Education

Dr. LUI Che-woo: Grooming clinician-scientists for the betterment of mankind

Growing Demand for Clinician-scientists

Medical research is of paramount importance in the face of an aging population, emerging infectious diseases and many other new public health threats. The development of medical-related innovation and research is expanding rapidly in Hong Kong and the demand for clinician-scientists is growing. Training of research talent requires abundant resources and time. Over the years, the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been committed to nurturing clinician-scientists, who play a crucial role in developing treatment and preventive measures for a variety of diseases. CUHK launched the Global Physician-Leadership Stream (GPS) in 2013 to groom undergraduate students and the CU Medicine 2035 programme in 2014 to recruit teaching and research professionals in medical research.

Dr. LUI Che-woo, Founder and Chairman of K. Wah Group and Mrs. LUI, accompanied by Prof. Joseph SUNG, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and Prof. Francis CHAN, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, meet twenty some CUHK medical students who are interested in clinical research.

Dr. LUI and Mrs. LUI present a cheque worths of HKD15.6 million to CUHK for the establishment of the "Lui Che Woo Distinguished Young Scholars Award" to Prof. Joseph SUNG, Vice Chancellor of CUHK and Prof. Francis CHAN, Dean of Faculty of Medicine who receive on behalf of CUHK.

CUHK Receives USD2 Million from Dr. LUI Che-woo

Under the award scheme, the Lui Che Woo Distinguished Young Scholars Research Scholarship of up to HKD250,000 annually will be granted to an outstanding medical student at CUHK for pursuing a postgraduate research programme aboard.

Sharing the same vision of nurturing young medical research talent as CUHK, Dr. LUI Che-woo, Founder and Chairman of K. Wah Group, generously made a donation of USD2 million (HKD15.6 million) through the Lui Che Woo Charity in 2015 to the University to establish the Lui Che Woo Distinguished Young Scholars Award. Under the award scheme, the Lui Che Woo Distinguished Young Scholars Research Scholarship of up to HKD250,000 annually will be granted to an outstanding medical student at CUHK for pursuing a postgraduate research programme abroad. The awardee will undertake academic or teaching positions in the Faculty upon completion of the overseas research programme.

Dr. LUI Che-woo and Mrs. LUI, Prof. Joseph SUNG and Prof. Francis CHAN officiate at the launching ceremony of the "Lui Che Woo Distinguished Young Scholars Award".

A donation ceremony was held on 12 May 2016 to mark the launch of the award scheme. Officiating at the ceremony were Dr. LUI Che-woo, Mrs. LUI, Prof. Joseph SUNG, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK and Prof. Francis CHAN, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, CUHK.

In his opening address, Prof. Joseph SUNG stated, "The development of health science and medical technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and the healthcare sector is facing unprecedented challenges. There is a great sense of urgency to reform medical education and advance medical and scientific research. We hope that medical students with a strong passion for and potential in research can be given the opportunity to study abroad through the award scheme, so that they will return to the University to develop a career in teaching or research at the Faculty of Medicine, contributing to the Hong Kong community."

	I hope the scholarship will encourage and support talented medical students to fully realize their potential and bring innovative and diverse perspectives to future medical development.
	Dr. LUI Che-woo, Founder and Chairman of K. Wah Group

Dr. LUI Che-woo said, "The Lui Che Woo Distinguished Young Scholars Award aims to make a sustainable and positive impact on society rather than to emphasise an individual’s achievement. I hope the scholarship will encourage and support talented medical students to fully realize their potential and bring innovative and diverse perspectives to future medical development. Upon completion of their studies, they will come back to serve our community with new insights."

Prof. Joseph SUNG and Prof. Francis CHAN present a model of the Lui Che Woo Clinical Sciences Building to Dr. LUI Che-woo, in appreciation of his continued support to CUHK.

Prof. Francis CHAN said, "Training a clinician-scientist requires abundant resources and time and fortunately we are not alone on our way to reach the goal. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. LUI, our Faculty is able to give financial support each year to outstanding MBChB students to advance his or her knowledge, build a connection, gain international exposure and make contributions to society when he or she returns home. Cultivation of a clinician-scientist requires six years of undergraduate study of medicine, plus four years of advanced study in a research profession, so, in all, at least ten years. The establishment of the Lui Che Woo Distinguished Young Scholars Award is indeed a manifestation of the old saying "it takes ten years to grow a tree."

	Thanks to the generosity of Dr. LUI, our Faculty is able to give financial support each year to outstanding MBChB students to advance his or her knowledge, build a connection, gain international exposure and make contributions to society when he or she returns home.
	Prof. Francis CHAN, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, CUHK

Dr. LUI is a long-standing supporter of medical education and innovative research technology. The establishment of the award scheme will provide a platform for a new generation of medical scientists to contribute to healthcare services, education and medical research in Hong Kong.