Page 65 - HKU Surgery 110 Anniversary E-Book

Chapter III. Putting Hong Kong Surgery on the World Map

Innovation and Expansion

Ong created an environment where Professor John Wong also used the
surgeons had freedom to experiment animal laboratory to train surgeons
with new methods and better ways in new techniques. In fact, Wong’s
of treating disease. They had to arrival from Australia in 1975 started
be creative because there were few to raise the stakes in HKU research.
resources for research, but over time, He had a Master of Surgery (MS)
the Department became a renowned degree and experience in research,
centre for innovative surgery. and he encouraged younger staff to
pursue an MS, including Professor
Ong led by example, for instance KH Lam, who was the first to take his
performing Hong Kong’s first open- advice and later became one of the
heart surgery in December 1964 and youngest professors in the University
doing pioneering work on cadaveric at age 35.
liver transplant surgery in Hong Academic staff had free reign to
Kong. Others soon followed, such experiment. Professor John Boey,
as Professor Leong Che-Hung, who for instance, conducted an impactful
performed the first kidney transplant ra n domi s e d cont ro l t r i a l on
in Hong Kong. (Both Ong and Leong perforated ulcers even though he was
would each later be invited to deliver specialising in the lower gut, after he
a Hunterian Lecture at the Royal noticed a large number of these cases
College of Surgeons of England.) while on call. Several staff started
making use of the new capabilities
Research at that time was almost made possible by computers, which
entirely based on the study of clinical were located on the main HKU
cases, but Ong also established the campus. Researchers brought their
Laboratory Animal Unit in 1964, where collected data there to be processed
surgeons could test new techniques overnight and printed out onto large
on animal subjects. Among those to sheets of paper. One mistake and they
make successful use of these facilities had to start over.
was Professor ST Fan, who pioneered
liver transplantation in the 1990s.

Professor Ong performed Hong Kong’s first open-heart surgery in 1964.

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