From Our Head

Professor Ian C.K. Wong


2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the University of Hong Kong and the formation of the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree programme, dedicated to the training of competent pharmacists to service the needs of the community.

In the past decade, the department has developed a pharmacy programme like no other - a combination of solid knowledge based teaching, problem based learning, simulated online learning and last but not least, Interprofessional learning with other health care disciplines. Through small class size teaching, our students are able to closely interact with our experienced teachers and other students to equip them with the communication skills needed in their lifelong journey.

In relation to research, our department has been a lead Asian research centre in cardiovascular and metabolic pharmacology. Noticeably, our Department also co-hosts the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. With the support from the Faculty and collaboration with University College London and with the Asian Pharmacoepidemiology Network, we have developed a strong team in healthcare big data research. Our recent publications in JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Psychiatry, BMJ, Lancet Infectious Disease and Lancet Psychiatry have demonstrated the high standards achieved in our research outputs.

Our department is also committed to the concept of knowledge exchange which serves to deliver our knowledge and expertise to the wider community. Our students and teachers are actively involved with community based health services, including elderly home visits, education sharing through scientific newspaper articles, and with public and patient specific group talks.

From Nov 2018, we will be launching a year-long celebration of the department's 10th anniversary with a series of activities including exhibitions, health promotion events and both professional and public seminars. Our celebration kick start event will be held in November 19th, celebrating the joint collaboration with UCL on medication safety and healthcare big data research.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who have supported and guided us throughout this 10 year journey. We look forward to your presence at our celebratory events and your continuous support to the department.