Newsletter

Volume 33, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

I am happy to report that following the return of normalcy in Hong Kong, we have resumed connections with overseas colleagues via face-to-face meetings during overseas visits.

Together with representatives from the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and the sister Colleges, I attended the 57th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine on 19 – 21 July 2024. This 3-day event offered a valuable platform for medical professionals from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia to exchange ideas. It also provided an opportunity to reconnect with old friends I met at the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) 2023 Annual Meeting, as well as to make new connections.

Additionally, I represented the College at the 36th European Congress of Pathology on 7 – 11 September 2024, in Florence, Italy. I joined the European Society of Pathology (ESP) Advisory Board meeting to enhance cooperation with our European counterparts. Most importantly, the College signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in Anatomical Pathology with the ESP, paving the way for future educational collaborations. This year, Professor Peter Schirmacher, the President of the ESP, and Dr Raed Al Dieri, the Chief Executive Officer of the ESP, joined our College Conferment Ceremony. Their visit underscores the cooperation between ESP and HKCPath. Professor Schirmacher delivered a webinar on “Liver Neoplasms and Mimickers” on 15 November 2024, and a T.B. Teoh Foundation Lecture on the topic “Third Generation Molecular Pathology – From Research to Diagnostic Implementation” on 16 November 2024. Many of us gave positive feedback on these events.

My last college overseas visit in 2024 concluded with the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) 2024. I attended the ILPP 2024 Annual Meeting, which was organized in London, U.K. Similar to last year’s ILPP, which was hosted in Hong Kong, this one-and-a-half-day business meeting offered an excellent platform for discussing various challenges in Pathology. It was not surprising to learn that we have been facing similar challenges worldwide. Our discussion yielded insightful ideas and potential solutions to the current challenges, particularly concerning the adoption of artificial intelligence in image analysis and “big data” analysis.

As mentioned in the President’s speech at the 2024 Conferment Ceremony, the College Council shall set a number of key priorities. The College Council has endorsed and published guidelines on “Implementation of Digital Pathology and Adoption of Artificial Intelligence” for our members’ reference. Aligning with the Academy’s initiatives for faculty development will be our College's primary focus in the coming few years. A proactive approach to Green Pathology will also be initiated.

Dr MAK Siu Ming

President

2 December 2024

Volume 33, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

It is my great pleasure to write my first message in the College newsletter. Following the Annual General Meeting held on 25 November 2023, I have assumed the position of College President. That evening, I had the privilege of sharing a memorable and enjoyable dinner, a long-awaited one after the COVID era, with our esteemed past Presidents, including Dr MAK Wai Ping, Dr LEE Kam Cheong, Prof CHEUNG Nga Yin, Annie, Dr CHAN Ho Ming and Dr CHAN Chak Lam, Alexander. Through these interactions, I gained a deeper understanding of the immense responsibilities that come with being a President, and I am committed to upholding the legacy of our predecessors.

As mentioned in the President’s Speech at the Conferment Ceremony, I outlined a number of key priorities for the College. Moving forward, we will focus on the faculty development initiatives aligned with the Academy’s vision, and on the implementation of the revised Regulations on Postgraduate Training and Examinations, which shall be led by Dr LEUNG Yuk Yan, Rock, one of our College Vice-Presidents, in the coming days. I am pleased that a successful forum was organized in late April, which was attended by trainers and trainees from various disciplines. The forum provided an invaluable opportunity for us to discuss the changes in the new Regulations and to address questions from the audience. I am grateful to all who contributed to the success of this event, and I believe it further strengthens our commitment to transparency and collaboration.

As we step into 2024, a year filled with both challenges and opportunities, we are confronted with a significant workforce challenge that has persisted over the past decade. This issue is not limited to Hong Kong or Asia but is a global phenomenon. I had the privilege of joining the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) 2023, where I learned about the strategies from around the world aimed at alleviating the manpower gap. Despite various efforts, significant improvements have been elusive. It is time for us to think outside the box and consider innovative approaches. I firmly believe that advocating for the adoption of digital pathology and artificial intelligence can be a potential solution, paving the way for enhanced efficiency and accuracy in patient care.

In addition to addressing the workforce challenge, our Council remains dedicated to enhancing the College’s reputation and image, while upholding the standard of practice and fostering collaboration with overseas and local organizations. We will continue our efforts to promote Pathology through International Pathology Day and our College’s International Pathology Day Workshop, which usually takes place in early December each year. The International Pathology Day Workshop has already become a flagship program for our younger generation to learn about and engage with Pathology. It is satisfying to witness the enthusiasm and eagerness of our Young Fellows in leading the workshop and promoting our specialty within the society. I am delighted to share that some participants of our previous workshops have chosen Pathology as their career path, a testament to the impact we are making.

Personally, I will continue to fulfil my responsibilities as President, which include working closely with our College Fellows, Members and trainees. I will align our efforts with the Academy’s direction, particularly in light of the Position Statement "Position Paper on Postgraduate Medical Education 2023" released earlier in 2023. I aim to foster synergy with the sister Colleges in Hong Kong and maintain strong connections with our overseas counterparts.

Dr MAK Siu Ming

President

May 2024

Volume 32, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

It is with great pleasure that our College can finally host our Annual Dinner once again in 2023, following the return to normalcy in Hong Kong. I look forward to meeting all of you in the coming Annual General Meeting and the Conferment Ceremony. This year, we have offered the option of vegetarian dinner, and we have planned to introduce on-site download of event photos. We hope you will appreciate our new initiatives, and we shall review their popularity afterwards.

On top of organizing the regular College activities taking place each year, our College is particularly busy this year because of two special events.

The International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) annual meeting was hosted by our College in Hong Kong on 30-31 October 2023. The last time the meeting was held in Hong Kong was back in 2010. Although it is demanding to be the host organization, it has provided us with an opportunity to introduce Hong Kong to the Presidents or representatives of other Pathology Colleges or organizations in the world.

Other than preparing for the meeting and the related social activities, we have also coordinated with the International Academy of Pathology, Hong Kong Division, to co-host an ILPP session during their Fall Scientific Meeting on 29 October 2023. The session was well received, and it covered hot topics such as artificial intelligence, digital pathology and globalization.

During the ILPP meeting, members shared the challenges and practice of their localities. It was a fruitful meeting for information sharing and network building. Hosting it in Hong Kong has also provided a precious opportunity for some of the younger Fellows to meet these international leaders in Pathology.

We were very lucky that the event went smoothly, and the weather has been on our side. I believe all of you will know how uncommon it is to see Victoria Harbour with a clear blue sky! The guests enjoyed the meeting and our hospitality, and I am very proud of our team in making this meeting a success. A big thank you to all those who have contributed to this exceptional event.

In addition to organizing the ILPP meeting, the other major task which our College has embarked on this year is the revision of the Regulations on Postgraduate Training and Examinations and the related logbooks. This labour-intensive task involves various Specialty Boards and the Training & Examinations Committee (TEC). The new version will be rolled out soon after endorsement of the regulations by the Education Committee of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. Detailed information will be promulgated by TEC in due course.

This year marks the end of my College Presidency. After nearly two decades in the College Council, I am happy to see many young and energetic successors ready to take up the future challenges of the College. These past few years have been exceptionally difficult for the medical profession and our College. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all Council members, College Secretariat and all those who have contributed to the College in many different ways.

Dr. CHAN Chak Lam, Alexander
President

November 2023

Volume 32, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

Wish you all a Happy New Year of the Rabbit.

Our College hosted our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the Conferment Ceremony successfully in 2022 despite the COVID-19 outbreak. Congratulations once again to all the new Members and Fellows. We are very fortunate that Dr. Michael BUCKLEY, our Honorary Fellow and the speaker of the TB Teoh Foundation Lecture, has attended the event in person despite the restriction related to the outbreak. Dr. Buckley’s enlightening lecture, “Exomes and Genomes: from Bedside to Bench-top", was very well received.

The 18th Trainee Presentation Session was also held on the same day of AGM. All the trainees who have participated in the session have done a great job, and congratulations to the winner Dr. Aden CHAN of Anatomical Pathology for his study “Combinations of Single Gene Biomarkers can Precisely Stratify 1,028 Adult Gliomas for Prognostication”. Thanks to Dr. Derek YAU, Dr. Christopher LAI and to all the judges for making the session a success.

The continuing medical education/continuous professional development (CME/CPD) 3-year cycle 2020-22 has just ended, and a new 3-year cycle (2023-25) has started. On behalf of the Education Committee, may I remind our new Fellows that CME/CPD is important in your career development and future practice. Failed compliance may result in suspension of your Academy’s Fellowship and your specialist registration status.

The coming year is a busy year for Training and Examinations Committee (TEC). TEC is currently engaging various Specialty Boards in the review of our training programmes. We are grateful for the advice we have received from our Academy’s Educationist, Dr. SO Hing Yu. Concurrent with the training programme review exercise, our College is also planning to contribute to the development of training programmes for the SZ-HK Medical Specialist Training Centre. This is in support of the Academy’s initiative to strengthen our collaboration with the Shenzhen medical profession.

These few years have been challenging times for all of us. Other than taking care of our patients, we also need to take good care of ourselves and those around us. Academy has taken various initiatives to promote the well being of doctors. Helpful material is available in the Academy’s website, and peer supporters (with some from our College) are ready to help. Our younger generation is encountering lots of challenges and uncertainties in life. As trainers and seniors, we should be supportive. On the other hand, I hope our younger members can also understand that the trainers are likewise facing unprecedented stress, but you should not hesitate to approach your seniors, colleagues or Academy’s peer supporters in case of need.

The multifactorial manpower shortage issue has great impact on our specialty and other medical professions. Our College will work closely with the Academy, the Hospital Authority, and the government, on exploring various options to tackle the matter. Meanwhile, we hope all new Fellows can stay longer in the public sector, to contribute to the training of our next generation of Pathologists.

Regarding government’s plan to explore empowering Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs) to prescribe diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests for their patients, our College is working closely with our sister Colleges and the Academy to deliberate with the government and relevant parties. The Academy had a meeting with the Hong Kong Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association on 16 January 2023, exploring the view of some CMPs.

Our College wishes to engage more young Fellows in College activity. After the establishment of the Academy‘s Young Fellows Chapter (YFC), we have set up our College’s own YFC. Some of our young Fellows are currently members of our College Council and some College committees. We treasure their input and contribution, and it is essential for succession planning. Our current YFC Chairman, Dr. Ivy CHENG, is also in charge of our College Facebook page. We hope to use this platform more often to share information, and your comment is most welcome. ( https://www.facebook.com/hkcpath/ )

The Academy’s Conferment Ceremony was held on 16 December 2022. Congratulations to our new Academy Fellows and to Dr. Lois CHOY, our College trainee in Chemical Pathology who won the gold medal of the Academy’s 2022 Best Original Research by Trainees (BORT) on that day.

International Pathology Day Workshop 2022 was held successfully on 17 December 2022. Dr. Rock LEUNG and his team have done an excellent job introducing our profession to over 200 secondary school students.

I represented our College to attend the Opening Ceremony of the New Territories (Shatin) Forensic Medicine Centre on 29 December 2022. The establishment of this new state-of-the-art facility is an important milestone for Forensic Pathology.

The year 2023 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Academy. The Tripartite Medical Education Conference on 14 January 2023 is the first of a series of celebration events, and Dr. MAK Siu Ming (Chairman of Training & Examinations Committee), Dr. Christopher LAI (Chairman of Education Committee) and I have attended the conference. Dr. MAK and I have also joined the Academy’s Strategic Planning Retreat on Education and Training on 4 March 2023, and it was a precious opportunity for experience-sharing amongst all Colleges and the Academy.

The next Academy’s anniversary celebration event will be Health for All, Move Forward Together on 19 March 2023. Our College has formed a competition team for the run, and some College members have also registered for the event.

The Academy has resumed the annual gathering with the media this year. I attended the HKAM Media Spring Tea Reception held on 3 February 2023. It was a good opportunity for the Academy to highlight the latest development of the Academy and promulgate the Academy’s view on some healthcare related policies and initiatives.

The next annual International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) meeting has been planned to take place in Hong Kong in October 2023. Hong Kong was the hosting city in 2010. We look forward to hosting it once again after more than one decade.

With return to normalcy, I expect we shall be able to organise the long-overdue College annual dinner in 2023. I look forward to seeing you all.

Dr. CHAN Chak Lam, Alexander
President

March 2023

Volume 31, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

It gave me great pleasure in writing this message, as the College Newsletter always has a special place in my heart.

It seems like yesterday when I first joined the College Council and took up the College Newsletter Chief Editor position in 2004. It has come a long way for the College newsletter to evolve from a black-and-white hard copy, to the current colourful electronic soft copy. I still remember the days when the Editorial Board meeting took place in a casual atmosphere in a restaurant in Admiralty, how the name “Pathologue” was proposed by the scholarly Dr LOO Ka Tai, and how the various new ideas were born through members of the Editorial Board. I am happy to see the continuous development of the newsletter over the subsequent years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionalized the practice of medicine. Various College meetings have been conducted via teleconferencing, and such practice has extended to the participation by External Examiners in various College examinations, and to Trainee Presentation Session in form of a hybrid mode. Later this year, I shall also join the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) meeting in Chicago via teleconferencing. The world is changing fast, and our College will adapt to the change. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us to embrace technology in our daily practice: teleconferencing, web-based seminars, the possibility of telepathology, just to name a few. Our College shall keep a close look at the latest outbreak situation and the related policy, and adjust our practice accordingly.

We managed to host our College Conferment Ceremony in 2021 despite the COVID-19 outbreak, taking various infection control precautions. For this year, our Annual General Meeting and Conferment Ceremony have been tentatively planned for 26 November 2022 (Saturday): please mark your diary, and we look forward to seeing you all.

Our profession has been facing manpower shortage for some time. The situation has been escalating, with the expansion of services in various pathology specialties and the attrition subsequent to various reasons. Together with the Academy, our College shall aim to uphold the professional standards while considering different options to address the matter.

We are pleased to see an increasing number of trainees and young Fellows in our College. The recent establishment of the Young Fellows Chapter in the Academy and in our College has provided an excellent opportunity to engage our younger generation in Academy’s and College’s activities. Young Fellows have brought in new ideas and have helped to organize various activities, and they are the future of our College.

After several years of preparation, our College rolled out the Genetic and Genomic Pathology training programme last year. More and more trainees have now registered for this programme, and we hope many new Fellows will complete this programme in the near future to cater for the needs of this rapidly expanding field.

The establishment of the Genetic and Genomic Pathology programme has brought our College “Into a New Era”, and it happens that the year 2021 marked the 30th Anniversary of our College. An anniversary book is currently under preparation, and I thank the team from the Professional & General Affairs Committee for their hard work. I also thank all the previous Presidents for their contributions, and this book will certainly become a valuable item of memorabilia.

As College President, I attended the 4th AMM-AMS-HKAM Tripartite Congress & the 55th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine on 22-24 July 2022 in Singapore virtually. A summary of the event is included in this newsletter.

There are challenges ahead, and let’s ride out the storm together. After all, tomorrow is another day.

Dr. CHAN Chak Lam, Alexander
President

July 2022

Volume 30, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

In this issue of the College Newsletter, I am delighted to announce that Professor Dennis LO, Professor Joseph Sriyal Malik PEIRIS and Professor Kwok Yung YUEN (in the order of their surnames) have received the prestigious Royal Medal of The Royal Society as well as the Future Science Prize 2021 in life sciences for their contributions in the discoveries of cell-free DNA for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis and zoonotic transfer of coronavirus to human causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, respectively. My heartfelt congratulations!

Under the new normal of COVID-19, all examinations in 2021 were still conducted using video conferencing technology. I would also like to thank all external and local examiners for their hard work and to congratulate all successful candidates in the College Membership Examination and Fellowship Assessment. They have added new workforce to the diagnostic services in Hong Kong.

Another issue of postgraduate education under the new normal is how to receive training without a face-to-face arrangement. The Academy recently held a Medical Education Conference to discuss the way forward on e-learning, competency-based training and continuous workplace-based assessment. Both educators and students need to acquire new skills and improve their resilience to training progress.

Dr Derek HUNG and Professor KY YUEN wrote a Topical Update in this issue of newsletter titled “Diagnosis of COVID-19”. It is a timely topic to review all the diagnostic modalities to combat COVID-19.

Last but not least, our College, jointly with Academy, has prepared promotional materials for COVID-19 vaccination including posters and videos. They are uploaded to the COVID corner of our College website and Facebook. Please feel free to share them with your friends and family.

Finally, allow me to wish you all ‘good health’ going forward !

Dr. CHAN Ho Ming
President

October 2021

Volume 29, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

In this issue of the College Newsletter, I am delighted to announce that the Genetic and Genomic Pathology (GGPath) Training Programme and all successful First Fellows of GGPath have been fully accredited by The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and this new specialty has been listed as one of the sixty-three specialties in the Specialist Register of The Medical Council of Hong Kong. Therefore, College would like to remind all concerned Fellows about the proper quotation of this new qualification. Also, I would like to thank the joint effort of all members of GGPath Training Programme Working Group, GGPath First Fellow Assessment Team and the newly established GGPath Specialty Board for their hard work. Hopefully, our College can enroll the first batch of GGPath trainees very soon.

As President of the College, I participated in Academy of Medicine’s 27th Annual General Meeting held last December. The Sir David Todd Orator 2020 was Professor Francis CHAN with his talk titled ‘Being a Leader’. The Conferment Ceremony was conducted in the Academy Building in a very unusual way due to precautionary measures for COVID-19 with all the Fellowship recipients joining via video conferencing. Each College President announced his/her new Academy Fellows on screen.

I would like to send my heartfelt congratulations to Dr FOO Ka Chung, our new Distinguished Young Fellow, who also wrote a Topical Update in this issue of newsletter as well as all new Fellows and Members who were successful in College Examinations 2020 conducted via video conferencing during COVID-19 pandemic. I would also take this chance to thank our External Examiners, Chief Examiners, Deputy Chief Examiner and Local Examiners for their tremendous effort in making it possible for the College Examinations to be conducted as scheduled.

In the Out of the Whitecoat article, Dr LEE Kam Cheong shared with us about his fascinating bird-watching stories.

Professor Paul CHAN was recently interviewed by ‘PathWay’ of The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia to share how Hong Kong managed COVID-19.

Finally, allow me to wish you all ‘good health’ going forward !

Dr. CHAN Ho Ming
President

March 2021

Volume 29, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

In this issue of the College Newsletter, I am saddened to bring the news to all Members and Fellows that one of our Honorary Fellows, Professor WU Bing Quan passed away peacefully on 21 June 2020. Professor WU was a pioneer in the development of Pathology in China. He was one of the first group of scientists to be sent to the United States for training where he met Professor Joseph CK LEE, Former Dean and current Honorary Clinical Professor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. They became good friends during their time together in the United States and hence Professor WU became associated with our College. Professor LEE has kindly written an obituary for Professor WU and our College also sends its condolences to Professor WU’s family.

The 15th Trainee Presentation Session, the 28th Annual General Meeting and Conferment Ceremony, the 28th T.B. TEOH Foundation Lecture and Dinner were successfully held on 23rd November 2019 when the social unrest was quietening down. All attending Members, Fellows and their families enjoyed a wonderful evening. Professor KWONG Yok Lam, our 28th T.B. TEOH Foundation Lecturer, delivered a lecture entitled “An amazing journey from micro to macro and back” with a human touch of his interest in reading science fiction. The winner of the 15th Trainee Presentation Session was Dr. CHENG Hua Tse Timothy who presented his work on ‘Comprehensive characterization and resolution of eltrombopag interference on bilirubin measurement’.

The Academies of Medicine for Singapore and Malaysia organised the 53rd Singapore Malaysia Congress of Medicine in Singapore in January 2020. I attended the Congress as well as the Joint Academy Council Meeting on behalf of the College. In the Congress Symposium, a fascinating talk on how big data and social media affects the hierarchical relationship and massive manipulation was presented by Mr. George YEO, the Former Cabinet Minister of Singapore.

The Topical Update in this issue was on “Liver Injury associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors – An Update on Clinicopathological Features“, by Dr. LO Cheuk Lam Regina of The University of Hong Kong.

In response to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Professor LAI Koon Chi Christopher of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Professor Siddharth SRIDHAR of The University of Hong Kong, jointly published an article on “Coronavirus Diversity and Infection through Host Receptor” in Ming Pao on 7th April 2020. On 29th April 2020, our College also released a press statement to the general public on the “Use of Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Test Kits”, explaining the risks associated with false positives and false negatives of the point-of-care test kits based on IgG and IgM antibodies. Apart from numerous reports in various newspapers, our College also noted about 40,000 ‘shares’ on social media.

Different parts of College Examinations have been or will be conducted from July to September 2020. It is challenging to conduct examinations in a pandemic situation, but with the approval from the Academy Council, Colleges are allowed to conduct examinations using telecommunication technology where appropriate and possible. I would like to thank our External Examiners, Chief Examiners, Deputy Chief Examiner and Local Examiners in advance for their tremendous effort in making it possible for the College Examinations to be conducted as scheduled.

Finally, allow me to wish you all ‘good health’ going forward !

Dr. CHAN Ho Ming
President

July 2020

Volume 28, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

Dear Fellows and Members,

In this issue of College Newsletter, I have to bring very sad news to all Members and Fellows. Our Past President, Dr. Michael Suen passed away peacefully on 6 January 2020 after battling against cancer for over 2 years. Dr. Suen was a leader with traditional Chinese wisdom, an excellent practising pathologist, a resourceful and encouraging mentor, a good friend with whom you can share your feelings, a caring husband and father. He was a great role model for our community, College, trainees, colleagues and his family members. We will never forget his smiling face and warm words of encouragement, in particular, during times of difficulty. May Dr. Suen rest in peace.

On the other hand, there is a series of good news for our College in the past year. The breaking good news is the award of Professor Dennis Lo, Li Ka Shing Professor of Chemical Pathology, who was admitted as Honorary Fellow of The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in December 2019 in recognition of his contribution to the field of cell-free plasma DNA for non-invasive prenatal and cancer diagnostics.

The second good news is the award of Distinguished Young Fellows 2019 to Dr. Elaine Au, Consultant Immunologist and Dr. David Christopher Lung, Consultant Microbiologist. They received the award from Professor CS Lau, Academy President, in September 2019.

The third good news is the successful Membership Examination and Fellowship Assessment for candidates in Anatomical Pathology, Chemical Pathology, Clinical Microbiology and Infection, Forensic Pathology as well as Haematology in August and September 2019.

The fourth good news is the successful completion of the First Fellow Assessment for candidates in Genetic and Genomic Pathology in October 2019. The College Examinations could not have been successfully conducted without the help of our External Examiners, Chief Examiners and Local Examiners. During the past months of social unrest, some of our External Examiners were not able to come to Hong Kong physically. Tele-communication was adopted to be the alternative option by the College and Academy. Thank you for the hard work and contributions from all examiners.

The fifth good news would be the award of The DS Nelson Trainee Oral Prize to Dr. Timothy Cheng, at the ‘Pathology Update 2019’ Conference in Melbourne. The title of his presentation was ‘Noninvasive Detection of Bladder Cancer by Shallow-Depth Genome-Wide Bisulfite Sequencing of Urinary Cell-Free DNA for Methylation and Copy Number Profiling’.

In this issue, the Topic Update was on “Recent Advances in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia “ by Dr. Albert Sin, and the Out of the White Coat Interviewee was Dr. Clarence Lam, Consultant Haematologist.

The International Pathology Day Pre-Workshop was conducted to induce medical students to explore various disciplines of pathology in November 2019. Again due to social unrest, the International Pathology Day was postponed to a Saturday before Christmas when it was successfully conducted at the Pathology Teaching Laboratory of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital.

Finally, let me wish all of you a Prosperous Chinese New Year of the Rat!

Dr. CHAN Ho Ming
President

Jan 2020

Volume 28, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

This is the first issue of our College Newsletter in 2019. In 2018, College was busy with conducting the activities associated with the new training programme in Genetic and Genomic Pathology including the second open forum and First Fellow application. We are now processing numerous applications. An interview will be conducted in October 2019 to finalise the eligibility.

In 2018, the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine was also celebrating her 25th Anniversary with a series of fascinating events including the Congress of Medicine and Gala Dinner with an impressive drummer performance at the opening. Our Fellow, Prof. YUEN Kwok Yung was the Sir David Todd Orator in 2018. He presented his journey to becoming a renowned microbiologist with multiple showcases of Sherlock Holmes-style investigations for our community. In early 2019, the Academy also conducted a visit to Sichuan for our Young Fellows, so as to increase their understanding of the development of specialist care in Mainland China. Dr. MAK Siu Ming and Dr. CHENG Shui Ying, Ivy, represented our College to participate in this visit.

In March 2019, the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPA-QAP) held one of their 30th Anniversary Quality Symposia in the Pao Yue Kong Auditorium at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Jockey Club Building. Local and overseas speakers came to give talks and opinions on how quality can be exercised as well as the future of quality in pathology. What an enjoyable experience-sharing opportunity!

In the recent issue of Topical Update, Dr. CHONG Yeow Kuan, Calvin reviewed the technological development of biochemical genetics on three major categories of inherited metabolic diseases. With the introduction of expanded newborn screening using mass spectrometry, there is increasing awareness of these conditions in the community.

Last but not the least, Dr. CHAN Sheung Wai, Gavin will share his concept of modern mortuary development, with a life paradigm shift from just being a place for the dead to a decent environment of bereavement for the family.

I would like to thank all the above Fellows who have contributed so much to the build a positive image of pathologists. Hope you enjoy this issue of Pathologue!

Dr. CHAN Ho Ming
President

May 2019

Volume 27, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

Time flies! The Year of 2018 is coming to an enjoyable end as we are continuously receiving good news from our seniors and young Fellows.

I would like to congratulate Prof. KY Yuen, Prof. Dennis Lo and Prof. Malik Peiris for their recent awards and honours received locally and internationally. Between them, they have added significant new dimensions to the reach of their science and the way we view and understand their disciplines. In addition, two of our Fellows, Dr. SM Mak and Dr. HW Ip were nominated as Distinguished Young Fellows and received their certificates from Prof. CS Lau, President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in September. Dr. SM Mak, as the representative of the Young Fellows’ Chapter of our College, will give a detailed report on its activities including the Medical Indemnity Forum, and Cultivating Professionalism and Research in Medical Education.

The Training and Examinations Committee would like to announce that a total of 20 candidates passed our Membership Examination and Fellowship Assessment this year. Congratulations to the successful candidates on their achievements! In addition, the second Open Forum on the Fellowship in Genetic and Genomic Pathology was successfully conducted on 26th October 2018. More importantly, the Genetic and Genomic Pathology First Fellows Application is now open for submission till the end of March 2019.

As College President, I wish to report to you that I attended the Malaysia-Singapore-Hong Kong Tripartite Congress of Medicine in Kuala Lumpur in August as a joint function of the three Academies of Medicine as well as the Meeting of the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) 2018 in London in October to discuss the common interests and issues faced by the rest of the pathology world. This year, the ILPP has determined to use social media to gain public interest. Therefore, we have used our facebook homepage to publicize the successful celebration of the International Pathology Day at Queen Mary Hospital on 18th November 2018, where the College organized a series of live demonstrations and simple experiments to attract the attention of 180 secondary school students nominated by the Principals of various schools.

Being one of the 15 constituent colleges of the Academy of Medicine, our College has nominated Fellows to be interviewed by the Radio Television Hong Kong “Healthpedia”《精靈一點》to talk about their interesting encounters for the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Academy. The interviews can be reviewed at this link.

Finally, Dr. Dominic Tsang and Dr. Christopher Lai will share with us a Topical Update on Antimicrobial Resistance which is a worldwide issue to be tackled not only by pathologists but also by clinicians, nurses and other related healthcare workers. I would like to thank all the above Fellows who have contributed so much to the building of a positive image of pathologists. Hope you enjoy this issue of Pathologue!

Dr. CHAN Ho Ming
President
November 2018

Volume 27, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

The Year of 2018 would be a year of celebration as our College has had a very good start!

After months of deliberation and negotiation in the Genetics and Genomics Taskforce, the Training and Examinations Committee as well as the College Council, various pathology specialties including Anatomical Pathology, Chemical Pathology, Haematology and Immunology have finally come to a consensus on the draft training programme for Genetic and Genomic Pathology. On 17 January 2018, the College held an Open Forum to introduce the background and the draft training programme to all Fellows and to receive comments and suggestions from them. It turned out to be a success! With the blessings from our Fellows, the Genetic and Genomic Pathology training programme was approved at one of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine’s Council Meetings on 12 April 2018. It would be a 2-year post- fellowship training programme with knowledge-based, cross-college and specialty-based components. This new Genetic and Genomic Pathology programme will be implemented within 24 months of the date of the Academy’s approval. To accommodate the changes, the College has also updated all the fellowship training programmes, which again were endorsed at the Academy’s Council Meeting on 15 March 2018.

The College has recently established a Young Fellows’ Chapter to encourage our younger generations to increase their participation in College activities. During their participation, various generations of Fellows can sit down together and exchange their views and opinions. In addition, one of the Young Fellows, Dr. Elaine Au, would like to share a Topical Update on immune-mediated demyelinating disease.

To celebrate the ILPP(International Liaison of Pathology Presidents) International Pathology Day 2017, and to promote the image of Pathologists to the public, the College organised a workshop at the Prince of Wales Hospital to receive over 100 senior secondary school students to enjoy some interactive laboratory experiments and demonstrations.

Lastly, Dr. NG Wai Fu would like to share his hobby that can make him young and fit!

Dr. CHAN Ho Ming
June 2018

Volume 26, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

Four years ago, I took up the challenging post of President of The Hong Kong College of Pathologists. It is time to pass the responsibility to my capable successor after the AGM this year.

The College has faced challenges while trying our best to achieve the most important mission of safeguarding the quality of training and ensuring high standard of pathology service to our community.

With the aging population and various factors, the demand on medical care in Hong Kong has been increasing. It is known that the majority of clinical decisions need the support of medical laboratory investigations. The opinions of pathologists are crucial in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.

Indeed, The Hong Kong College of Pathologists is getting more and more represented in various task forces and specialists panels involved in health care, contributing our professional opinions.

Since the establishment of International Pathology Day in liaison with international pathology community, the College has been organizing an annual workshop for secondary school students. It is our target to let the general public know more about our profession and appreciate our contribution, and to attract potential trainees to our profession.

Thanks to the joint effort of various specialties in Pathology, we are now at the final stage of establishing a post-specialty fellowship in Genetic and Genomic Pathology. This is an important move to face the increasing application of such knowledge in dfferent facets of medicine.

Better planning of manpower and succession is important in the provision of reliable medical services. The Academy and our College hopefully can play more active roles in this aspect.

This season of examination has recently been concluded. A new generation of specialist pathologists is born. On behalf of the College, I would like to extend my sincere welcome and congratulations to all new Fellows and Members. More importantly, I also wish to applaud to all trainees who have bravely endured the serious training and examinations, irrespective of the results. We should also thank all the trainers for their dedicated supervision, and the families of our trainees and Fellows for their continuous support.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all members and friends of the College for your support to College activities. The active participation from our new Fellows is particularly welcome to ensure the success of our profession in serving the community.

Professor CHEUNG NgaYin, Annie
President, November 2017 

 

 

Volume 26, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

Pathology is a medical specialty integrating personal experience and cutting-edge techniques. As a professional body committed to the upkeep and assurance of high-quality pathology practices, our College is dedicated to equipping our fellows with the ability to meet the challenges of evolving advancement in techniques and increasing expectation of the community. Concurring with the initiative by Hong Kong Academy of Medicine to promote training in genetics and genomics in several specialties, our College has been working on establishing a post-specialty fellowship in Genetic and Genomic Pathology under a special task force led by Dr Michael CHAN involving Specialty Board Chairpersons, Chief Examiners and representatives from various pathology specialties. Continued input of opinions from fellows and trainees is important.

We are encouraged by the success of the International Pathology Day Workshops targeted at high school students. The success is attributed to the hard work of a team of young fellows and trainees from various pathology specialties under the leadership of Dr Leon LAI. This year, such a workshop will be conducted again at around 15 November 2017. We shall continue to count on selfless support from fellows and trainees.

The College will continue to enhance communication with overseas and local professional bodies. There are representatives of our College in advisory groups in local administrations, and regular meetings with sister colleges overseas will continue.

The future of the profession and the College lies with our young fellows. The Academy is forming a Young Fellows Chapter for better engagement in the Academy’s activities. Each college is asked to nominate one fellow who has been conferred fellowship within the past 10 years. Dr MAK Siu Ming has been nominated to serve the first term (one year) of this Chapter.

The time of succession has also come. Nomination for Office Bearers and Councillors will be open soon. Your active participation is crucial for the success and prosperity of the pathology profession.

Professor CHEUNG Nga Yin, Annie
May 2017

Volume 25, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

Volume 25, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

We are honoured to stand on the shoulders of giants so that we can continue to enhance the development of pathology based on the achievements of our senior Fellows and colleagues. In this newsletter, tributes are paid to two distinguished pathologists who have contributed tremendously to the development of pathology in Hong Kong. Professor Sir Roddy MACSWEEN and Professor Li Chong CHAN left us in the winter of 2015. This is a personal loss to me, as I have been fortunate enough to have worked with and learnt from them for decades. To express our appreciation and grieve, Professor Faith HO and Professor John NICHOLLS, with the help of Fellows, colleagues and friends, have contributed two articles to pay tributes to these two giants in the eld of pathology.

Indeed, pathology is facing signi cant challenges, from manpower shortage to technological advancement and raised expectations from community. Our College will continue to safeguard the standard of our profession and quality of service to our patients. To achieve this, our College will enhance representation in various local task forces and committees so that our views can be heard. A Task Force on Training for Genetics and Genomics, led by TEC Chairman Dr Michael CHAN, with membership including Chief Examiners and Specialty Board Chairmen, is nalizing the preparation for establishing the post-specialty Fellowship in Genetic and Genomic Pathology.

Introduction of pathology to the general public continues to be enhanced through the International Pathology Day. Last year, we have focused on high school students and a two days’ workshop was conducted with great success. I must thank Dr Michael WONG and the team of young pathologists who made such success possible.

We continue our collaboration with the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and our sister Colleges. Internationally, I participated in the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) meeting in Melbourne so that knowledge and views can be shared with international pathology professionals.

In 2016, the quinquennial ( ve-yearly) inspection of laboratories for training of the various specialties will be conducted. This is an enormous exercise that demands joint e ort of the large number of inspectors involved. I would like to thank in advance the great contribution from all the Educational Supervisors, inspectors and particularly the Convenors for this inspection exercise.

Professor CHEUNG NgaYin,Annie May 2016

Volume 24, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

Pathology is an important element in medicine. Such importance has been increasingly acknowledged in professional and general community. Our College has been active in several professional activities to maximize our impact to improve the community health.

A Working Group on Genetic and Genomics has been set up by the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in 2014 to coordinate the training in this field with college representatives from Community Medicine, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Paediatricians, Pathologists and Physicians. Professor Rossa Chiu and I are representatives of our College in this group. Our College has also correspondingly set up a Task Force on Training for Genetics and Genomics, including Specialty Board Chairmen and Chief Examiners of various specialties to prepare syllabus and training options.

Locally, several Fellows and I have been involved as members in the Task Force of the Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Programme, expressing our opinions to ensure quality of pathology service in the programme. I have also been invited to join in the Cancer Expert Working Group on Cancer Prevention and Screening as our College representative. Such representation reflects that the contribution of pathology is increasingly recognized.

Our College will continue to participate in media programmes coordinated by the Academy to explain our work and the contribution of our specialty to patients. In liaison with the international pathology community, activities related to the International Pathology Day are being planned to be conducted in the later part of 2015. The aim is to let the public understand our work better.

Internationally, we shall continue the collaboration with sister organizations in various countries both individually and collectively through associations such as International Liaison Pathology Presidents (ILPP) and World Association of Societies of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM). I believe that the future of pathology profession is challenging but promising. Fellows are most welcome to share opinions with the College so that our work can continue to be improved.

Prof CHEUNG Nga Yin Annie May 2015

 

Volume 24, Issue 2 (click here to download the full pdf version)

Message from the President

On behalf of the College, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all new Fellows and Members to the family of The Hong Kong College of Pathologists. This is a moment of celebration for the new milestone. After surmounting years of serious training and hurdles of examinations, our new Fellows are now qualified specialists in Pathology who are consultants to bedside doctors. This is also the moment of gratitude. Our trainers should be thanked for their tireless supervision, ever since the trainees joined the profession of pathology.

It is now increasingly known that pathologists play a pivotal role in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Regrettably, the importance of Pathology is sometimes recognized through unfortunate incidents covered in the news media. Nevertheless, we may take such opportunities to highlight the importance of good pathology practice and our contribution to clinical medicine. The application of genetics and genomics in medicine is increasing. Following the initiation of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine to enhance the training and accreditation of investigation on genetics and genomics, our College is likely to be the first college in Hong Kong to establish a post-specialty fellowship in Genetics and Genomics.

To let our community understand our work, the College has been reaching out. With President as representative, our College has expressed views in task forces and specialists panels on health issues. In liaison with the international pathology community on International Pathology Day, a two days’ workshop has been organized in November for the public and secondary school students. With our sincere and persistent effort, we should be able to break the barrier surrounding our profession and communicate better with the public and health professionals.

With the evolution of medical technology and the rising expectation of our patients and the public, let us unite our strength and determination to face the challenges and work towards a better future for the community.

Prof CHEUNG Nga Yin Annie Nov 2015