee is the first

Asian recipient of the AASLD Distinguished

Achievement Award, presented to him by The

American Association for the Study of Liver

Diseases (AASLD). Professor Lee has also been

bestowed Master of the American College of

Gastroenterology (ACG).

In a news report, Professor Lee said he felt deeply honoured, yet

greatly humbled and inspired by the awards. “It is wonderful

recognition for Asia, China, and Hong Kong as well as HKU. I am

grateful to Hong Kong, a place that provided me with education

and inspired my life-long career.” He also emphasised that the

awards did not belong to him as an individual, but to his whole

research team, which has been most dedicated and working

diligently for decades.

The AASLD Distinguished Achievement Award is given to an

individual in recognition of sustained scientific contributions

to the field of liver disease and the scientific foundations of

hepatology. The award honoured Professor Lee’s prolific lifelong

contributions to multidisciplinary research on hepato-biliary

physiology, including the biochemistry of bile secretion, physical

chemistry of biliary lipids, and cell biology of

the biliary epithelium, all of which correlated

with clinical observations in patients suffering

from biliary diseases and gallstones. The 2010

AASLD Distinguished Awards were presented

at The Liver Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts

in November. The honour from the ACG

is a rare tribute to physicians who have

demonstrated distinguished service to the

College and to gastrointestinal patient care

and education. More than 11,750 physicians

from 82 countries are ACG members. The honour was conferred

at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio, Texas in

October. Professor Lee is particularly pleased that Professor

Joseph Leung Wing Cheong 梁永昌）(MBBS 1975) has received

the same award marking this an unprecedented honour to the

University of Hong Kong.

Professor Lee received his MBBS (1970) and MD (1980) degrees

from HKU and has an outstanding career spanning Hong Kong,

New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and the US. He has served as an

adviser to several major scientific journals and research funding

agencies, and has received numerous recognitions and awards. He

was the Head of the Division of Gastroenterology at the University

of Washington School of Medicine Teaching Hospitals for 13 years

before returning to HKU to take up the Deanship at the Li Ka Shing

Faculty of Medicine.

To keep the Hong Kong community informed of the latest developments in health-related issues, and to encourage a healthy

lifestyle, the Faculty produces regular radio programmes and health columns in local newspapers. Newspaper columns include the Oriental Daily News《東方日報醫健寶庫系列》(Sundays), Apple Daily《蘋果

Media Highlights

Sep 6

Sep 26

oct 6

Dec 15

HKU study on the association between discontinuation of medication and relapse in early psychosis 港大研究停藥及復發在早期思覺失調病人的關係

HKU surveys family communication patterns in Hong Kong – more praise more happiness – a study under the FAMILY Project: a Jockey Club initiative for a harmonious society 港大「愛 + 人：賽馬會和諧社會計劃」調查香港家庭溝通模式─多點讚賞，多點快樂

HKU finds male psychosis patients in Hong Kong have longer delays and poorer response to treatment – a study under the Jockey Club Early Psychosis (JCEP) Project 港大「賽馬會思覺健康計劃」發現思覺失調男性患者 延醫較長 療效較差

HKU clinical study on treating post-stroke depression by acupuncture港大針灸治療中風後抑鬱臨床研究

日報醫學教室系列》 (alternate Wednesdays) and am730 《香港大學學生會健康展覽《環遊肺界》系列》, 《港大幹細胞研究系列》and《港大醫學研究中心巡禮》(Mondays). Please visit our Public Health Information section at www.hku.hk/facmed to find out more. Recent Faculty press events were:

People

1,000,000 or above

Mr Lam Sum CheeIn support of the research on childhood genetics and immunology undertaken by Professor YL Lau of the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

The Li Shu Pui Medical FoundationIn support of the establishment of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Training Centre of the Department of Surgery

Sun Chieh Yeh Heart FoundationIn support of the cardiovascular research undertaken by the Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone & Healthy Aging

500,000 or above

Mrs Fong Tam Yuen LeungIn support of the “Mrs Fong Tam Yuen Leung Liver Research Fund” of the Department of Surgery

100,000 or above

anonymous In support of the research in joint replacement surgery and treatment of arthritic conditions undertaken by Professor KY Chiu and Dr CH Yan of the Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology

Dr Fung Ching FaiIn support of the academic development in the Division of Neurosurgery of the Department of Surgery

Mr & Mrs Lo Chung HinIn support of the research project entitled “Development of Antimicrobial Peptide Coated Metallic Implant for Bone Fracture Fixation” undertaken by Dr Kelvin Yeung of the Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology

Mr warren wong Kam Fai In support of the research activities undertaken by Dr Y Feng of the School of Chinese Medicine

In alphabetical order of last name or organisation name

Donations

The Faculty sincerely thanks the following donors for their generous support.

GoodbyeWe would like to express our gratitude and

send our best wishes to the following staff

members who have left/ will be leaving the

Faculty:

Professor Annie Kung Wai Chee（龔慧慈）,

Department of Medicine

Dr Kenneth Law Siu Kei（羅兆基）,

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Dr Vincent Cheung Yuk Tong（張煜棠）,

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Dr Beatrice Nal-Rogier,

HKU Pasteur Research Centre

University of Melbourne in 1997, and has been a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians since 2005. Dr Tan is a luminal gastroenterologist with published research interests in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, functional dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease, celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr Ian Wong Yat Hin（王逸軒）joined the Eye Institute as Clinical Assistant Professor in December 2010. Dr Wong

obtained his medical degree from HKU in 2003, and became the Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (Ophthalmology) in 2010. Dr Wong specialises in the field of retina, with main research areas on the screening and treatment modalit ies of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and other posterior segment disorders. He is also interested in the imaging of retina using optical coherence tomography.

Dr William Wong Chi Wai （ 黃 志 威 ) j o i n e d t h e Department of Family Medicine & Pr imar y Care as C l in ica l

Associate Professor in October 2010. Dr Wong graduated from the University of Edinburgh and completed his general practice training at St Thomas’ Hospital, London in 1998. Apart from working in the UK, he has also worked in China and Australia. His research interests reflect the breath and diverse nature of family medicine, but principally focus on sexual health, health equity and health promotion. He has published over 80 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and is an Associate Editor for Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Dr Cheung King Ho（張敬浩）joined the Department of Physiology as Assistant Professor in November 2010. Dr Cheung

obtained his PhD degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 2004 and then pursued his post-doctoral training in the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He worked closely with Professor J Kevin Foskett to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of calcium dysregulation in Alzheimer ’s disease. His current research interests focus on the structure-function of intracellular calcium channels and their roles in disease pathogenesis.

Dr Nikki Lee Pui Yue（李珮瑜）joined the Department of Surgery as Assistant Professor in August 2010. She obtained

her doctoral degree on research regarding reproduction from HKU in 2004. After that, she received her post-doctoral training in the Department of Surgery of HKU, focused on the use of proteomics in identifying oncofetal molecules of liver cancers. Her current research interests are molecular characterisations of oncofetal molecules as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for liver cancer.

Dr Victoria Tan（陳萍兒）jo ined the D epar tment o f Medicine as Clinical Assistant Professor in October 2010. Dr

Tan obtained her medical degree from the

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21 People & Donations • Medical Faculty News

Dr Thomas Yau Chung Cheung（邱宗祥）joined the Centre for Cancer Research in November 2010, and is working as Clinical

Assistant Professor in Medical Oncology in both Departments of Surgery and Medicine. Dr Yau obtained his medical degree from HKU in 1998. He started his medical oncology training initially at Queen Mary Hospital and later worked as Clinical Research Fellow at Royal Marsden Hospital, London in 2003 - 2004. He also worked as a visiting faculty in Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Centre, Harvard Medical School in 2010. His main research interests include gastrointestinal oncology, early phase clinical trials and translational research.

ForthcomingEvents

April

Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) Provider Course Date April 1 – 2, 2011Venue Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital InformationCourse Administrator, Department of SurgeryTel: 2255 4885 / 2255 4886 Fax: 2819 3416Email: qmhsdc@hku.hk Website: www3.hku.hk/surgery/atcn.php

3rd HKU-Pasteur Cell BiologyDate April 10 – 22, 2011Venue HKU-Pasteur Research Centre, 1/F, Dexter HC Man Building, 8 Sassoon Road, PokfulamInformation Ms Anne LiTel: 2816 8403 Fax: 2872 5782Email: hku-pasteur@hku.hkWebsite: www.hkupasteur.hku.hk

Croucher ASI on “Mitochondrial Stress in Diabetes and Aging”Date April 29, 2011 Venue Mrs Chen Yang Foo Oi Telemedicine Centre2/F, William MW Mong Block21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam Information Ms Phoebe ChowResearch Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone & Healthy Aging Tel: 2819 9866 Fax: 2816 2293Email: hbha@hkucc.hku.hkWebsite: www.hku.hk/hbha

All rights reserved 2011

March6th International Symposium on Healthy Aging: A New Golden AgeDateMarch 5 – 6, 2011 VenueThe Ballroom, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers InformationMs Phoebe ChowResearch Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone & Healthy Aging Tel: 2819 9866 Fax: 2816 2293Email: hbha@hkucc.hku.hk Website: www.hku.hk/hbha

Postgraduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Health – Module on Cardiorespiratory Health and LifestyleDateMarch 5 – 6, 2011 VenueRoom 120, 1/F, New Clinical BuildingQueen Mary HospitalInformationMs Dora Lai Tel: 2817 0641 Fax: 2855 1523Email: paedoff@hkucc.hku.hk Website: www.hku.hk/paed

Explore the World of Medicine: Public Lecture Series 2011育醫造才：探索醫學世界2011公開講座系列Topics

March 5, 2011Knowledge on reproduction生殖學新知

April 2, 2011Disorders of Aging: Anemia and Rheumatological Diseases認識老年病：貧血症及免疫系統疾病VenueLecture Theatre, Hong Kong Central LibraryCauseway Bay, Hong KongInformationTel: 2819 9994 Fax: 2974 0678Email: medfac@hku.hkWebsite: www.med.hku.hk/publiclecture

Update Certificate Course in NephrologyDate March 12 – 13, 2011 VenueLecture Theatre 1, Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre, William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, PokfulamInformationMs Celia Chor, Department of MedicineTel: 2255 4607 Fax: 2816 2863Email: wlchor@hku.hkWebsite: www.hku.hk/medicine/postdip_certcourse.htm

JanuaryAdvanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Student Course Date January 7 – 9, February 25 – 27, March 11 – 13, April 1 – 3 & April 15 – 17, 2011VenueDepartment of Surgery, Queen Mary HospitalInformationCourse Administrator, Department of SurgeryTel: 2255 4885 / 2255 4886 Fax: 2819 3416Email: qmhsdc@hku.hk Website: www3.hku.hk/surgery/atls.php

Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) Provider Course Date January 22 & 30, March 13 & 27, 2011Venue Hong Kong St. John Ambulance Association, St. John Tower, 2 Macdonnell Road, Hong KongInformationHong Kong St. John Ambulance AssociationTel: 2530 8020 Fax: 2976 0457Email: assn@stjohn.org.hkWebsite: www3.hku.hk/surgery/phtls.php

Croucher ASI on “Molecular Genetics and Clinical Advances in the Study of Esophageal and Gastric Cancers” Date January 23 – 27, 2011Venue Lecture Theatre 3, Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre & Mrs Chen Yang Foo Oi Telemedicine Centre, William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, PokfulamInformationASI Secretariat, Department of Surgery Tel: 2255 4885 / 2255 4886 Fax: 2819 3416 Email: hkussc@hku.hk

FebruaryInformation Day for Master of Public HealthDate February 2 & March 19, 2011 Venue Seminar Room 6, LG1/F, Laboratory Block21 Sassoon Road, PokfulamInformation Ms Cindy Koon, School of Public HealthTel: 2819 9140 Fax: 2855 9528Email: cmdpgrd@hku.hkWebsite: web.hku.hk/~cmdmph/