Third medical school's dean

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology announces Li King-Chuen as the founding dean of its medical school. Li is a world-renowned physician-scientist and biomedical innovator.

At a press conference, HKUST introduces the founding dean of its new medical school. After a global recruitment and review process

of more than 100 candidates from 10 countries and regions, Li King-Chuen stood out as the ideal pick.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Li spent most of his time in Canada and the US, serving as the founding dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbanan-Champaign. When asked what prompted him to return to Hong Kong and contribute to the local medical field, Li says it wasn't his initial plan.

Li King-Chuen, the dean of HKUST medicial school, says "In the beginning, I had never thought about coming back to Hong Kong. But when President Ip approached me and presented me with something that I cannot refuse: the ability to contribute to a very, very important task that can influence not just locally but potentially the entire country and the world is something I can't really turn down."

Committed to interdisciplinary collaboration, Li has experience in connecting fields such as radiology, bioengineering and nanotechnology. Li says "Using technology and innovation to transform and revolutionalise healthcare delivery is something that's urgent and is something that I have done before. Looking back on my experience in UIUC, I see that the opportunity here is actually larger because we have the entire country that has already decided to head in this direction."

Nancy Ip, the university's head, says the new institution will collaborate with the other two medical schools in the city.

The first batch of 50 medical school students is expected to enrol in 2028/29.