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HKUST unveils panel of leading experts to strengthen plan for Hong Kong’s third medical school

Online Niel November 4, 2024

A Hong Kong university which aims to lead the city’s third medical school, has recruited a star-studded line-up of experts to advise the plan, including a local medical and political heavyweight, a former British health minister and a Laureate of the Nobel.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), which is currently competing with two other local universities that have expressed interest in running the city’s third medical school, announced on Monday that it has formed an advisory body to to provide “professional and strategic advice”. ” to his board of directors to formulate his plan.

The Council’s advisory group will be chaired by Edward Leong Che-hung, a urologist who has previously held a range of public roles, including MP representing the medical sector and President of the Council. Hospital Authority. Previously, Leong also served as chairman of the board of the University of Hong Kong.

Dr Edward Leong at Yuen Yick Building in Central in July 2018: Photo: Xiaomei Chen

He will be joined by a strong line-up of overseas experts in the group.

They include Professor Lord Ara Darzi, former UK Health Secretary and Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London; Professor David Ho Dai-i, an American researcher best known for his invention of cocktail therapy for HIV/AIDS; Roger Kornberg, professor of medicine at Stanford University, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2006; and Professor Wong Tien Yin, an ophthalmologist from Singapore who was the founding head of the renovated medical school at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

“The Council’s advisory group will provide its critical expertise and knowledge to the university council, which will help lead the key development direction of this important project to address the challenge of physician shortages amid (the city’s) aging population,” HKUST said. in a press release.

Current board chairman Professor Harry Shum Heung-yeung said he was confident Leong’s experience could help the university best position itself to operate its third medical school.

“I am confident that Dr. Leong’s deep understanding of Hong Kong’s healthcare and public education sector will guide our efforts in pursuing an innovative strategic position that complements our two existing medical schools,” said Shum.