Newsletter No. 187

CUHK Newsletter No. 187 4th September 2001 3 to the international literature on the e p i d em i o l o gy o f management o f poisoning. Together with his colleagues, he had pioneered and co-ordinated a large number of clinical trials, sponsored by leading multinational companies, to e x a m i n e t h e i n t e r - e t h n i c pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences o f many cardiovascular drugs and anti-obesity drugs as well as their effects in Hong Kong Chinese. In close collaboration with the pharmacist community in Hong Kong, he and his team members had examined many aspects o f drug u t i l i za t i on and were strong advocates for the development of c l i n i c a l p h a r m a cy to i m p r o v e pharmaceutical care. He had served on numerous committees o f The Chinese University, the Hong Kong Government, and the Hospital Authority (HA), and had given his expert opinion in many legal cases relating to drug use and poisoning ill Hong Kong. Internationally, he was the executive editor or co-editor of several leading medical and clinical pharmacology journals and frequently reviewed scientific and clinical papers. During his 12 years of stay in Hong Kong, Prof. Critchley came to realize the magnitude of the growing epidemics of diabetes and the disease cluster o f h y pe r t en s i on, d y s l i p i d a em i a, and obesity. He was also deeply touched by the potential impact of this epidemic on the health of the population and yet the highly preventable and treatable nature of these diseases. This massive health problem has become the mission of Prof. Critchley and his close colleagues in their pursuit o f understanding these diseases to improve the care o f many diabetic patients in the community. With his enthusiasm and optimism as well as unusually gifted ability to communicate, he has brought together a large network o f o r gan i za t i ons and i n d i v i d u a l s, including mass media, c i v il servants, l awye r s, architects, i ndus t r i a l i s t s, businessmen and the general public, to promote diabetes care through research, education and quality care. I n these respects, Prof. Critchley was a great facilitator and had been instrumental in establishing the i n f r as t r uc t u re and assembling the basic scientific research team to examine in detail the genotypes and phenotypes o f diabetes and the metabolic syndrome in Hong Kong Chinese. As a strong advocate f or disease management of chronic diseases, Prof. Critchley had recently established a diabetic nephropathy clinic at the Prince of Wales Hospital, co-ordinated by a research pharmacist, with particular emphasis on treat-to-target and stay-on therapy to improve the clinical outcomes o f these h i gh r i sk patients. These academic and c l i n i cal achievements have led to the award o f over HK$25 mi l l i on funding to Prof. Critchley and his colleagues by the Hong K o ng Research Grants Council, Innovation and Technology Commission, Health Services Research Commi t t ee, and many mu l t i na t i onal pharmaceutical companies to examine the many aspects of diabetes and related diseases in Hong Kong Chinese. Prof. Critchley was a man of vision, commitment, and dedication. He was one o f t he k ey p e r s o ns i n t he es t ab l i shment o f the Ho ng K o ng F o u n d a t i on f o r R e s e a r ch a nd Development in Diabetes as well as the 1999 inauguration of the 'Hong Kong Diabetes and Ca r d i ovascu l ar R i sk F a c t o r s — E a s t M e e t s We s t Symposium'. The latter is becoming one o f the important annual events in the medical and scientific community for the region. He had established important academic links w i t h many overseas institutions and organizations including those ill mainland China. In this regard, his appointment as Honorary Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the Chinese People's L i be r a t i on A r my General Hospital (301 Hospital), as a westerner, was pa r t i cu l a r ly honourable and an accolade o f wh i ch he was extremely proud. This prolific research work has led to the publication of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles in international medical journals and book chapters as well as more than 200 presentations at local and international conferences. These academic outputs have also firmly established The Chinese University of Hong Kong Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Care and Research Group, as one of the leading groups in the region. In the final part of his short but highly productive life, Prof. Critchley and his colleagues had been working incessantly to r a i se f u n ds and p r e p a re t he g r oundwo rk to establish a Diabetes Research and Management Institute, wh i ch aims to provide a high quality service to prevent diabetes and its devastating comp l i ca t i ons t h r ough education, state-of-the-art research, and practice o f evidence-based medicine using a holistic and multidisciplinary approach. P r o f. C r i t c h l ey was a man o f great courage, l ove, and w i s d om. Undoubtedly, he was an achiever, but more importantly, he accomplished by developing people and helping them achieve 一 a task wh i ch he greatly enjoyed and took pride in. He had the openness and principality of the West and yet the ab i l i ty to appreciate the values and cultures of the East. He had the foresight and vision to create the foundation for great wo r k, and at the same t ime, his ca r i ng pe r sona l i t y, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and attention to details were only too well known to those close to him. He was a man o f strong character whose enthusiasm and charm quickly created an impression on eve ry i n d i v i d u al in spite o f b r i e f moments of encounter. To many of us, he was not on ly a mentor, teacher, colleague, friend, partner, and comrade, but also a continuous source of support, encouragement, and inspiration, which w i l l be sadly missed by all his family memb e r s, c o l l e a g u e s, s t u d e n t s, collaborators, and friends. Joan Baez once said, 'You don 't get to choose how you are going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you are go i ng to l i ve. A n d now.' Pr o f. Cr i t ch l ey had chosen to l i ve a f u l l, busy, and purposeful life, wh i ch w i l l have l o ng l a s t i ng impac ts on the medical and scientific commun i ty as we ll as Hong Kong people. In memory o f h i s a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s a nd aspirations, his family has established an e n d owme nt f u nd i n his name, entrusted to the University, to promote diabetes research. In loving memory of Prof. Julian Arthur John Hall Critchley, Juliana C.N. Chan, Thomas Y.K. Chan and Brian Tomlinson on behalf of the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hilary and Lester Critchley and Christine West Critchley, on behalf of th e family. Crossed cheques covering donations, payable to 'The Chinese University of Hong K o n g ' will be gratefully acknowledged by the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong (Tel no:852 2603 5000, Fax no: 852 2603 7907). Please put ' J A JH Critchley Memorial Fund' on the back of the cheque. CUHK Research Laurels on Display A n exhibition showing some o f the University's research achievements was staged at the second last weekend of June. The research projects on display covered areas including arts, business administration, engineering, biological science, physical science, medicine, social science, and education. University Turns New Page in E-procurement T he U n i v e r s i t y has successfully developed and introduced an advanced e l e c t r o n ic p r o c u r eme nt system, e-jing, which operates t h r ough the Internet. The University Bursary has been u s i ng e - j i ng since Ma y , placing CUHK at the forefront o f electronic procurement development among l ocal universities. Wi t h e-jing, every step from the issuing of purchase orders to invoicing is automated on the Internet. Compared to other e-procurement systems, e-jing uses both Chinese (traditional and simplified characters) and English, costs less, and is compatible w i th more platforms. The system can help local and mainland businesses, large and small, to reduce the cost of tendering and improve efficiency. The robust functionalities of e-jing include modules such as catalogue management, collaborative planning, purchase order management, and system administration. (From left) Mr. Patrick Yiu, senior finance manager, Mr. Terence Chan, University Bursar, Prof. Ching Pak-chung, dean of engineering, Prof. Kenneth Young, pro-vice-chancellor, and Prof. Houmin Van and Prof. David Yau from the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management