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Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will award honorary doctorates to 5 distinguished figures in higher education, medicine, and research on 16 November. The ceremony honors 2 former university presidents, Professor Albert Chan and Professor Roland Chin, alongside epidemiologist Professor David Moher, nanotechnologist Professor Zhong Lin Wang, and surgeon Professor Manson Fok. With entertainer Dr Andy Lau Tak-wah receiving an honorary Doctor of Letters in August, the institution recognizes 6 recipients this year.
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Former university leaders recognized for research breakthroughs and campus development
Professor Albert Chan, university president from 2010 to 2015, will receive a Doctor of Science, honoris causa.
An applied organic chemist and Chinese Academy of Sciences academician since 2001, Chan discovered synthetic chiral catalysis to develop single-enantiomer cancer drug candidates, reducing toxicity and improving efficacy.
He also isolated cholesterol-lowering agents from Chinese herbal medicine and fostered collaborative research across Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.
Former president Professor Roland Chin will receive a Doctor of Engineering, honoris causa, for contributions to robotic vision and institutional development. As Research Grants Council chairman from 2005 to 2012, Chin established key funding frameworks and 5 public research centers.
Leading the university from 2015 to 2020, he launched the Talent100 recruitment drive, integrated artificial intelligence across academic disciplines, funded the Jockey Club Campus of Creativity, and steered planning for Hong Kong's first Chinese Medicine Hospital.
Global innovators in clinical standards and nanotechnology
Canadian epidemiologist Professor David Moher will be conferred a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, for advancing international research transparency.
Moher spearheaded the CONSORT guidelines for reporting randomized controlled trials, endorsed by over 500 biomedical journals, and co-created the PRISMA review standards. In 2021, he helped launch an EQUATOR Network Centre at the university to advance evidence-based clinical practices combining Chinese and Western medicine.
Professor Zhong Lin Wang will also receive a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, for pioneering energy-harvesting technologies. Wang discovered piezotronics in 2007 and invented triboelectric nanogenerators in 2012 to power robotics and sensors.
Wang, who heads the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, holds over 160 patents, has published over 2,000 papers, and received the Global Energy Prize and the Albert Einstein World Award of Science.
Medical education pioneer awarded social sciences doctorate
Surgeon Professor Manson Fok will receive a Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa, for contributions to minimally invasive endoscopy and regional healthcare. Fok founded Macau's first medical school in 2019 at the Macau University of Science and Technology.
He has also advised the university on preparations for a new medical school integrating Chinese and Western modalities and assisted in establishing its Frontier Translational Medical Research Institute.
