The eighth “Yen Kwo-Yung Lecture in Life Sciences”, co-organised by the New Asia College and the CUHK School of Life Sciences, aims at enabling the general public and students to better understand life sciences and to appreciate their essence, while promoting the values and appreciation of life sciences in modern society. Two lectures were held on 5 and 20 April 2024 respectively, with Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, Chair of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Microbiology and Henry Fok Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong as the speaker.

The first lecture entitled “Preparation for the next pandemic (Disease X): the Hong Kong perspective” was moderated by College Head Professor Sun-On Chan. Professor Yuen shared his team’s discovery and research of viruses such as SARS and COVID-19, as well as his views on measures to prevent the next possible pandemic. The second lecture entitled “Personal journey of a clinician-scientist” was co-organised with the Hong Kong Science Museum and moderated by Professor Wong Kam-bo, Director of the CUHK School of Life Sciences. Professor Yuen shared his story of how he became a clinician-scientist and his determination in his journey as a researcher.

To attract more participants, this year’s lectures were conducted both in person and online. The lectures were well-received by participants from diverse backgrounds, such as students from other universities and healthcare workers. The College would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Yen Kai-Ming for establishing the “Mr. Yen Kwo-Yung Memorial Fund” which has continuously supported the organisation of this lecture series.