A top adviser to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), which is vying to set up the city’s third medical school, has said the institution could attract top scholars and greater resources despite its lack of experience in training health professionals.
Advertisement
Urologist Dr Leong Che-hung, chairman of the university’s Council Advisory Group and former chairman of the Hospital Authority, said last week the school’s unique strengths in nurturing physician-scientists would be appealing to those “sharing the same vision”.
“HKUST has no medical background, but it could do it. CUHK also [had] a blank slate when it set up its medical school,” he said, referring to the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“The idea is to uplift Hong Kong’s healthcare by training doctors that can do both clinical and research work that we need … the school would definitely attract academics who share the same vision.”
He said HKUST’s approach had already attracted top overseas experts to join the advisory group. They include former British health minister Professor Ara Darzi, renowned HIV/Aids researcher Dr David Ho Dai-i and Tsinghua University medical school head Professor Wong Tien Yin. The group has yet to convene a meeting.
Advertisement
HKUST’s strong research background in basic life sciences and artificial intelligence (AI) also gave it a competitive edge, he added.
