People at the centre I mentioned at the start that people are at the centre of everything we do at HKUMed. Our planned activities and infrastructure are only of value if we have talented, ambitious people in place who are keen to use the coming opportunities to experiment and grow. This is as true for students, in terms of the quality of intake, as it is for staff. While we have some control over policies and incentives for students, we face some constraints for staff, such as the funding model for Hong Kong higher education and research and the University’s HR policies. My team and I are working around these constraints by sharpening our organisation and making the Faculty even more attractive for potential scholars. This year, for instance, saw the organic integration of clinical medicine departments into the new School of Clinical Medicine, which opened in February this year and will deepen opportunities for transdisciplinary research. We are also incentivising new research by re-launching the HKUMed Clinical Research Fellowship to encourage early-career doctors to undertake research, and increasing the number of awards for the HKUMed Research Fellowship Scheme for Clinical Academics. Disciplinary leadership in the Faculty is also being enhanced by empowering Heads and Chairpersons of departments, and promoting communication with a view to build higher morale and mutual trust. 13 THE DEAN’S LETTER
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