Professor Sophia Chan is currently Professor in Nursing and Senior Advisor to the President’s Office at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Professor Chan was appointed by the HKSAR Government to be Under Secretary for Food and Health (USFH) from 2012-2017, and Secretary for Food and Health (SFH) from 2017-2022. She was the first nurse in Hong Kong appointed in this ministerial position. She has led the Food and Health (FHB) in making remarkable contribution in the formulation and implementation of various major policies on health, food and environmental hygiene and agriculture and fisheries. During her tenure as SFH, not only has she been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic over 2.5 years, she has also made exemplary efforts and policy initiatives in protecting and promoting the health of the population through major policy initiatives such as embarking on a new journey in primary health care by developing District Health Centres (DHCs) in all 18 districts in Hong Kong, laying a strong foundation of developing the first Chinese Medicine Hospital, opening the first Children Hospital, and launched the Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019, and banned E-cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products in Hong Kong, just to name a few.
Before the Government appointment, Professor Chan was the Head of Department of Nursing Studies/School of Nursing of HKU from 2002 to 2011 and an Assistant Dean of the LKS Faculty of Medicine of HKU from 2001 to 2012. Professor Chan was trained in and practised general and paediatric nursing in Hong Kong and London. She got her Master of Education from the University of Manchester, Master of Public Health from the Harvard University School of Public Health, and her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Hong Kong.
Professor Chan is one of the leading Nurse Scientists locally and internationally and was named among the world’s top 2% most cited scientists in her specialty areas by Stanford University in 2020. Her research specialises in public health, management of tobacco dependency, prevention of second-hand smoke exposure in children, and primary health care system development. She has always been the top-funded researcher in HKU School of Nursing and has led many external competitive grants including GRF, HMRF, and commissioned grants from the Government, Hong Kong Jockey Club and key foundations and organisations locally and internationally. She is a pioneer and founding directors of a number of signature research and training programmes in tobacco dependency therapeutic interventions, and her findings has transformed smoking cessation services and tobacco control policies. She developed various novel smoking cessation models through individual and clustered randomised controlled trials and compare ethno-cultural differences between Chinese and other smokers through epidemiological and social science methodologies. She proposes novel scientific insights, and has published extensively with over 240 peer-reviewed scientific papers with more than 3,800 citations. Since her return to HKU in July 2022, she has already obtained three donations to fund community-based research projects in healthy ageing, primary health care, and protecting children from second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure. She serves as Director and Principal Investigator of the Generations Connect Project, the HKU Primary Health Care Academy, and a research project on protecting underprivileged children from exposure to SHS.
Professor Chan’s pedagogy has been recognised by the award of Best Teacher 1996, Faculty Teaching Medal in 2005 and Outstanding Teaching Award in 2009, one of the highest honour for teaching achievements conferred by HKU. She consults widely nationally and internationally and has represented the University and the Food and Health Bureau of the HKSAR Government in international meetings and invited by the World Health Organization to provide professional advice and leadership on their public health and tobacco control initiatives. She also serves on global advisory boards in nursing leadership. She was awarded a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (through distinction) and Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of United Kingdom (FFPH (RCP)(UK)) and was the first nurse in Hong Kong being awarded the Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN).
Professor Chan will delve into the historical context and evolution of primary healthcare (PHC) in Hong Kong, especially the reform during her tenure as the Secretary for Food and Health (2017 -2022), providing valuable insights into its inception and profound impact on the local healthcare landscape. She will discuss the Government’s commitment in strengthening PHC in Hong Kong, including the establishment of the territory wide District Health Centres and a comprehensive overview of the primary healthcare blueprint development, emphasising its fundamental principles and the five key focuses, including 1) Develop a Community-based Primary Healthcare System, 2) Strengthen Primary Healthcare Governance,3) Consolidate Primary Healthcare Resources, 4) Reinforce Primary Healthcare Manpower and 5) Improve Data Connectivity and Health Surveillance. She will underscore the importance of integrated and coordinated services, community engagement, and preventive care in realising the goals of the blueprint. Moreover, Professor Chan will discuss its role in achieving accessible, comprehensive, and patient-centered care, highlighting significant milestones and key contributors who have shaped its development. She will discuss the collaborative efforts between healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community stakeholders that have propelled primary healthcare initiatives forward. By emphasising interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing, Professor Chan will inspire the audience with her vision of a future where primary healthcare plays a central role in promoting population health, reducing healthcare disparities, and ensuring the well-being of individuals and communities. Finally, the challenges and opportunities facing primary healthcare in Hong Kong will be deliberated.
