Newsletter No. 228

New Department Heads Series Pr o f . Leung Kwok - sui on the Science and St rategies of Graceful Ma t u r i ng M edical advances have given us longer live s bu t longevity ha s in tur n plague d u s w i t h healt h problems brought abou t by ol d age. Our worl d has to accommodate th e health baggage o f life' s traveller s who hav e been on the roa d fo r fa r longe r tha n thei r ancestors. At academi c department s o f orthopaedic s and traumatology th e world over , geriatric problem s are a primary researc h focus and the one at CUHK i s no exception . As the new head of the University's Departmen t of Orthopaedic s an d Traumatology , Prof . Leun g Kwok-sui i s faced w i th two differen t ageing problems and both are being actively deal t with . A n Ageing Wo r ld The firs t i s the agein g o f th e wo r l d population . His department' s researc h covers the important area s of bon e fracture , osteoporosi s an d osteogenesis . Orthopaedics i s not onl y abou t th e well-being o f ol d bones an d crank y joint s o f cours e — i n fac t th e department's subspecialtie s als o includ e childre n orthopaedics an d sport s medicin e beside s han d surgery an d orthopaedi c oncolog y etc . — bu t th e elderly d o mak e u p a n overwhelming percentag e o f patients wh o w i l l benefit from advance s in these areas . I n fac t geriatri c orthopaedic s i s on e o f th e fastes t developing researc h areas in orthopaedics . A goo d orthopaedi c surgeo n als o need s t o kee p abreast o f th e lates t i n th e us e o f equipmen t an d instrumentation. Sinc e two year s ago , the departmen t has bee n collaboratin g w i t h i ndu s t r y t o develop computer-aided surgery . Prof . Leung' s specialt y is orthopaedic trauma ; he manages fractures of bones an d dislocation o f joints. His specia l interest i s high energ y trauma, includin g pelvi-acetabula r fractur e an d th e m i n i ma l ly invasiv e techniqu e i n fractur e care . H e believes tha t give n the past two year s o f experienc e i n computer-aided surgery , minimally invasive surgery can be furthe r improve d an d it s applicatio n extende d t o many othe r field s in orthopaedics. He als o hopes to see c o l l a b o r a t i on w i t h th e Facu l t y of Engineering o n improvin g computer - aided surgica l techniques , particularl y for bon e surgery . A Department i n Need o f New Blood Established i n 1983, the departmen t is turning 20 this year and five of its eight academic staf f hav e bee n w o r k i n g together fo r 3 0 years, previously i n th e De p a r t me nt o f O r t h o p a e d i cs an d Traumatology a t Princess Margare t Hospital. Th e second ageing problem i t has to solv e is that o f its own. 'We ar e a very matur e departmen t w i t h man y senior staff, ' sai d Prof. Leung. 'We nee d to train up young clinical academics wh o are competen t an d willing t o tak e ove r the department from our hands. They w i ll preferably be CUHK-trained. Tha t way , the y w i l l hav e ha d al l th e benefits of our unique medical curriculum and a greater sense o f belongin g t o ou r medica l school, ' sai d Prof . Leung wh o go t hi s MD fro m Th e Chines e University . He admits , however, that attracting younger staf f to hi s department i s a challenge . 'Th e pressur e o f bein g a clinical academic is enormous these days and things ar e not made any easier by the greater climate in Hong Kon g right now: the state of its politics, economy, and the SARS effect. But we are trying our best, mainly by giving them more internationa l exposur e an d opportunities . W e sponsor youn g researcher s t o atten d internationa l conferences and try to involve them as much as possible in workshops an d symposia we organize . I myself als o try t o attrac t them by bein g a role model, ' sai d Prof . Leung. Tapping Industrial Resources A stron g believe r i n t a p p i ng i n d u s t r y fo r education an d researc h resources . Prof . Leun g is director o f the state-of-the-ar t Orthopaedi c Learnin g Centre in his department which he helped set up fiv e years ago . The centr e i s a joint ventur e w i t h Stryke r Howme d i ca an d it s educa t i ona l activitie s ar e supported b y ove r 1 0 pharmaceutical an d medica l equipment companies . I n thi s cordia l relationshi p between academia and industry, each does what eac h is bes t at . Academi a train s orthopaedi c surgeons , nurses an d allied health professionals whil e industr y finances the centre. Academia designs and runs clinica l trials o n medica l equipmen t whil e industr y manufactures and market s them . Th e centr e ha s bee n designated b y man y i n t e r na t i ona l orthopaedi c organizations a s thei r t r a i n i n g centr e an d th e collaboration w i t h Howmedic a w i l l b e renewe d fo r another fiv e years in 2004. Prof. Leung's relationship with industry goes back a long way. He starte d to wor k w i t h Howmedic a o n designing implant s t o fi x geriatri c hi p fracture s 1 5 years ago. Those were the first implant designs of their kind i n the world tha t were based on body measurements derived from Chinese skeletons . The product s have bee n widely use d i n Asia an d thei r sale s hav e helped t o sponso r man y o f the department's trainin g programmes an d educationa l activities . Th e thir d generation o f th e implant i s now i n the final stage o f manufacture. Th e collaboratio n als o le d t o the formation in 1992 of the Asian Association for Dynami c Osteosynthesis ( AADO) , on e o f th e mos t activ e orthopaedic traum a professiona l bodie s i n the education and training of young surgeons in the world. Other ongoin g collaborative projects between the department an d industr y includ e computer-aide d orthopaedic surger y i n trauma , join t replacement , biomaterials research , applicatio n o f lo w intensit y pulsed ultrasound o n fracture healing, an d vibratio n therapy fo r osteoporosis . The departmen t ma y hav e severa l hurdle s t o negotiate, but give n Prof. Leung's extensiv e researc h and clinica l experience , an d hi s lon g an d soun d relationship w i t h industry , i t has an excellent chanc e of coming through it al l fracture-free . Piera Chen Servic e t oth eCommunit y and Internationa l Organization s • Prof . Leslie Lo, professor of educational administration and policy, has been appointed by the Chief Executive of th e HKSA R a s a member o f th e Educatio n Commission fo r two years from 1s t July 2003. • Prof . Chan Chi Fai Andrew, professor in the Department of Marketing , ha s bee n re-appointe d b y th e Chie f Executive o f th e HKSA R a s th e chairma n o f th e Consumer Counci l for two years from 16t h September 2003. H e ha s als o bee n re-appointe d b y th e Chie f Executive o f the HKSAR a s a panel membe r o f th e Telecommunications (Competitio n Provisions) Appeal Board for two years from 31st August 2003 . • Prof . Alber t Lee , professo r i n th e Departmen t o f Community an d Family Medicine, has been appointed by th e Secretar y fo r Educatio n an d Manpower a s a member o f the Curriculum Developmen t Counci l fo r two years from 1s t September 2003. • Prof . Man Yee Fun Evelyn, assistan t professor i n the Department o f Curriculum an d Instruction, ha s been appointed by the Secretary for Education and Manpower as a member of the Standing Committee on Language Education an d Research fo r two year s from 1 st Jul y 2003. • Prof . Ng Lun Nga i Ha, senior colleg e tutor o f Unite d College, has been appointed by the Secretary for Health , Welfare an d Food as a member o f the Hong Kong Wa r Memorial Pension s Advisory Committe e fo r two year s from 1s t September 2003. • Prof . Fanny Cheung , professor o f psychology, has been appointed a s a member o f th e Hon g Kon g Advisor y Council o n AIDS fro m 11t h August 200 3 t o 31s t Jul y 2005. • Prof . Nelso n Tang , professo r i n th e Departmen t o f Chemical Pathology, has been appointed as a member o f the Advisory Committe e i n Genetic s Disciplin e o f th e Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia for two years from 2003. • Prof . Ng Pa k Cheung , professor i n th e Departmen t o f Paediatrics, has been appointed by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food as the chairman of the Physiotherapists Board for three years from 1s t October 2003. • Prof . Edith Lau, professor in the Department of Community and Famil y Medicine , ha s bee n re-appointe d b y th e Secretary fo r Health , Welfare an d Food as a member o f the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health for tw o years from 1s t October 2003 . • Prof . Ton y Chung , professo r o f obstetrics an d gynaecology, ha s been appointed by th e Secretar y fo r Health, Welfare and Food as a member of the Midwives Council of Hong Kong for three years from 1s t October 2003. • Prof . La m Chi u Wa , professor i n the Departmen t o f Psychiatry, has been re-appointed by the Secretary fo r Security a s an adjudicator o f the Immigration Tribuna l for two years from 1s t October 2003 . • Prof . Dennis Lo, professor o f chemical pathology, has been re-appointed by the Secretar y fo r Securit y a s an adjudicator o f the Immigration Tribunal for two year s from 1s t October 2003 . • Prof . Anthon y Yim , professo r o f surgery , ha s bee n appointed a s a member o f the Biology an d Medicine Panel of the Research Grants Counci l o f Hong Kon g from 5th September 2003 to 30th June 2005. • Prof . Rance Lee, professor o f sociology, has been reappointed as a member of the Programm e Review an d Validation Committee of the Ope n University o f Hong Kong for two years from September 2003. • Prof . Clive Stewart Cockram, professor of medicine, has been re-elected as vice-president an d chairman of the Education Foundatio n o f th e Internationa l Diabete s Federation and also chairman of its Cardiovascular Task Force from 2003 to 2006. 3 No. 228 19th October 2003