OUR PEOPLE
Vincent is currently a Managing Director and COO of Nan Fung Group - an international business conglomerate with global interests in real estates, life sciences and financial investments. Vincent is also Chairman of Nan Fung Life Sciences (NFLS), a global investment platform focusing on life sciences, and he co-founded the biotech VC fund Pivotal bioVenture Partners with investment teams in both US and China. Under his leadership, NFLS has built significant presence across the industry (including therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics) and all development stages. His vision is to build NFLS to become the ideal partner for scientists, entrepreneurs, corporations and investors in the life sciences space.
Vincent has been a member of The National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultation Conference for Shanghai City since 2012, a Committee Member of the All-China Youth Federation since 2010, a Committee Member of All-China Financial Youth Federation and a Member of Shanghai Youth Federation.
Vincent graduated with high honours in Molecular and Cell Biology from University of California, Berkeley. While in Berkeley, he worked in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as an independent researcher.
Member, Chinese Academy of Sciences;US National Academy of Sciences;American Academy of Arts and Sciences;World Academy of Science
Prof Ip received her PhD degree in Pharmacology from Harvard Medical School, after which she held the position of Senior Staff Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in New York. Since joining HKUST, she has served as the Dean of Science, Director of the Biotechnology Research Institute, and Head of the Department of Biochemistry. She is currently the Morningside Professor of Life Science and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience.
Her major research interests are in neural development and function as well as drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. She is well-known for her seminal discoveries in the biology of neurotrophic factors, which are proteins that promote the survival, development, and maintenance of neurons in the nervous system. She has also made important contributions towards understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying brain development and synaptic plasticity, and their dysregulation in neurological disorders.
As a highly accomplished researcher, Prof Ip has published over 260 scientific papers with 18,600 SCI citations, and holds 41 patents. She was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, the World Academy of Sciences, and most recently, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Prof Ip is also a founding member of The Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong. She has received numerous awards and honors including the National Natural Science Awards, the L’OREAL-UNESCO for Women in Science Award, and the “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite” (National Order of Merit) by the French Government. She is also the senior editor of the Journal of Neuroscience, and an elected Councillor for two leading global organizations in the fields of neuroscience and pharmacology: the Society for Neuroscience and the CINP (Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum). Furthermore, she is a member of the Global Agenda Council on Brain Research of the World Economic Forum.
Dennis Lo is the Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, the Chairman of Department of Chemical Pathology, the Li Ka Shing Professor of Medicine and Professor of Chemical Pathology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He is also the Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Medicine of CUHK. Dennis Lo received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge and the Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Oxford.
Dennis Lo discovered the presence of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma in 1997, and has since then remained at the forefront of the field of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). NIPT is now available in over 90 countries, benefiting millions of pregnant women every year. Dennis Lo sees the parallels between circulating fetal DNA and circulating tumour DNA and has made pioneering contributions to the liquid biopsies for cancer, especially for the early detection and monitoring of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
In recognition of his work, Dennis Lo has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine in 2014 and the Future Science Prize – Life Science Prize in 2016. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2011, as a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2013 and as a Founding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong in 2015.
PartnerHead of New Economy and Life Sciences, Hong KongKPMG
Irene is a Partner of KPMG China specializing in emerging businesses and life sciences industries. She started her career with KPMG Toronto and has been working in Hong Kong for over 19 years. She is experienced in serving multinational and mainland Chinese companies that are private or listed in Hong Kong or U.S in audit and accounting advisory projects. The industry sectors of her current and past clients include life sciences, technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) and consumer markets. She’s experienced in leading Hong Kong IPO projects for companies based in China and overseas. She was the TMT sector leader from 2014-2017 and is currently leading New Economy businesses and the Life Sciences sector for the Hong Kong region. She works with innovative and emerging companies across different industry sectors, and collaborates with Hong Kong governments, investors, universities and corporate entities to support and grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem, new economy opportunities and the life sciences sector in Hong Kong.
Director and Clinical Professor, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Prof Keiji Fukuda is the Director and a Clinical Professor at The University of Hong Kong School of Public Health. He previously worked at the World Health Organization (WHO) in several capacities including Assistant Director-General (ADG) and Special Representative of the Director-General for antimicrobial resistance; ADG for the Health Security and Environment Cluster; and Director of the Global Influenza Programme. Before that, he worked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the Epidemiology Section Chief, Influenza Branch and as a Medical Epidemiologist in the Viral Exanthems and Herpesvirus Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases. Professor Fukuda has been a global public health leader in many areas including health security; emerging infectious diseases including seasonal, avian and pandemic influenza, SARS, MERS and Ebola; antimicrobial resistance; development of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework; implementation of the International Health Regulations; food safety; and chronic fatigue syndrome. He has considerable experience in epidemiological research and field investigations, media communications and international diplomatic negotiations including those held to establish a historic Heads of State level meeting on antimicrobial resistance at the United Nations in 2016. He has a BA in Biology, an MD; an MPH; was trained in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at CDC and is certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Tam Wah-Ching Professor in Medical ScienceChair of Virology, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, HKUCo-Director of HKU-Pasteur Research PoleCo-Director, WHO H5 Influenza Reference LaboratoryFellow of the Royal Society of London
Prof Malik Peiris is a clinical and public health virologist with a particular interest in emerging virus disease at the animal-human interface. His current research encompasses emerging animal and human influenza viruses and coronaviruses including avian influenza H5N1, H7N9, the pandemic of 2009, SARS and more recently, MERS. In 2003, he played a key role in discovering the novel coronavirus as the cause of SARS and contributed to its control.
Prof Peiris co-directs the WHO H5 Reference Laboratory at HKU and serves on many standing committees and ad-hoc advisory committees of international agencies such as the WHO and FAO. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2006, Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2016 and Foreign Associate of National Academy of Sciences in 2017. He is a founding member of the Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong. He was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (S.B.S.), Hong Kong SAR (2008), Mahathir Science Award, Akademi Sains Malaysia (2007) and Officier de la Legion d’Honneur, Republic of France (2017).
Professor, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, HKU Division Head of Public Health Laboratory Sciences, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Prof Leo Poon received his doctoral training as a Croucher Scholar in the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at the University of Oxford (1996-1999). He returned to Hong Kong in 1999 and joined the University of Hong Kong as a Research Assistant Professor in 2001. He currently serves as a Professor in the School of Public Health of HKU.
Prof Poon is a molecular virologist and he studies viruses of global health concern. His research helps to reveal the biology of influenza viruses and coronaviruses and facilitates the development of control measures against these pathogens. He has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles. He has been ranked in the top 1% of the world’s most-cited scientists each year since 2005 by Clarivate Analytics and, an even more prestigious honour, as a Highly Cited Researcher since 2015. He was awarded a Senior Research Fellowship by the Croucher Foundation in 2017. He was elected as a Founding Member of Young Academic of Science of Hong Kong in 2018.
Prof Poon serves as an expert for several international organisations. He is a committee member in the Coronavirus Study Group under the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (since 2006) and he is also an expert in the Influenza Molecular Diagnosis Working Group of the World Health Organization (since 2009). He serves as an ad hoc consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and for the World Organization for Animal Health for controlling MERS coronavirus.
Prof Wong is currently a Chair Professor of the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He also serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Science, the Director of Biotechnology Research Institute, and the Director of Molecular Neuroscience Center at HKUST. He graduated with a BSc degree in pharmacology at the University of London, and subsequently received his PhD degree from the University of Cambridge. After his post-doctoral training at University of California San Francisco, he joined HKUST as a faculty member in 1992. Prof Wong is a leading expert in the molecular pharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors, G protein-mediated signal transduction, as well as drug discovery and development. As a highly accomplished researcher, Prof Wong has published over 210 scientific papers and serves as a Chief/Associate Editor in a number of journals including FASEB BioAdvances and Frontiers in Endocrinology. He is also actively engaged in community service through his appointment in the Medical Council of Hong Kong, the Consumer Council of Hong Kong, and various academic and professional organizations. In recognition of his achievements, Prof Wong has been awarded the Medal of Honor and the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship.
Henry Fok Professor in Infectious DiseasesChair of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, HKUCo-Director, State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious DiseasesAcademician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (Basic Medicine and Health)Founding Member of Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong
Kwok-yung Yuen graduated from the Medical School at the University of Hong Kong and was awarded State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (Special class), the Justice of Peace by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, and Gold & Silver Bauhinia Star Awardee of the HKSAR. He is also Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Lond, Edin), Surgeons(Glas) and Pathologists(UK). In the outbreak of avian influenza virus H5N1 in 1997 in Hong Kong, Professor KY Yuen was the first to report in Lancet about the unusual clinical severity and high mortality of infected patients which could be identified by the in-house designed molecular test at his laboratory. During the outbreak of SARS in 2003, he led his team in the discovery of the SARS coronavirus successfully and was honoured as Asian heroes of the year in April by Time Asia Magazine. He has also led his team in the discovery of over 60 novel disease agents, 10 bacteria, 4 fungi and 2 parasites. His 900 publications with over 36,000 citations are mainly related to the research of novel microbes or emerging infectious disease agents.
Ken is a seasoned executive from higher education and statutory body, having worked in major educational and cultural institutions for nearly twenty years.
Prior to joining the Society in 2018, Ken was the Head of Learning and Participation (Performing Arts) in West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, with responsibility for the overall public engagement plan, strategy and delivery model for a range of performing arts venues in the District.
Ken had worked in the higher education sector in 2000s. Between 2007 and 2017, he held the positions of Principal Lecturer in Media and Culture, Head of Centre for Degree Programmes, and Head of International College in the University of Hong Kong, School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE). During his time at HKU SPACE, Ken played a key role in leading on, promoting and implementing a network of international collaborations with universities, business organisations and local communities, as well as managing a college with 2,000 academic staff and students.
Ken Wong was educated in Hong Kong and the UK. He has held adjunct academic and advisory board positions in Hong Kong and the UK, and is involving in public organisations related to art and culture, knowledge exchange and youth engagement.