HKUMed MFN v26i1

Playing For The Team Dressed in black and slight in appearance, Professor Khong Pek-Lan has the demeanour of a serious and quiet scholar. But that impression soon melts away to reveal a bubbly personality eager to make every endeavour her best – a quality that has made her a leader in radiology in Hong Kong and the region. As Head of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology for 14 years, she has greatly expanded its size and capacity and been active in the international radiology community where apart from her involvement in paediatric and oncologic imaging, she has promoted Asian and women radiologists. For her leadership and achievements, she was invited in March to be an Honorary Member of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), only the second from Hong Kong to achieve this after Dr Lilian Leong in 2003. Professor Khong came to Hong Kong in the early 1990s from her native Singapore for specialty training, initially in surgery. But when a position came up in radiology – a field much less prominent than it is today – her instincts told her there would be future opportunities. ‘I jumped in and it was probably one of the best career decisions I have made,’ she said. She went on to pursue further training as a paediatric radiologist in Birmingham, UK Professor Khong Pek-Lan 㶰焗貽來䱇 Professor Khong Pek-Lan, Honorary Member of ESR, looks back at her 14-year journey as Head of Diagnostic Radiology at HKUMed. 15