HKUMed News
Faculty Achievements

In September 2021, distinguished scholars Professor Malik Peiris (裴偉士), Tam Wah-Ching Professor in Medical Science, Chair of Virology, School of Public Health; and Professor Yuen Kwok-yung (袁國勇), Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases,  Chair of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology were awarded The Life Science Prize of 2021 Future Science Prize for their discoveries of SARS-CoV-1 as the causative agent for the global SARS outbreak in 2023 and its zoonotic origin, with impact on combating COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases.

Dr Maria Zhu Huachen (朱華晨), Associate Professor at the School of Public Health, was honoured the 16th Chinese Young Women in Science Award in recognition of her contribution to scientific research. Dr Zhu is also the only award-winner from Hong Kong thisyear.

Dr Zhu is a tenured Associate Professor at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and an Adjunct Professor at the Shantou University (STU). She serves as Associate Director of the Joint Institute of Virology (STU/HKU) and the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases (HKU-Shenzhen Branch). She is also the Co-director of Joint Laboratory for International Collaboration in Virology and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, China.

Dr Chu Hin (朱軒), Assistant Professor of the Department of Microbiology was awarded the 2021 Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau) by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. 

His award-winning project aims to further dissect the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with transmembrane protease and cell surface host factors. Knowledge obtained from the proposed study will contribute to the understanding of the current COVID-19 pandemic and provide novel insights as well as therapeutic targets against the transmission and replication of SARS-CoV-2.

Professor Roberto Bruzzone, Co-Director of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, Visiting Professor of the School of Public Health, was awarded the Insignia of Officer in the French National Order of Merit (Officier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite) by the Government of France in June 2021.

Professor Kenneth Cheung Man-chee (張文智), Jessie Ho Professor in Spine Surgery, Chair Professor and Head; Dr Jason Cheung Pui-yin (鍾培言), Clinical Associate Professor; Dr Kenny Kwan Yat-hong (關日康), Clinical Assistant Professor, Dr Wanis Nafo, Post-doctoral Fellow of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, won the John H. Moe Best Basic Research Poster Award from the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), for their work on ‘Screw Malalignment May Explain Cord Rupture in Vertebral Body Tethering: A Finite Element Analysis’.

Professor Benjamin Cowling (高本恩), Professor and Head of Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, was honoured in June 2021 as Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, The UK Government, for his service to public health and research on COVID-19.

Professor Christopher Leung Kai-shun (梁啟信), Clinical Professor and Head of Department of Ophthalmology, received The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Senior Achievement Award 2021 in recognition of his contribution to the scientific programs of the APAO Annual Congress.

Professor Hextan Ngan Yuen-sheung (顏婉嫦), Clinical Professor (Part-time) of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, received the 2021 International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) Excellence in Teaching Awards in June 2021, in recognition for her four decades of gynaecologic oncology mentoring and gynaecological surgery training in South and South-East Asia.

Dr Michael Cheung Ka-shing (張嘉盛), Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, received the National Scholar Award presented by the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) in July 2021; and the Distinguished Research Paper Award for Young Investigator 2021 at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Hong Kong College of Physicians in August 2021.

Dr Jason Cheung Pui-yin (鍾培言), Clinical Associate Professor of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, received the Spine Section Award for ‘Population-Based Analysis of The Clinical Implications of Lumbar Developmental Spinal Stenosis’ at the 21st Congress of the Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA) in July 2021.

Dr Maggie Kwok Man-ki (郭文姬), Assistant Professor at the School of Public Health, received the Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards (Hong Kong) presented by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM), for the application entitled ‘Unraveling potential drug targets for longevity using sex-specific Mendelian randomization’ in September 2021.

Dr Jojo Kwok Yan-yan (郭欣欣), Assistant Professor of the School of Nursing, received the Outstanding New Investigator Award presented by International Society of Behavioral Medicine at the 2021 International Congress of Behavioral Medicine in June 2021, in recognition of Dr Kwok’s outstanding contribution as a young investigator to the science of behavioural medicine, as well as her achievement in research on mindfulness for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Dr Nancy Leung Hiu-lan (梁曉灡), Research Assistant Professor of the School of Public Health, was featured as one of the ‘Five science stars making their mark in China’ by Nature Index in June 2021. Dr Nancy Leung is the lead author of a widely discussed paper during the COVID-19 pandemic – ‘Respiratory Virus Shedding in Exhaled Breath and Efficacy of Face Masks’, published in Nature Medicine.

Dr Loey Mak Lung-yi (麥龍兒), Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Medicine, was granted the Young Investigator Bursary 2021 by The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in July 2021. Dr Mak also received the and the Lo Ying Shek Chi Wai Foundation Award for Young Investigator 2021.

Dr Ng Ming-yen (黃明錟) and Dr Varut Vardhanabhuti (華文思), Clinical Assistant Professors of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology were shortlisted for the 2020 QS Reimagine Education Award in E-Learning by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, for their project on ‘Cardiac Computed Tomography MOOC’ in October 2021.

Dr Ng Ming-yen (黃明錟), Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, was selected as one of 12 finalists for the 6th annual edX Prize in October 2021, for his exceptional contributions in online teaching and learning. The course he developed and in collaboration with committee members of international and national cardiac imaging societies is ‘Advanced Cardiac Imaging: Cardiac Computed Tomography’.

Dr David Mondaca Ruff, Post-doctoral Fellow of the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy was selected by the American Heart Association as the 2021 Paul Dudley White International Scholar.

Dr Kendrick Co Shih (施愷廸), Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology received The 2021 Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Best Young Ophthalmologist Influencer Award in recognition of his distinguished contributions to Ophthalmology education and research.

Professor Walter Seto Wai-kay (司徒偉基), Clinical Professor of the Department of Medicine was conferred as Chief Physician in Guangdong Province by the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality in May 2021.

Dr Gao Bo (高波), Assistant Professor of the School of Biomedical Sciences collaborated with researchers from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical Group and Fudan University on the research project entitled ‘Genetic and Mechanistic Studies of Congenital Skeletal Disorders’. Dr Gao and his team received Youth Technology Award of the 2020 China Medical Science & Technology Awards.

Professor Jin Dong-yan (金冬雁), Clara and Lawrence Fok Professor in Precision Medicine of the School of Biomedical Sciences, was granted HK$42.278M from the Research Grants Council (RGC) Theme-based Research Scheme 2021/21 (11th round), for his project entitled ‘Ecology, Molecular Virology and Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2: From Bedside to Bench and Back’.

Dr Lam Ka-on (林嘉安), Clinical Associate Professor of the Department of Clinical Oncology, was selected as one of the Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons 2021 by Junior Chamber International Hong Kong in October 2021.

Dr Stephanie Ma Kwai-yee (馬桂宜), Associate Professor of the School of Biomedical Sciences, was granted HK$5.15538M from the Research Grants Council (RGC) Research Fellow Scheme 2021/22, for her project entitled ‘An Immune Perspective on Exploiting Stemness as a Cancer Cell Vulnerability for the Treatment of Liver Cancer’.

Dr Vivian Man Chi-mei (文芷薇), Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Surgery won the Young Investigator Award – Best Scientific Paper, with a presentation on “Extension of ACOSOG Z0011 to Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Mastectomy’ at the 5th Annual Scientific Meeting organized by the Hong Kong Society of Breast Surgeons in September 2021.

Dr Tiffany Wong Cho-lam (黃楚琳), Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Surgery, received the Lo Ying Shek Chi Wai Foundation Award for Young Investigator 2021 in recognition of her excellent achievements in medical research.

Dr Esther Yu Yee-tak (余懿德), Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, received The HKCFP Best Research Award 2020 for her work  entitled ‘Parental depression mediates the relationship between parental stress and child health among low-income families’. 

Dr Yu also received the Best Oral Presentation Award for the free paper presentation ‘Estimated ifetime Cost-effectiveness of the Risk Assessment and Management Programme for Primary Care Patients with Hypertension (RAMP-HT)’, and Outstanding Poster Presentation Award for the free paper presentation ‘Relationship between Perceived Stress, Health-related Quality of Life and Physiological Dysregulations among Hong Kong Parents from Low-income Families’, at the Hong Kong Primary Care Conference 2021.

Dr Kris Lok Yuet-wan (駱月雲), Assistant Professor of the School of Nursing received the Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Award 2021 from The University of Hong Kong (HKU) for her project entitled ‘Baby-Friendly Community Initiative Program – Development of a New Breastfeeding GPS App’ in June 2021.

Dr Julie Chen Yun (陳芸), Assistant Dean (Learner Wellbeing), Associate Professor of Teaching of the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care/ Bau Institute of Medical and Health Sciences Education, and her team; Dr Fraide Ganotice, Assistant Professor of the Bau Institute of Medical and Health Sciences Education, and his team won the Poster Showcase at HKU Teaching and Learning Festival 2021 presented by Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning.

‘HKU Intramural Awards for Research Excellence - Faculty Outstanding Research Output Awards 2021’

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