Francisco Lai is an Assistant Professor of Psychopharmacoepidemiology jointly appointed by the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy and the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He earned his B.Sc. degree in economics and finance from HKUST Business School (QS 2024 Subject World Ranking = 34^th) in 2013, graduating with Dean’s Award in Social Science; and his Ph.D. degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) Medical School (QS 2024 Subject World Ranking = 28^th) in 2019 on the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship (for Postgraduate Students) 2018/19 in recognition of the societal significance of his Ph.D. research. He was awarded the RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020/21, Inaugural Class) in support of his postdoctoral training at CUHK before joining HKU in March 2021 as a Research Assistant Professor and being promoted to Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in September 2023.

Francisco is a pharmacoepidemiologist focusing on real-world evidence (RWE) for psychotropic drugs, e.g., antipsychotics, antidepressants, and sedative-hypnotics, long-term safety of medications, and psychosomatic multimorbidity, i.e., co-existence of mental and physical disorders. Since joining HKU, he has initiated and overseen numerous research studies as the senior corresponding author which led to publications in high-impact journals, such as PLOS Medicine (impact factor = 10.5) and Sleep Medicine Reviews (impact factor = 11.2). In a first-author capacity, he has also led research published in Annals of Internal Medicine (impact factor = 19.6), Journal of the American College of Cardiology (impact factor = 21.7), and Nature Communications (impact factor = 14.7). Francisco has published more than 130 scholarly journal articles, with an H-Index of 31 (Google Scholar, as of Nov 2024). His research has been shortlisted for the HKU Research Output Prize multiple times since 2022, and the societal impact of his works on vaccine safety and pharmacovigilance during public health emergencies has also been recognized by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Award in 2023. Francisco has served as a research grant reviewer for the Swiss National Science Foundation, a scientific referee for more than 30 scholarly journals, and currently serves as an editorial board member for Communications Medicine (Nature Publishing Group), Stress and Health, and Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity.

So far, every alumnus/ alumna of Francisco’s lab has at least one first-author (excluding 2^nd-6^th co-first authorship) research/ review article published, under review, or to be submitted for publication, some of which in journals with an impact factor of 10 or above (please see them listed under Publications). The Epi-Multimorbidity Lab, headed by Francisco, is actively recruiting motivated postdoctoral fellows, PhD students or research assistants. Interested candidates should email fttlai@hku.hk their CV and samples of research works for an expedited review and consideration.

Editorship

• Editorial Board Member – Communications Medicine (ISSN: 2730-664X; since Jan 2024)
• Editorial Board Member – Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidty (ISSN: 2633-5565, since July 2023)
• Section Editor (Stress and Public Health) – Stress and Health (ISSN: 1532-3005, since July 2022)

Honours and Awards

• Honorary Advisor – Quality and Safety Division, Hospital Authority (Mar 2021 – Present)
• HKU Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Award (Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, 2023)
• HKU Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award (2021/22-2022/23)
• RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020/21, inaugural class)
• Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship (for Postgraduate Students) 2018/19

• Real-world evidence for psychotropic drugs
• Long-term safety of medications
• Psychosomatic multimorbidity
• Health service research in multimorbidity
• Psychiatric epidemiology

Publications Highlights

• Hu Y (PhD Student), Gao L, Zhou L, … Lai FTT (corresponding author). Rare but elevated incidence of hematological malignancy after clozapine use in schizophrenia: a population cohort study. PLoS Medicine. 2024;21(12):e1004457. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004457
  [2023 IF = 10.5; 12/325 in Medicine, General & Internal]
  
  

  

  
  Photo 1. Research team for this study (from left to right): Dr. Yi Chai, Dr. Amy Pui Pui Ng, Mr. Yuqi Hu, Francisco, Dr. Heidi Ka Ying Lo, and Dr. Le Gao
  
  This study is an interdepartmental collaborative work between HKU Psychiatry, Family Medicine and Primary Care, and Pharmacology and Pharmacy. It is the first study in the world to demonstrate that while the risk of hematological malignancy increases with the use of clozapine as similarly observed in Western countries, the absolute risk remains very low and is barely concerning in the clinical setting.
• Xu C (MMedSc student), Leung JCN, Shi J, Lum DH, Lai FTT (corresponding author). Sedative-hypnotics and osteoporotic fractures: a systematic review of observational studies with over six million individuals. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2024;73(1):101866. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101866
  [2023 IF = 11.2; 6/277 in Clinical Neurology]
  
  

  

  
  Photo 2. MMedSc students, Miss Jiaying Sun and Mr. Chong Xu (from left to right), working on this study and Francisco
  
  This study was led by two MMedSc students and an MMedSc aluma directly supervised by Francisco. It systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed observational data of six million individuals on the association of sedative-hypnotics and bone fractures. Given its comprehensiveness and scientific rigor, this study provides a nearly definite conclusion on the relationship between sedative-hypnotics and fractures.
• Lai FTT, Li X, Peng K, et al. Carditis after COVID-19 vaccination with a messenger RNA vaccine and an inactivated virus vaccine: A case–control study. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2022;175(3):362-370. doi: 10.7326/M21-3700
  [2023 IF = 19.6; 8/325 in Medicine, General & Internal]
  
  

  

  
  Photo 3. Francisco being interviewed on a televised news program about his research on myocarditis cases associated with BNT162b2
  
  This territory-wide nested case-control study was the world’s first analytic study to test the hypothesis of an elevated risk of myocarditis after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination, one of the most widely used vaccine in human history and obtain affirmative findings. It directly affected government policies regarding vaccination in adolescents and children worldwide. It was shortlisted for the Faculty Research Output Prize for the year 2022.
• Lai FTT, Huang L, Chui CSL, et al. events of special interest associated with Covid-19 vaccines in Hong Kong. Nature Communications. 2022;13(1):411. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28068-3
  [2023 IF = 14.7; 8/134 in Multidisciplinary Sciences]
  
  

  

  
  Photo 4. Francisco being interview on a televised news program on his research on the safety of vaccination in people with multimorbidity
  
  This territory-wide cohort study was the first in the world to investigate the safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in people with multimorbidity with regard to their risk of developing a range of adverse events of special interest. This study provides assuring data to encourage a better uptake of the vaccines amid the rapidly spreading epidemic in Hong Kong in 2022.

Selected Publications

• Hu Y (PhD Student), Gao L, Zhou L, … Lai FTT (corresponding author). Rare but elevated incidence of hematological malignancy after clozapine use in schizophrenia: a population cohort study. PLoS Med. 2024;21(12):e1004457. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004457
  [2023 IF = 10.5; 12/325 in Medicine, General & Internal]
• Xu C (MMedSc student), Leung JCN, Shi J, Lum DH, Lai FTT (corresponding author). Sedative-hypnotics and osteoporotic fractures: a systematic review of observational studies with over six million individuals. Sleep Med Rev. 2024;73(1):101866. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101866
  [2023 IF = 11.2; 6/277 in Clinical Neurology]
• Lum DH (RA supervisee), Choi MM, Cheung JOH, … Lai FTT (corresponding author). Multimorbidity representation in randomized controlled trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a systematic analysis of published trials. J Affect Disord. 2024;344(1):261-266. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.074
  [2023 IF = 4.9; 35/277 in Clinical Neurology]
• Chai Y (Postdoctoral fellow), Chu RYK, Hu Y, … Lai FTT (corresponding author). Association between cumulative exposure periods of flupentixol or any antipsychotics and risk of lung cancer. Commun Med (Nature Publishing Group). 2023;3(1):126. doi: 10.1038/s43856-023-00364-z
  [2023 IF = 5.4; 36/185 in Medicine, Research & Experimental]
• Leung JCN (RA supervisee), Ng DWY, Chu RYK, … Lai FTT (corresponding author). [Editor’s Highlight] Association of antipsychotic use with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies with over two million individuals. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2022;31(1):e61. doi: 10.1017/S2045796022000476
  [2023 IF = 5.9; 23/276 in Psychiatry]
• Lai FTT, Mercer SW, Guthrie B, et al. Sociodemographic moderation of the association between depression and stroke incidence in a retrospective cohort of 0.4 million primary care recipients with hypertension. Psychol Med. 2022;52(2):283-291. doi: 10.1017/S0033291720001920
  [2023 IF = 5.9; 6/180 in Psychology, Clinical]
• Lai FTT, Guthrie B, Mercer SW, et al. Association between antipsychotic use and acute ischemic heart disease in women but not in men: a retrospective cohort study of over one million primary care patients. BMC Med. 2020;18(1):289. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01765-w
  [2023 IF = 7.0; 23/325 in Medicine, General & Internal]
• Lai FTT, Hall BJ, Liang L, Galea S, Hou WK. Socioeconomic determinants of depression amid the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong: the mediating role of daily routine disruptions. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2020;74(12):988-994. doi: 10.1136/jech-2019-213693
  [2023 IF = 4.9; 36/403 in Public, Environmental & Occupational Health]
• Lai FTT, Ma TW, Hou WK. [Brief Report] Multimorbidity is associated with more subsequent depressive symptoms in three months: a prospective study of community-dwelling adults in Hong Kong. Int Psychogeriatrics. 2019;21(9):1367-1371. doi: 10.1017/S1041610218001916
  [2023 IF = 4.6; 4/47 in Gerontology]
• Lai FTT, Kwan JLY. Socioeconomic influence on adolescent problematic Internet use through school-related psychosocial factors and pattern of Internet use. Comput Human Behav. 2017;68:121-136. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.021
  [2023 IF = 9.0; 3/99 in Psychology, Experimental]

First-Author Publications by Lab Membersb / Alumni

• Health and Medical Research Fund – Research Fellowship Scheme (Health Bureau, HKSAR Government, Ref: 09230317). “Association of multimorbidity intervals and mental-physical disease sequences with adverse health outcomes: a longitudinal healthcare big-data study with multinational population-based electronic health records”.
  [Role: PI; HKD 1,200,000, Recommended for Support]
• Health and Medical Research Fund (Ref: 21221112). “Multimorbidity Incidence and other Prognostic Outcomes following adverse events of special interest after Covid-19 Vaccination versus historical cases: a retrospective cohort study (MIPO-CoV)”.
  [Role: PI; HKD 1,499,748, 1 Nov 2024 – 31 Oct 2026]
• Enhanced New Staff Start-up Fund (Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong). “Using real-world evidence from global healthcare big data to evaluate and enhance health outcomes and services in multimorbidity”.
  [Role: PI; HKD 380,000, 1 Sep 2024 – 31 Aug 2027]
• Health and Medical Research Fund (Ref: 20212591). “Acceleration of multimorbidity incidence after COVID-19 infection and modification by vaccination status: a territory-wide retrospective cohort study”.
  [Role: PI; HKD 1,238,936, 15 Dec 2023 – 14 Dec 2026]
• Health and Medical Research Fund (Ref: 19201271). “Applying machine learning to identify and characterize multimorbidity profiles with increased cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and all-cause mortality risks in a retrospective cohort of antipsychotic users”.
  [Role: PI; HKD 802,608, 1 Nov 2022 – 31 Oct 2024]
• Seed Fund for Basic Research for New Staff (Ref: 202107185009). “Multimorbidity in RCTs Looking at SSRIs as an Intervention for Depression”.
  [Role: PI; HKD 150,000, 10 Jan 2022 – 16 Jan 2023]
• Health and Medical Research Fund (Health Bureau, HKSAR Government, Ref: COVID19F01). “COVID-19 vaccines Adverse events Response and Evaluation (CARE) Programme”.
  [Role: PI by Grant Transfer; HKD 9,640,026, 1 Apr 2021 – 31 Mar 2025]