On recruitment, we are deploying internationally competitive packages and pressing ahead with our 140-for-140 programme to recruit 140 additional scholars by the time of our 140th anniversary in 2027. We are also promoting talent within the Faculty. Professor Gilberto Leung, for instance, is the new Co-Director of the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, succeeding Dr Philip Beh who has done a stellar job in this role for the past 10 years. Two other notable departures this year were Professor Anne Lee, Clinical Professor and Head of the Department of Clinical Oncology, and Professor Eric Chen, Chi-Li Pao Foundation Professor, Chair Professor in Psychiatry and Head of Psychiatry who, among other things, developed one of the first comprehensive early psychosis intervention programmes in Asia. I thank them heartily for their service and wish them well in their future endeavours. In a recent Townhall Meeting, one of our professors reminded me that, as a comprehensive medical faculty, we must not lose sight of the importance of all disciplines when strategising HKUMed’s academic development. Every member of our Faculty plays a role in propelling HKUMed forward, be they student, lecturer, researcher or administrative supporting staff. HKUMed in turn should support our members, not only in helping them to map out their career paths but also making them feel engaged and supported. Even the simplest gestures can have impact. On the day we launched our third mentorship scheme last month, a newly joined Clinical Assistant Professor told me how, in 2015 when he was working as a resident in the United States, he found my email contact from the University’s website and wrote to me asking about the prospects of Clinical Immunology in Hong Kong. Although I did not know who this stranger was, I replied to him with an assessment within hours and he told me that my response made him decide to come to Hong Kong once he finished his training. He subsequently joined Queen Mary Hospital’s Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine as a specialist resident before eventually joining HKUMed. Our Faculty is built on the commitment and excellence of all its current members and those who came before us. We have been celebrating their achievements this year in our 135th anniversary festivities. Anniversaries are times to reflect, as well as to look forward. HKUMed has achieved remarkable things for a Faculty that is relatively small compared to medical schools of a similar international standing. We are now perched on a magnificent springboard for escalating to new heights as we welcome a much-needed influx of resources and people. But at the same time, we should not forget our origins. HKUMed has excelled because of its people. My job is to look after this resource – to look after you – and make you feel very much a part of this HKUMed legacy going forward. My door will remain open to all members of the HKUMed family as we take the next steps in our journey together. We should not forget our origins. HKUMed has excelled because of its people. 14
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