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About the Faculty

The Medical Faculty of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is the longest established institution in higher education of Hong Kong. It was founded as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by London Missionary Society in 1887, and was renamed as the Hong Kong College of Medicine in 1907.

The Faculty was deemed as the premier Faculty when the University was established in 1911. Serving Hong Kong for over a century, it has firmly established itself as a medical school of learning, innovation, and enterprising; it is a medical school of moral, vision, and care. Since its inception, the Faculty has been playing a pioneering role in medical education, training and research.

From its modest beginning, the Faculty has now become the largest faculty of the University, with over 400 full-time academic and academic-related staff and 800 research and research-related support personnel. The undergraduate student population is about 2,900 and the postgraduate student population is about 1,500. The Faculty is comprised of 14 departments, School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Chinese Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Public Health and a number of research centres focusing on various strengths of research.

FACULTY BROCHURE FACULTY VIDEO

Sir Patrick Manson

1887

The Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (later re-named the Hong Kong College of Medicine in 1907) is formally opened with Sir Patrick Manson as its founding Dean.

Dr Sun Yat-sen

1892

Dr Sun Yat-sen is one of the first two graduates from the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese.

1911

The University of Hong Kong is formally opened, incorporating the Hong Kong College of Medicine as its first faculty – the Faculty of Medicine.

Queen Mary Hospital

1937

Queen Mary Hospital opens and becomes the base of clinical teaching.

Li Shu Fan Building

1965

The Li Shu Fan Building on Sassoon Road opens, accommodating preclinical departments.

HKU Faculty of Medicine 110th Anniversary Scientific Congress Opening Ceremony

1987

The Faculty is the first tertiary education institution in Hong Kong to celebrate its centenary.

Nursing students

1995

The full-time Bachelor of Nursing programme is launched.

Students

1997

The Faculty reforms its undergraduate curriculum and becomes the first medical institute in the region to adopt a student-centred, problem-based approach to medical teaching and learning.

Chinese Medicine

2002

The Medical Faculty moves into a new state-of-the-art complex on Sassoon Road.

The full-time Bachelor of Chinese Medicine programme is launched.

2003

The HKU medical team discovers the SARS coronavirus.

Premier WEN Jiabao visits the Faculty in acknowledgement of our dedication and achievements in fighting SARS. This is the first time a Chinese Premier has visited a university in Hong Kong.

2005

A State Key Laboratory is established, for Emerging Infectious Diseases. This is the first such laboratory to be located outside Mainland China.

In recognition of a generous donation from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, the Faculty is renamed as Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

2009

The Faculty launches the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme.

Medical campus

2010

The Faculty ranks No. 1 in Asia in the category “Clinical, Pre-clinical and Health Universities” of the 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Students in laboratory

2012

The Faculty launches the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences programme.