The Medical Faculty of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is the longest established institution in higher education of Hong Kong. It was founded as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by London Missionary Society in 1887, and was renamed as the Hong Kong College of Medicine in 1907.
The Faculty was deemed as the premier Faculty when the University was established in 1911. Serving Hong Kong for over a century, it has firmly established itself as a medical school of learning, innovation, and enterprising; it is a medical school of moral, vision, and care. Since its inception, the Faculty has been playing a pioneering role in medical education, training and research.
From its modest beginning, the Faculty has now become the largest faculty of the University, with over 400 full-time academic and academic-related staff and 800 research and research-related support personnel. The undergraduate student population is about 2,900 and the postgraduate student population is about 1,500. The Faculty is comprised of 14 departments, School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Chinese Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Public Health and a number of research centres focusing on various strengths of research.
FACULTY BROCHURE FACULTY VIDEO
1887
The Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (later re-named the Hong Kong College of Medicine in 1907) is formally opened with Sir Patrick Manson as its founding Dean.
1892
Dr Sun Yat-sen is one of the first two graduates from the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese.
1911
The University of Hong Kong is formally opened, incorporating the Hong Kong College of Medicine as its first faculty – the Faculty of Medicine.
1937
Queen Mary Hospital opens and becomes the base of clinical teaching.
1965
The Li Shu Fan Building on Sassoon Road opens, accommodating preclinical departments.
1987
The Faculty is the first tertiary education institution in Hong Kong to celebrate its centenary.
1995
The full-time Bachelor of Nursing programme is launched.
1997
The Faculty reforms its undergraduate curriculum and becomes the first medical institute in the region to adopt a student-centred, problem-based approach to medical teaching and learning.
2002
The Medical Faculty moves into a new state-of-the-art complex on Sassoon Road.
The full-time Bachelor of Chinese Medicine programme is launched.
2003
The HKU medical team discovers the SARS coronavirus.
Premier WEN Jiabao visits the Faculty in acknowledgement of our dedication and achievements in fighting SARS. This is the first time a Chinese Premier has visited a university in Hong Kong.
2005
A State Key Laboratory is established, for Emerging Infectious Diseases. This is the first such laboratory to be located outside Mainland China.
In recognition of a generous donation from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, the Faculty is renamed as Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.
2009
The Faculty launches the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme.
2010
The Faculty ranks No. 1 in Asia in the category “Clinical, Pre-clinical and Health Universities” of the 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
2012
The Faculty launches the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences programme.