Joseph SUNG
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics
Founding Director & Advisor, Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care
Director, Institute of Digestive Disease
Director, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease
Co-Director, Stanley Ho Big Data Decision Analytics Research Centre
Professor Joseph Sung is currently Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was the Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong from 2010 to 2017.
Professor Joseph J.Y. Sung received his medical degree (MB BS) from The University of Hong Kong in 1983, and was conferred PhD in biomedical sciences by the University of Calgary in 1992 and MD by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 1997.
As a renowned scientist in gastroenterology, Professor Sung’s research interests include intestinal bleeding, Helicobacter Pylori, peptic ulcer, hepatitis B, colorectal cancer, and other cancers related to the digestive system. Professor Sung and his team proved the relationship between H. Pylori and peptic ulcer diseases. They were first in demonstrating that a course of antibiotics lasting a week can cure H. Pylori infection and successfully treat peptic ulcers and minimize their relapse. At the same time, he and his research team pioneered the use of endoscopic treatment for ulcer bleeding to reduce the need for operative surgery. These research results have a major impact on and have changed the practice of gastroenterology worldwide.
Professor Sung is a renowned researcher in gastroenterology and hepatology. He led a group of experts from 15 Asia-Pacific countries to launch colorectal cancer screening research in 2004, and has laid down clear guidelines and promoted colorectal screenings in the region. Professor Sung was honoured by the Prevent Cancer Foundation of the United States with the Laurel Award in 2008. In 2009, his seminal lectures on peptic ulcer bleeding won him the Marshall and Warren Lecture Award. In the same year, he was also awarded the Endoscopy Award of the German Society of Gastroenterology. In 2013, he received the Master of the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) Award from the World Gastroenterology Organization & WGO Foundation.
His contributions to the advancement of medical sciences and academic development have won him wide numerous local and regional awards, and the more recent ones are the Hong Kong Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award (HKSAR Government, 2014), First-Class, Technological Advancement Award of the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (The Ministry of Education, PRC, 2013).