Symposium lecture (I) – Basic Science (11:45 – 12:30)
Topic: The Reproductive Tract Secretome: Implications and Applications
Biography:
Professor Ellis Kin-Lam Fok is an Associate Professor and reproductive physiologist specializing in translational reproductive medicine and the microenvironment of the reproductive tract. He leads an interdisciplinary research program at the intersection of genomics and bioengineering, aimed at decoding the importance of the reproductive tract epithelial secretome and engineering it into novel therapeutics for reproductive health. His research is widely published in leading journals, including Science Translational Medicine, PNAS, Cell Reports Medicine, and Stem Cell Reports. As an active academic leader, Dr. Fok also serves as Assistant Dean (Health Sciences Education) in the Faculty of Medicine, directing medical education strategy and health sciences curriculum development.
Professor Ellis Kin-Lam Fok
Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences
Assistant Dean (Health Sciences Education),
Faculty of Medicine
Dean of Students, Lee Woo Sing College
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
SPEAKERS
Symposium lecture (II) – Clinical (14:00 – 14:45)
Professor Wing-Hung Tam
Clinical Professor (Honorary)
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
Faculty of Medicine
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Topic: From PCOS to PMOS: Bridging Metabolic and Reproductive Health – A Gynaecologist’s Perspective
Biography:
Professor Wing-Hung Tam is a Maternal Fetal Medicine subspecialist with an interest in high-risk pregnancies and in obstetric medicine, with a focus on gestational diabetes, thyroid disease, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, thromboembolism and antiphospholipid syndromes. He was the head of the Maternal Medicine team before his retirement from CUHK. He now works in the CUHK Medicine Centre for private practice.
Prof. Tam received both his undergraduate medical degree and Doctor of Medicine from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1989 and 2012, respectively. He has, since 2014, convened the working group on gestational diabetes for the Hospital Authority. He was instrumental in incorporating the gestational-specific thyroid function test reference ranges for all Hong Kong public hospitals. In 2016, he co-ordinated the writing group to revise the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (HKCOG) guidelines on the management of gestational diabetes.
His research area covered gestational diabetes, gestational weight gain and maternal nutrition. He also collaborates with paediatricians, microbiologists and gastroenterologists to determine the link between early life microbiome development and the risk of non-communicable diseases.
Prof. Tam has published his research in prestigious journals including Nature, Diabetes Care, Diabetologia, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Human Reproduction, Fertility Sterility, Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is an editorial board member of the journal Obstetric Medicine and a peer reviewer for several others. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Yuji Murata Endowment Award from AOCOG, Master Teacher and several Teacher of the Year awards from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Ronald Ching-Wan Ma
S.H. Ho Professor of Diabetes
Division Head, Endocrinology and Diabetes (Academic Aairs)
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Topic: Gestational Diabetes and Diabetes in Pregnancy: a Lifecourse Approach for Intergenerational Legacy
Biography:
Professor Ronald Ma’s research focuses on the epidemiology and genetics of diabetes and its complications, gestational diabetes, and precision medicine in diabetes. He has published over 500 research articles in international peer-reviewed journals. Dr Ma plays an active role in diabetes advocacy. He has served on expert panels for the World Health Organization, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Pregnancy and NCD Committee, as well as serving as council member of the Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD), and The International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG). He received the Xiaoren Pan Distinguished Research Award for Epidemiology of Diabetes in Asia from the AASD in 2020. He serves as editorial board member of PLoS Medicine, Diabetologia, Diabetes, Obesity Reviews, Journal of Diabetes Investigation and Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Locally he is working with a local charity, Youth Diabetes Action, to improve access to diabetes technology for young people with diabetes in Hong Kong.