24 March 2025
I am filled with immense pride and gratitude as I address you at this pivotal moment in our University’s journey. In recent months, we have celebrated transformative milestones that exemplify our commitment to excellence in education, research and knowledge transfer. They are the latest footprints of the University’s steadfast progress towards reaching new heights one after another.
On 17 March, the University submitted its proposal for establishing a new medical school to the Task Group on New Medical School of the Government of the HKSAR. Our bid to establish a new medical school, proposed to be named “Frontier Integrative Medical College”, is a bold attempt to venture into a new dimension of academic excellence, building on our solid strengths, dedication to serve and transdisciplinary ethos. It marks our determination to innovate in medical education and address global health challenges.
Establishing a new medical school is a hugely challenging project which calls for insights, capabilities and carefully deliberated plans to formulate and materialise the roadmap. At HKBU, we have a solid tradition of patient care in Chinese medicine, deemed to be further enriched by operating The Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Hospital. We champion biomedical innovation and translation, with the development of new drugs and medical equipment having succeeded in obtaining regulatory approvals and recognitions in the Mainland, the US and other parts of the world. Our transdisciplinary education, value of caring, and passion to serve allow HKBU to nurture medical talent instilled with an innovative, empathetic and embracive mindset.
Leveraging these advantages, we took concrete steps to align professional know-how, experience, resources and partnerships to support our cause. We have the privilege of having Professor Lee Sum Ping, Former Dean of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong, and Professor Manson Fok, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, as the Co-chairmen of our Preparatory Committee, who bring in invaluable experience in operating and establishing a successful medical school. With the concerted efforts of its members, the Preparatory Committee has crafted a comprehensive proposal set to lead medical education which embodies HKBU’s commitment to holistic care, Chinese-Western medicine integration, and the advancement of medical education and research in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Our proposal’s preparation was also supported by an Expert Advisory Committee comprising leading professionals from various fields of medicine, public and private clinical practices, healthcare industry, and academia, locally, nationally and internationally, which offered insights and guidance in curriculum design and research development. We are delighted to have garnered the full support of Sir Michael Houghton, a globally renowned virologist and the 2020 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine who serves as a committee member. On medical education, we have engaged Professor Ronald Harden, a world-renowned medical educator, to guide us in designing an innovative curriculum that integrates the best of modern biomedical science.
Clinical exposure is central to the nurturing of competent and patient-centric doctors. To this end, we have established strategic partnerships with hospitals, such as Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, and some other hospitals in the GBA. Such partnerships will provide access to nearly 10,000 hospital beds, in both public and private settings involving a large variety of clinical cases in the GBA, offering invaluable clinical resources for both medical education and clinical research.
To complement our educational initiatives, the “Frontier Translational Medical Research Institute” will be established with the backing of Sir Michael and renowned drug development expert Dr Robert J Spiegel. This institute, which is co-founded by Sir Michael, Professor Johnson Lau and Professor Manson Fok, and has Dr Robert J Spiegel as a member, will serve as a powerhouse for medical innovation, focusing on integrative medicine and breakthrough in biomedical research. The institute aims to translate research findings into practical healthcare solutions, thereby improving patient outcomes and advancing public health.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to all the members of the Preparatory Committee and Expert Advisory Committee for their exceptional dedication and unwavering support in the proposal’s preparation, and to all the supporting institutions and professionals from Hong Kong, GBA, the Mainland, and the world for their strong encouragement and endorsement. I must also thank the HKBU Council’s unanimous approval on the approaches for the medical school application.
Another recent milestone at HKBU is the grand opening of the Jockey Club Campus of Creativity (JC³) on 18 March which was graced by the presence of distinguished guests including Dr Choi Yuk-lin, JP, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government. It stands as a testament to our dedication to fostering creative excellence and transdisciplinary learning. This state-of-the-art campus, made possible by massive support from the University Grants Committee, donors and the community, including a generous HK$452 million donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, serves as a beacon for innovative education.
JC³ integrates Village CARE (Creative Arena for Residential Education) and the Jockey Club Creative Hub into a single complex. Village CARE comprises four blocks of residential colleges, providing 1,726 hostel places and doubling our University’s student residential capacity. This living-learning environment is designed to promote transdisciplinary exchange, encouraging students from diverse fields to collaborate and innovate.
The Jockey Club Creative Hub offers cutting-edge facilities for music, film, television, and other creative disciplines. This unique space underscores our commitment to pioneering research at the intersection of art, science, and technology, nurturing a new generation of learners who embrace transdisciplinary education. For those who have not yet been to this new campus, I sincerely invite you to take a walk there to experience its charm, which provides the soil for creative ideas and innovations to blossom.
The University’s progress in almost 70 years has been the combination of countless steadfast steps, which propelled our robust growth and attainment of new heights on different fronts. With full confidence, I believe the proposal to establish a medical school and the inauguration of JC³ will become new steadfast steps to be celebrated in our history.
President and Vice-Chancellor
Chair Professor of Photonics