Government welcomes Founding Dean of Medicine of HKUST on assuming office
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The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "The establishment of the third medical school of Hong Kong is of great importance to the long-term development of Hong Kong's healthcare system. Professor Li served as the Founding Dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States and possesses invaluable practical experience in establishing a new medical school. I look forward to the HKUST's medical school continuing to smoothly advance the relevant preparatory work under his leadership, including the recruitment of the teaching and research team, the formulation of teaching programmes, and participation in the overall planning of the Ngau Tam Mei campus and the new integrated teaching and research hospital, deepening collaboration with local healthcare institutions and teaching partners, as well as full co-operation with the Medical Council of Hong Kong throughout the accreditation exercise for the curriculum."
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said, "Professor Li possesses outstanding leadership experience in medical education, an interdisciplinary academic background, and extensive experience in establishing a medical school. It is hoped that, with his global vision, academic and clinical experience, and extensive connections in the international medical community, he will lead the HKUST's medical school in leveraging the strengths of clinical medicine, engineering, data science, and emerging technologies to develop an innovative education model that meets local professional standards, while also being forward-looking and internationally oriented."
In November last year, the Chief Executive in Council approved the establishment of the third medical school and gave approval-in-principle for the new medical school to be established by the HKUST, which shall aim to admit the first cohort of 50 students in the 2028/29 academic year.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Professor Li is currently Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Radiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States. He is an internationally renowned physician-scientist, biomedical innovator, and academic leader, and has served in a number of renowned academic institutions and medical organisations.
Ends/Monday, June 1, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:51
Issued at HKT 12:51
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