Newsletter No. 159

Hand in Hand for the Development of a Reginal Centre of Excellence in Hotel Management Four-Star Teaching Hotel to be Built on CU Campus Hands joined at the press conference to announce the collaboration with the New World Group. From left: Prof. Arthur K.C. Li; Dr. Cheng Yu-tung, chairman of the New World Group; Dr. Lee Hon-chiu, chairman of the University Council; and Prof. David Dittman, dean of the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University. A four-star international hotel w i ll be built on the campus as the teaching hotel of the School of Hotel Management under an arrangement for collaboration between The Chinese University and New World Development Company Ltd. The arrangement came as a result of a territory-wide bidding exercise conducted w i th the assistance of an independent development consultancy firm. The teaching hotel, expected to be completed in 2004, w i ll be built on a site adjacent to the University Station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. It will have 700 rooms and 10,000 square metres of conference and teaching facilities to provide support for hands-on training of students and for other practica and development programmes in hotel management coordinated by the University. Other tertiary institutions and organizations nearby such as the new Science Park, the industrial estate in Taipo, and the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology will also benefit from its convention facilities and hotel and catering services. New World Development Company Ltd. w i ll be responsible for funding the entire development cost of the hotel as well as its operating expenses up to 2047, while the ownership of the land and the buildings w i ll reside with the University. The hotel w i ll be operated and managed by a professional hotel management company of international renown. The project will be enhanced by the collaboration between the University's School of Hotel Management and the School of Hotel Administration of Cornell University following an agreement previously signed between the two parties to promote faculty and student exchange. At a press conference held on 27th January 2000 to announce the building of the teaching hotel, Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, vice-chancellor of the University, said a teaching hotel is crucial to the development of the School of Hotel Management into a regional centre of excellence for hotel management. Like the Disneyland theme park, the project is also in keeping with the HKSAR government's policy to promote tourism and the hospitality industry. Dr. Cheng Yu-tung, chairman of New World Development Company Ltd., said the launch of the new hotel will place Hong Kong in the forefront of hotel management training and contribute to establishing Hong Kong as a leading world city. I nstituteof Chinese M e d i c i n e E s t a b l i s h ed Last December, the Administrative and Planning Committee and the Senate endorsed a proposal for an Institute of Chinese Medicine (ICM) to be established to consolidate, integrate, and upgrade the work of the existing Chinese medicine-related researc h and development units or programmes, and public/ general educational services of the University, in order that the University has an umbrella structure and a united front in the development of its Chinese medicine programmes. The University has been a pioneer in research relating to Chinese medicine in Hong Kong with an internationally recognized record spanning close to three decades. It has not only conducted scientific and clinically-based investigations but has also provided consultation and educational services for practitioners, industry, and government agencies. In Hong Kong, the expertise of the University's staff has contributed to the formulation of policies on the promotion, regulation, and administration of Chinese medicine. As there is in Hong Kong a growing emphasis on the practice of and research into Chinese medicine, and on improved standards and r egu l a t i on o f such ac t i v i t i es, new opportunities emerge for the University to further consolidate and enhance its programmes in Chinese medicine. The mission of the I CM is to establish evidence-based Chinese medicine and pe r f o rm the mu l t i p le f unc t i ons o f authentication, quality control, safety assurance, and clinical trials for drug development. In the process it will make use of resources from the Fa c u l t i es o f Me d i c i n e, Science, and Engineering, and foster collaboration between Chinese and Western medicines. The institute is, to date, the only research body in the territory capable of offering chain-line research and p r odu c t i on o f Chinese med i c i ne, f r om authentication and quality control to clinical trials and drug development. The institute is supervised by a management committee chaired by Prof. P.C. Leung. It has five sections, each headed by its convener(s): Section Convener(s) 1. Clinical Trials Prof. P.C. Leung Prof. Dennis S.C. Lam 2. Drug Development Prof. Moses Chow Prof. Walter Ho 3. Information Prof. K.P.Fung Prof. W.K. Kan 4. Public and General Education Prof. Y.C. Kong 5. Standardization and Safety of Chinese Medicines Prof. Paul But Prof. C.T. Che Professorial Inaugural Lecture on Future of Family Medicine P rof. James Arthur Dickinson, professor of family medicine, delivered his professorial inaugural lecture entitled 'Developing Primary Medical Care in the New Millennium' on 14th January 2000. In his lecture, Prof. Dickinson pointed out that family medicine, a new name for 'general practice', is becoming more important and formally recognized for its contribution to health care . Yet,to develop, it needs to overcome its poor reputation in the minds of many doctors and patients, many of whom prefer hospital and specialist care. The policy settings in most countries have hindered the provision of quality primary medical care, and academic development in this area has been slow. He further pointed out that in Hong Kong, opportunities for family medicine are limited —t he conditions for practice, the split of the health care system, and the fiercely competitive environment cause difficulties for improvement. Nonetheless he hopes that the situation w i ll improve w i th more new medical graduates entering this field and increased educational opportunities for these entrants. At the end of his lecture, Prof. Dickinson urged the government to consider what frontline doctors should and can do, and develop policies that support them in their work, including the provision of facilities for continuing education.