Feature Department of Pathology
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Feature Department of Pathology Pathology is the foundation of our understanding of disease processes and is central to our diagnostic procedures. Our Department of Pathology has played a key role in the inception and development of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong. HistoryA School of Pathology was created in 1911. From 1918 impact - the emergence of molecular biology techniques until 1958, it was located in an elegant building that also housed with their massive impact on research and diagnostic the School of Tropical Medicine, on the site of the current Haking technology in disease. This last influence, more than any Wong Building on the University Main Campus. The first Professor other, has contributed to the of Pathology was CT Wang, an Edinburgh graduate, appointed in renaissance of pathology as a 1920 and bringing the "School" to Department status. In the early research discipline and to the days the Department focused on infectious diseases, the major reinvention of the Department's contemporary causes of morbidity and mortality, and this emphasis identity. Commencing around was retained until Microbiology was established as an independent 1988, techniques to identify department in the late 1960s. gene rearrangements, the polymerase chain reaction, in The Department's development has often seemed ad hoc situ hybridization, DNA but hindsight allows historical phases to be perceived. Professor PC sequencing, and the many Pathology Department staff mid-1950s: Hou (1948-1960) restructured the Department after World War II other inter-related molecular Professor PC Hou (centre front), with and implemented the recommendations of the Jennings/Logan methodologies have changed, Han Su-yin on his right Report to create the University Pathology Building at Queen Mary enhanced, redirected and Hospital. This relocation greatly strengthened Pathology and in turn invigorated every aspect of our added strength to its parent institutions, the Hospital and the diagnosis, research and teaching. Faculty. James Gibson was Professor and Head from 1963 to 1983. Under James, major organizational reforms and building The Department has been developments were achieved including the creation of the home to many characters and Department of Microbiology, a cytology laboratory, dedicated personalities, not least Ma Lin, divisions of haematology, clinical biochemistry (ultimately the subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Clinical Biochemistry Unit), immunology and tissue typing, the the Chinese University of Hong Electron Microscope Unit, the Hospital Pathology Service, and the Kong, and the author, Han Su-yin. Clinical Pathology Building, opened in 1974 by Sir Murray One of our previous Heads, MacLehose. James' achievements are remembered annually in our Professor RC Robertson, had earlier series of James Gibson Visiting Professorships. The next phase, worked in Shanghai; he was an during the headship of Professor FCS Ho from 1987 to 1996, artist of some accomplishment and Painting of Soochow by Professor saw the refurbishment and enlargement of the University Pathology the Department is fortunate to RC Robertson (circa 1935) Building, the opening of Block K with its greatly expanded possess a collection of his beautiful watercolours of the canal facilities for laboratory-based diagnosis, and - perhaps of greatest cities of China. TodayIn 1999, the Queen Mary flexibility in appointing its Head and strengthened both the Hospital administration made the independence and the mutual interaction of the academic and decision to appoint a dedicated Chief of hospital branches of the Department. David Higgins was appointed Service for its Department of Pathology. Head of Department in December 1999. Until then, the Head of the University of Hong Kong's Department of Pathology Currently the academic Department of Pathology has: 15 had the daunting task of being both academic staff (4 Reader/Professors; 8 Senior Lecturer/Associate Academic Head and Chief of Service. David Higgins (left); and Professors; 3 Assistant Professors); 36 research and technical staff; 6 Rob Collins was appointed COS in Rob Collins administrative and secretarial staff; 13 full-time research September 1999. This offered the University Department greater postgraduate students; and 5 visiting fellows. The Department is Academic Staff Research and Technical Staff Administrative and Secretarial Team 2 Feature Full-time Research Postgraduate Students Visiting Fellows Cervical Cytology Screening Team organized in four Divisions: anatomical pathology, immunology, Our research. There is barely any resemblance between haematology, and chemical pathology. In addition, the Department the Department's research activities of today and 50 years ago. Nor runs a laboratory employing 12 technical staff dedicated to should there be, for the interests of pathologists have swung away providing cervical cytology screening for the Family Planning from diseases of predominantly infectious aetiologies towards Association of Hong Kong. studies of the cellular and molecular bases of disease. Our major interests, abilities and international recognition lie in the broad field We remain housed in the University Pathology of oncology/neoplasia with active research projects in cancers of Building wherein recent renovations and additions of lung, oesophagus, liver, colon, nasopharynx, breast, ovary and equipment have allowed the establishment of state- female reproductive tract, as well as leukaemia. Other research of-the-art core facilities for CGH, DNA topics are thalassaemia, B lymphocyte differentiation, dendritic sequencing, quantitative PCR, cell sorting, cells and alcoholic liver disease. We value our many confocal microscopy and tissue array. It is our collaborations and work closely with colleagues in most other policy that these facilities are open to all at departments in the Faculty and with research institutes minimal costs designed to cover maintenance worldwide. Our output is exemplary, achieving only. about 200 peer-reviewed publications annually, and our grant acquisition is similarly commendable, DNA Sequencer Our teaching. As for all departments being some HK$26 million in the past five years. in the Faculty, the new medical curriculum Our graduate students receive accolades at was a major challenge. We have risen to this international conferences, and our academic staff challenge by developing new techniques of Flow Cytometer serve on the editorial boards of numerous scientific instruction and ensuring that Pathology is journals and conference committees. Recent represented - both in teaching and recognition from our parent University was the examination formats - in every year of the Confocal Laser Outstanding Young Researcher of the Year award to curriculum. Special challenges have been the Scanning Microscope SY Leung. reduction in time available for autopsy teaching and for discussing gross specimens and Our clinical service. All medically FISH & CGH Workstation histopathology. We have addressed these qualified members of our staff contribute to the needs in a variety of formats including special Hospital's clinical service and many receive study modules and web-based access to consultation cases from throughout Hong digitalized museum material. We are Kong. Individually the academic staff have organ- fortunate to have a total of 36 honorary teachers qPCR System based pathology specialties and collectively, along who play an active part in our PBLs and practical classes, with our HA and HPS colleagues in the Queen their contributions are always valued. Student Mary Hospital Department of Pathology, we rank assessments of our teaching are invariably favourable and Tissue Arrayer as one of the strongest pathology diagnostic teams our excellence is often recognized in other ways - most recently by in Asia. But the academic department adds yet more to our service Philip Beh's accreditation by the Staff and Educational Development by contributing significant research development to our knowledge, Association for Teaching Excellence. In addition to teaching technology and expertise. We boast the only academic forensic medical students, we contribute to undergraduate teaching in BDS, pathology post in Hong Kong, and our cervical cytology laboratory BSc and BTCM, and to taught courses in MMedSc, MRes(Med) and was recently accredited (with distinction) by the College of MPhil; our MMedSc portfolio is accredited by the Institute of American Pathologists - the first laboratory in the SAR to obtain the Biomedical Science. prestigious CAP accreditation. TheThe academic environmentFuture of Hong Kong is undergoing individuals - between two rather distant locations. The latest unprecedented change. A department as complex as Pathology is challenge is the Faculty zoning exercise with the uncertainties of both more vulnerable yet more resilient at times of change. We yet-to-be-defined administration, research interactions and finances. have participated in the metamorphosis of the medical curriculum But, our mission of promoting understanding of disease processes in to the benefit of both the Department and our students but we now our teaching and research while providing excellence in our face serious cuts in central budget allocation and the uncertainty of diagnostic service, and our vision of retaining our position as an Faculty restructuring. Space has always been a problem: the internationally renowned academic Department of Pathology will University Pathology Building, even after