Professor Wong is the Head of Department of Pharmacology & Pharmacy and holder of the Lo Shiu Kwan Kan Po Ling Professorship in Pharmacy. He is also the Co-Director of the Centre for Safe Medication Practice and Research. His brief profile can be found at Lancet Psychiatry.

His expertise is using big data research to investigate safety and optimum use of medications for treatment of various conditions specifically cardiovascular, neurological and psychological conditions. As part of this work, he conducts research at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medication in patients with these and other illnesses.

Professor Ian Wong and his research associates with Professor William Chui and Dr Esther Chan

Professor Wong qualified as a pharmacist in 1992 and received his PhD from The University of Manchester in 1998 for his work at the David Lewis Centre for Epilepsy. In 2002, he was appointed as the Founding Director of the Centre for Paediatric Pharmacy Research at the School of Pharmacy, University of London, and the UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital, which is recognised as a leading research centre in medicines for children. He was also the Co-Director of the Centre for Medication Optimisation Research and Education (CMORE) at University College London Hospital and UCL School of Pharmacy.

After joining HKU in 2011 as Head of the Department of Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Professor Wong led the accreditation of the BPharm programme by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong. He was also responsible for setting up the new Master of Clinical Pharmacy programme and the Centre for Safe Medication Practice and Research. The Centre for Safe Medication Practice and Research has focused on the methodological development and application of health big data research in Hong Kong.

Professor Wong has also advised the Departments of Health in England and Hong Kong, the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency, and the pharmaceutical industry. He has over 500 peer-reviewed papers published in prominent journals including Nature portfolio journals, JAMA Network Journals, Lancet family journals and BMJ journals. Professor Wong was cited among the top 1% of scholars in the Clarivate Analytics' Essential Science Indicators in eight consecutive years between 2015 and 2022.

In recognition of his research, Professor Wong has received various awards and fellowships for his work as an academic pharmacist. He was awarded the Chemist and Druggist Pharmacy Practice Research Conference Medal from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 2004. He is the only pharmacist to date to have received a UK Department of Health Public Health Career Scientist Award in 2002. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the UK in 2011, an Honorary Fellowship from the College of Pharmacy Practice in Hong Kong in 2013, and a Fellowship from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 2013. Professor Wong was commissioned by the Hong Kong SAR Government to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the Department of Health, for his contribution to the fighting against COVID-19 pandemic, he received commendation from the Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR Government in 2022.

Professor Wong was the Vice-President of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance between 2016 and 2019. He has also been an expert witness for many legal cases in the UK and Hong Kong regarding medication safety on behalf of victims of medication errors and adverse drug reactions, and for pharmaceutical companies.

Memberships & Editorships

Memberships:

Hong Kong

• Fellow of College of Pharmacy Practice of Hong Kong (Honorary)
• Member of Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines. Department of Health of Hong Kong Government
• Member of Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation assesses
• Member of Data Advisory Committee. the Hong Kong Genome Institute
• Member of Pharmacy and Poisons Board Hong Kong (Regulatory authority of medicine licensing)
• Chairman of Examination Committee of Pharmacy and Poisons Board Hong Kong
• Member of Expert Advisory Group on Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Studies of Pharmacy and Poisons Board Hong Kong
• Member of Poisons Committee of Pharmacy and Poisons Board Hong Kong
• Registered Pharmacist in Hong Kong

International

• Fellow of International Society of Pharmacovigilance
• Fellow of Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
• Fellow of British Pharmacological Society
• Fellow of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (Honorary)
• Fellow of Faculty of Public Health, Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK)
• Registered Pharmacist in the UK

Editorships:

• Member of International Editorial Board of Drug Safety
• Member of International Editorial Board of Pediatric Drugs
• Member of International Editorial Board of CNS Drugs
• Executive Editor of British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (until 2018)

Honours & Awards

• Chief Executive's Commendation for Community Service (in the fight against COVID-19 to safeguard the health of the public in Hong Kong) (2022).
• Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award. The University of Hong Kong six consecutive years (2016 -2022).
• Chemist and Druggist Pharmacy Practice Research Conference Medal by Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain 2004.
• National Public Health Career Scientist Award by the Department of Health in England 2002.
• John M Harrison Award (Travel) by the UK College of Pharmacy Practice 1999.

Medicines for Children

• Development of appropriate medicines for children
• Pharmaceutical care for children
• Medication errors

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety

• Pharmacovigilance
• Methodological research
• Drug utilization

Neuropsychopharmacology

• Antiepileptic drugs
• ADHD treatment
• Antipsychotic drugs
• Antidepressants

Diagramme from Lancet Psychiatry. 2021 Dec;8(12):1071-1082. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00292-3. PMID: 34801129. Consumption rates of individual countries varied substantially. Disparities in access to psychotropic medicines remain a challenge across most of the world, especially in middle-income countries. Strategies to improve access to psychotropic medicines that should be considered include training health-care workers who can prescribe cost-effective, essential, psychotropic medicines; public education; and involving community leaders to promote appropriate understanding of psychotropic medicine use.

From: Lancet Infect Dis. 2022 Jan;22(1):64-72. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00451-5. The results suggest an overall increased risk of Bell's palsy after CoronaVac vaccination. However, the beneficial and protective effects of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine far outweigh the risk of this generally self-limiting adverse event.

Publications Highlights

* Corresponding Author or Senior Author

Selected Publications

• Chai Y, Luo H, Wong GHY, Tang JYS, Lam TC, Wong ICK, Yip PSY.
  Risk of self-harm after the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders: A nested case-control study in Hong Kong, 2000-2010. The Lancet Psychiatry 2020;7(2):135-147.
  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30004-3/fulltext
  Impact Factor (2018/2019): 19.32
  
  Editorials. Think globally, act locally. The Lancet Psychiatry 2020;7(2):109
  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30009-2/fulltext

• Hsia Y, Sharland M, Jackson C, Wong ICK, Magrini N, Bielicki JA.
  Consumption of oral antibiotic formulations for young children according to the WHO Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) antibiotic groups: an analysis of sales data from 70 middle-income and high-income countries. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019 Jan;19(1):67-75.
  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30547-4/fulltext
  Impact factor (2017/2018): 25.14

• Hayes JF, Lundin A, Wicks S, Lewis G, Wong ICK, Osborn DPJ, Dalman C.
  Association of Hydroxylmethyl Glutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitors, L-Type Calcium Channel Antagonists, and Biguanides With Rates of Psychiatric Hospitalization and Self-Harm in Individuals With Serious Mental Illness. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 9. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.3907.
  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2719703 (Free download)
  Impact factor (2017/2018): 16.64

• Law SWY, Lau WCY, Wong ICK, Lip GYH, Mok MT, Siu CW, Chan EW.
  Sex-Based Differences in Outcomes of Oral Anticoagulation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018 Jul 17;72(3):271-282. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.04.066.
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109718348307?via=ihub
  Impact factor (2017/2018): 16.83

• Leung WK, Wong IO, Cheung KS, Yeung KF, Chan EW, Wong AY, Chen L, Wong IC, Graham DY.
  Effects of Helicobacter PYLORI Treatment on Incidence of Gastric Cancer in Older Individuals. Gastroenterology. 2018 Mar 14. pii: S0016-5085(18)30322-6.
  https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(18)30322-6/fulltext (Free download)
  Impact factor (2017/2018): 20.87

• Cheung KS, Chan EW, Wong AYS, Chen L, Wong ICK, Leung WK.
  Long-term proton pump inhibitors and risk of gastric cancer development after treatment for Helicobacter pylori: a population-based study. Gut. 2018 Jan;67(1):28-35.
  http://gut.bmj.com/content/67/1/28 (Free download)
  Impact factor (2017/2018):17.01

• Guo CG, Cheung KS, Zhang F, Chan EW, Chen L, Wong IC, Leung WK.
  Incidences, temporal trends and risks of hospitalisation for gastrointestinal bleeding in new or chronic low-dose aspirin users after treatment for Helicobacter pylori: a territory-wide cohort study. Gut. 2019 May 17. pii: gutjnl-2019-318352.
  https://gut.bmj.com/content/69/3/445
  Impact factor (2017/2018):17.01

* Corresponding author

Principal Investigator:

• HONG KONG RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL. GENERAL RESEARCH FUND (17126722). Antidepressant Discontinuation and the association of Suicide (ADS). HK$961,091, (2022/2023)
• HONG KONG RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL. GENERAL RESEARCH FUND (17114921). RIsk factors in Mother and Autism spectrum disorder in offspring (RIMA). HK$1,056,156 (2021/2022)
• HONG KONG RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH FUND (C7154-20G). A multinational big data Covid-19 Epidemiological Study on post-infection Outcomes (ACESO). HK$9,691,060 (2020/2021)
• Health and Medical Research Fund (COVID19F01). COVID-19 vaccines Adverse events Response and Evaluation (CARE) Programme. HK$10,000,000 (2020/2021)
• HONG KONG RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL. GENERAL RESEARCH FUND (17112020). Diamond-A: DIAbetes in Mother and Off-spring with Neurodevelopmental Disorder – ADHD. HK$ 837,006 (2020/2021)
• HONG KONG RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH FUND (C7009-19G) International Big Data Network for Attention Deficit and / Hyperactivity Disorder: Development and Application of Data Platform. HK$2,203,537 (2019/2020)
• HONG KONG RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL. GENERAL RESEARCH FUND (17125419) Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Poisoning : Pharmaco-epidemiological Research (TAPPER) HK$ 339,770 (2019/2020)

Professor Wong is the Founder and a Director of Therakind Ltd
http://www.therakind.com/UK
Since Nov 2006

• In association with UCL School of Pharmacy, UCL Institute Child Health and Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and IPSO Ventures Professor Wong set up Therakind Ltd.
• Therakind is a commercial research organisation which works exclusively in paediatric drug research.
• The first product (Buccolam®) was granted the first “Paediatric Use Marketing Authorisation” under the new European regulation at the beginning of 2012.
• The second product (Ayendi®) was granted a product license by the Medicines and Healthcare products Agency in 2014.

Research Collaborators

• Institute of Child Health, University College London. Professor Deborah Christie, Professor Alastair Sutcliffe and Professor Russell Viner.
• Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. Professor Emily Simonoff.
• Global Research in Pediatrics (GRIP) European Network of Excellence.
  http://www.grip-network.org/index.php/cms/en/home
• Asian Pharmacoepidemiology Network (AsPEN).
  http://aspennet.asia/pubs.html
• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder drugs use chronic effects (ADDUCE) Consortium
  http://www.adhd-adduce.org/page/view/2/Home

Seeking PhD candidates

We are seeking highly organised and motivated PhD candidates for research in the areas of medication safety, pharmacoepidemiology and pharmaceutical care in children and the elderly. Candidates with a background in healthcare may have an advantage, however it is not a requirement. For further information, please email Prof Ian Wong with your CV (email:wongick@hku.hk).

Selected media releases and communications

Treatment of psychiatric illness:

(Oriental Daily Chinese) 
http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20130201/00176_059.html

(Apple Daily Chinese) 
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20130201/18153118

(BBC Website English) 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8462358.stm

(BBC Website English) 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7334067.stm

(Guardian Newspaper English) 
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/mar/18/behaviour-drugs-four-year-olds

(Guardian Newspaper English) 
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/apr/07/mentalhealth.drugs

Medication error:

(BBC website English) 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8465351.stm

Public seminar on immunization: 
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp33Uo6K2prznORDvB_2j8g

Regular Student Consultation Hours

Office

2/F, 21 Sassoon Road, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, Hong Kong SAR, China