The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine or LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed), formerly known as the Faculty of Medicine of the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

, is a

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

which comprises several schools and departments that provide an array of tertiary programmes in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

and

chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

is the

medium of instruction A medium of instruction (plural: media of instruction, or mediums of instruction) is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. If the first language of students is different from the offic ...

in all of the classes while

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

is also retained for the teaching of Chinese medicine. It is located several kilometres away from the main campus of the university and is near the Queen Mary Hospital which is its main teaching facility and research base. Founded in 1887, it is also one of the oldest western medical schools in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. According to the THE World University Rankings 2023 by subject: clinical and health, HKUMed is ranked as 13th worldwide, 2nd in Asia, and 1st in Hong Kong. It is a leading contributor of high-quality clinical research to the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. HKU Medical Faculty is the older of the two medical faculties in Hong Kong, the other one being the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Together they are the sole two

tertiary institutions Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

offering

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

and

education and research in the city.

History

The

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

founded the establishment in 1887.

Ho Kai Sir Kai Ho, CMG, JP, MRCS (; 21 March 1859 – 21 July 1914), better known as Sir Kai Ho Kai, born Ho Shan-kai (), was a Hong Kong barrister, physician and essayist in Colonial Hong Kong. He played a key role in the relationship between ...

James Cantlie Sir James Cantlie (17 January 1851 – 28 May 1926) was a British physician. He was a pioneer of first aid, which in 1875 was unknown: even the police had no knowledge of basic techniques such as how to stop serious bleeding and applying splin ...

Patrick Manson Sir Patrick Manson (3 October 1844 – 9 April 1922) was a Scottish physician who made important discoveries in parasitology, and was a founder of the field of tropical medicine. He graduated from University of Aberdeen with degrees in Master ...

and G. P. Jordan were the founding professionals. Important initiatives were led by notable members such as

, an experienced medical practitioner who made his name in the field of tropical medicine. Having served in the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs as a medical officer for 18 years, he took up private practice in Hong Kong from 1883 to 1889. Sir Kai Ho Kai was also a member of the Chinese elite in

Colonial Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the British ...

.Sweeting, Anthony. (1990). Education in Hong Kong, pre-1841 to 1941. HK University Press. He played a major role in convincing the Chinese population that western medicine was an acceptable in a culture that had been largely dominated by

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

. In 1907 the school was renamed to Hong Kong College of Medicine.The University of Hong Kong. (2003). 'Growing with Hong Kong: The University and its Graduates, the first 90 years'. In 1908 it was authorized to sign

death certificate A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, as ...

s. The nucleus of the school would later create the foundation for the new University of Hong Kong in 1910. Chinese society at the time was not quite ready for western medicine. As a result, many of the medical graduates had difficulty finding employment. The college was merged to become the medical school of HKU in 1911, one of the university's first faculties. The establishment of the Queen Mary Hospital in 1937 brought the faculty a major clinical teaching and research base. However, the Japanese occupation in the city during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

disrupted teaching and many staff and students were imprisoned. Following the end of the war, it reopened and soon became an important training centre of clinicians in the city with many departments and schools in healthcare and medical sciences opened. Important milestones include being the world's first team that successfully identified the

SARS coronavirus Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1; or Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV) is a strain of coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the respiratory illness responsible for th ...

, the

causative agent In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

of the

pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...

SARS Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''sever ...

on 21 March 2003. This was followed by the visit of

Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...

to the faculty acknowledging the institute's contribution, the first time a Premier of China had visited a university in Hong Kong. Moreover, a State Key laboratory for emerging infectious diseases was established, the first of its kind located outside

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

. The faculty launched a

Bachelor of Pharmacy A Bachelor of Pharmacy (abbreviated B Pharm or PharmB or BS Pharm) is a graduate academic degree in the field of pharmacy. In many countries, this degree is a prerequisite for registration to practice as a pharmacist. Since both PharmB and Phar ...

programme in 2008, being the second and of two institutions in the city offering pharmacy education.

Admission and Programmes

Currently the Faculty offers seven undergraduate degree programmes: * Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery * Bachelor of Nursing * Bachelor of Chinese Medicine * Bachelor of Pharmacy * Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Global Health Development * Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences * Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Global Health and Development A new programme, Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics, is set to receive its first intake in the 2022/23 academic year. Medical graduates are awarded the M.B., B.S.; the equivalent degree offered by the

CUHK Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) () was established in 1981 and consists of five schools which offer an array of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the field of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public ...

is the M.B., Ch.B. Both degrees are based on the United Kingdom's model for medical degrees. Moreover, the Faculty also provides various postgraduate programmes, including postgraduate diplomas, master's and doctoral degrees.

Schools and Departments

* Department of Anaesthesiology * Department of Clinical Oncology * Department of Diagnostic Radiology * Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care * Department of Medicine * Department of Microbiology * Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology * Department of Ophthalmology * Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology * Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine * Department of Pathology * Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy * Department of Psychiatry * Department of Surgery * School of Biomedical Sciences * School of Chinese Medicine * School of Public Health * School of Nursing

Controversy

Scandal of former Dean in SARS plague

In early 2007, the Council of the University of Hong Kong formally accepted the resignation of Professor Lam Shiu-kum (

O.B.E. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

), Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, with immediate effect. During the 2003 SARS outbreak Lam had been publicly critical of the

Prince of Wales Hospital Prince of Wales Hospital is a large of Tertiary referral hospital and large of teaching hospital from Faculty of Medicine in Chinese University of Hong Kong in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong.. Named after Charles, Prince of Wales (now ...

(PWH), the principal teaching hospital of the other medical school in Hong Kong, the Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and blamed some of the difficulties which ensued on the PWH (a statement felt by some others to be unfair and unhelpful). News of a possible problem relating to irregularities in the billing of patients being the underlying reason for Lam's sudden and unheralded departure may serve to weaken the moral force of some of Lam's criticisms. It was acknowledged by the University of Hong Kong that Lam's resignation was a "highly unusual" event. In September 2009, Lam Shiu-kum was sentenced to 25 months in jail after pleading guilty to misconduct in public office. The misconduct involved inducing 12 patients who were treated at Queen Mary Hospital, to pay what appeared to be medical bills issued by the university and the hospital between 2003 and 2007 but were payable to Gastrointestinal Research, a company wholly owned by Professor Lam. He admitted pocketing almost $4 million in donations. In passing sentence, Judge Li said although the patients' well-being was not compromised and they suffered no financial losses, Lam had seriously breached the trust of both the faculty and his patients. Setting a starting point of five years jail, the judge deducted 35 months for Professor Lam's guilty plea, his good character and the fact that he had repaid all the money. Professor Lam earlier pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in public office, but denied more than 30 charges of theft and fraud. The prosecution had agreed not to proceed with those charges.

Renaming of the faculty

As one of the founding faculties of the University of Hong Kong, the Faculty of Medicine changed to its present name after securing a pledge of a

HK$ The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong and ...

1 billion donation from businessman and philanthropist

Li Ka-shing Sir Ka-shing Li (; born 13 June 1928) is a Hong Kong billionaire business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. As of June 2019, Li is the 31st richest person in the world, with an estimated net wealth of US$33.4 billion. He is the senior ad ...

under the funding of

Li Ka Shing Foundation The Li Ka Shing Foundation () is a Hong Kong-based charitable organization founded in 1980 by Hong Kong entrepreneur Li Ka-shing. The Third Son Li Ka-shing considers the Li Ka Shing Foundation to be his "third son" and has pledged to donate o ...

. The renaming was objected to by many students and prominent alumni of the faculty. Despite this, the university officially renamed the faculty on 1 January 2006.

Notable alumni

Hong Kong College of Medicine *

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

, Chinese revolutionary, first president and founding father of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

* Hong Kui Wong (黄康衢) (1876-1961). He graduated from Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1900. He moved to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

in 1900 and practiced

Western medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

there, while participating in the Chinese Revolution with Dr.

Sun Yat-Sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

as one of the key members of the

Nanyang Nanyang is the romanization of two common Chinese place names. It may refer to: Written as 南洋 (Southern Ocean) * Nanyang (region), a Chinese term denoting the Southeast Asian lands surrounding the South China Sea ;China * Nanyang Fleet, Qing ...

Branch of

Tongmenghui The Tongmenghui of China (or T'ung-meng Hui, variously translated as Chinese United League, United League, Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, Chinese Alliance, United Allegiance Society, ) was a secret society and underground resistance movement ...

(中国同盟会南洋分会).http://davidtkwong.net

Teaching Hospitals

Queen Mary Hospital (Hong Kong) The Queen Mary Hospital, located in Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong, is the public district general hospital and teaching hospital of the Faculty of Dentistry and Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong. It has ...

The Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital at Sandy Bay The Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital at Sandy Bay () is a pediatric hospital in Sandy Bay on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The hospital is currently the only specialist pediatric hospital in Hong Kong. Founded in 1955 by the Society for ...

Grantham Hospital Grantham Hospital is a specialist cardiothoracic hospital located at Wong Chuk Hang and is part of the Hong Kong West Cluster. It is a tertiary referral centre providing specialist service in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, paediatric card ...

Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH) is an acute district general hospital managed under the New Territories East Cluster of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong. Established by the former London Missionary Society in 1887, it was the fi ...

Kowloon Hospital Kowloon Hospital is a general care hospital located in Kowloon City District, in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The complex was built on land between Argyle Street and Prince Edward Road. The hospital used to be an acute hospital with accident and eme ...

MacLehose Medical Rehabilitation Centre MacLehose Medical Rehabilitation Centre () is a rehab and long-term care hospital above Sandy Bay in Hong Kong. Founded in 1984 by the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, it has 150 medical rehabilitation beds, including 20 beds for day reh ...

Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, known as Eastern Hospital or Youde Hospital is a acute district general hospital in Chai Wan, Hong Kong. The hospital opened on 15 October 1993 with 1829 beds and staff of over 3000. It replaced the o ...

Ruttonjee Hospital Ruttonjee Hospital is a district general hospital in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is affiliated with the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Hong Kong, and provides clinical attachment opportunities for the u ...

Tsan Yuk Hospital Tsan Yuk Hospital, located on 30 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island, is a public hospital in Hong Kong specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. It also operates as a teaching and training hospital for the medical and nursing stud ...

Tung Wah Hospital Tung Wah Hospital is a Charitable hospital in Hong Kong under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Located above Possession Point, at 12 Po Yan Street in Sheung Wan, it is the first hospital established in Colonial Hong Kong for the general publ ...

Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, or HKSH, is a private hospital established in 1922 in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. The hospital has more than 500 beds and various room types and facilities. It also has a 24 hours outpatient consultation service. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li Ka Shing Faculty Of Medicine Medical schools in Hong Kong University of Hong Kong 1887 establishments in Hong Kong