Advancing Hong Kong’s Health Agenda It has been a happily eventful year for HKUMed, with new developments that are propelling us forward and strengthening our ability to contribute to Hong Kong’s future as an innovation and technology (I&T) hub. But first, let me pick up where I left off in my State of the Faculty Address in July. It was just before the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and we were all looking with hope towards the possibility that Hong Kong athletes would win a medal. They did better than that – they won four medals, their best performance to date, making us all proud. The result gave me much inspiration and food for thought. Sporting excellence is a combination of raw talent, cultivation and opportunity. Without good coaches, facilities and opportunities to compete, it is difficult to become internationally competitive. Similarly, in medicine and healthcare, we need breeding grounds and opportunities to complement the capabilities of our academics. This year, we have been very fortunate to receive that support in abundance. The Chief Executive’s October Policy Address echoes the National 14th Five-Year Plan to expedite the development, application and commercialisation of I&T results in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA), in particular life and health technology. Government investment in this area has accelerated over the past year. I will cover some of the highlights in a moment, but let me first say that with the road ahead now clearly mapped, there are wonderful opportunities for HKUMed to rethink our agenda and how we can contribute to the city’s transformation. A key theme in this work will be translational and cross-disciplinary initiatives. Good healthcare requires more than medicine, it needs collaborations with scientists, dentists, engineers, social scientists and others to reap the full results offered by technology and the new pathways that are opening up for making an impact. The Dean’s Letter 2024 2
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