Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming (left) affirmed his commitment to CUHK with Council Chairman Professor John Chai Yat-chiu (middle) and current Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Rocky S. Tuan after the CUHK Council approved his appointment as the next Vice-Chancellor and President
Father of non-invasive prenatal tests ready to take CUHK to new heights
Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming shares his leadership vision with the CUHK community
The Search Committee for the Appointment of the Vice-Chancellor set up by the Council of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recommended the appointment of Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, a clinician-scientist internationally renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to non-invasive prenatal testing, as the next Vice-Chancellor of the University. On 26 September, Professor Lo shared his vision and strategic initiatives for the University’s development with nearly 400 staff members, students and alumni at three engagement sessions. The Council of CUHK unanimously approved the appointment of Professor Lo on the next day as the ninth Vice-Chancellor and President of the University for five years from 8 January 2025.
Trailblazer embarks on new mission
A graduate of both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, Professor Lo has devoted the last 27 years to teaching and research at CUHK since his return to Hong Kong in 1997. He is not only widely recognised as the “father of non-invasive prenatal testing” for conditions such as Down syndrome, but has also pioneered cell-free DNA analysis to cancer detection, benefiting patients around the world.
Recollecting his journey in academia, Professor Lo expresses gratitude to the University for providing the environment that has allowed him to flourish. Now is his turn to reciprocate, he believes.
“I’ve been with CUHK for 27 years and have developed a profound connection with the University,” Professor Lo said. “Over the years, I have accumulated invaluable experience and achieved international recognition; this is the right time to leverage my experience in another realm. I hope to create an ecosystem where younger scholars and students can benefit.”
Nurturing the next generation with ‘I.D.E.A.’
As CUHK’s current five-year strategic plan for 2021–2025, known as “CUHK 2025”, was drawing to a close, Professor Lo planned to establish an interdisciplinary task force to devise a new five-year strategic blueprint. The team would explore how to enhance the student experience, foster research development, promote staff growth and strengthen alumni engagement. Under his guiding philosophy, encapsulated in the acronym “I.D.E.A.”—“Inspire, Discuss, Empower and Achieve”, CUHK would shoulder its responsibility to inspire the academic community, foster discussions and provide essential support for their success.
Professor Lo believed that young scholars possessed immense creativity and capability. “My role is to provide the soil to foster your success,” he said. He envisioned CUHK as a vibrant academic environment for scholars and students to reach their full potential. Speaking from experience, he shared how tough it had been for him to patent and commercialise his innovations. “I spent 30 years learning how to translate academic research into patents and then into products. I don’t want my students to reinvent the wheel. Instead, we should teach them how to protect their innovations through patenting and launching startups.”
CUHK’s incoming Vice-Chancellor and President was committed to strengthening education in intellectual property, patent applications and entrepreneurship to accelerate the University’s knowledge transfer initiatives. He cited the global impact of his invention in non-invasive prenatal testing, which had been used more than 100 million times, as an example of what was possible. He looked forward to the breakthroughs that CUHK’s young scholars would bring to the world.
Different disciplines joining hands
The importance of interdisciplinary research could not be overstated, according to Professor Lo. He stressed that knowledge confined to a single discipline was insufficient for tackling the complex global challenges of the rapidly changing world. Citing genomic medicine as an example, he explained that it required a multidisciplinary approach that integrated expertise from fields such as medicine, biochemistry, law, ethics and anthropology. He hoped to facilitate interdisciplinary research at CUHK to generate impactful innovations.
Professor Lo reaffirmed CUHK’s identity as a comprehensive research university and pledged that humanities research and education would not be overshadowed by science and technology. He said CUHK would continue its mission to promote Chinese culture on the global stage while embracing diverse international cultures.
A hub for global talent
Professor Lo further envisioned CUHK as a beacon for international talent, drawing students and scholars from around the world. He intended to actively engage with regions along the Belt and Road Initiative to recruit talent while improving campus facilities to better accommodate the needs of international students.
Professor Lo was a member of CUHK’s University Academic Personnel Committee (UAPC), which made him acutely aware of the importance of talent retention and development. He would advocate for a shift from a reactive to a proactive approach in talent identification and retention, so as to help emerging academic stars cultivate long-term career paths. “We need to take the initiative in identifying talents and devising strategies for their development over the next five to 10 years,” he said.
The unique college system: a pillar of CUHK’s whole-person education
According to Professor Lo, the university’s distinctive college system was at the core of CUHK’s whole-person education. He reiterated wholehearted support for the system and pledged to explore the possibility of establishing a graduate college to foster a closer connection with postgraduate students. He emphasised the importance of the ongoing process towards the student union’s registration under the Societies Ordinance and student participation in university affairs.
Strengthening ties with alumni was important, Professor Lo said, particularly in areas such as entrepreneurship, arts and sports.
“To a university, academic freedom is sacred,” he told attendees at the engagement sessions. “You can count on me to defend academic freedom in accordance with the law.” He noted that scholars around the world must observe the laws of the countries where they were conducting research.
Of his upcoming role, Professor Lo has this to say: “A good Vice-Chancellor must be fully committed to making the university amongst the top institutions in the world. I hope to elevate CUHK to the next level, boosting its global reputation, and most importantly, generating research and innovations that can truly change the world.”
About Professor Dennis Lo
Education and career history
- 1986 Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Cambridge
- 1989 Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery, Oxford
- 1994 Doctor of Philosophy, Oxford
- 1997- Senior Lecturer/Reader/Professor in Chemical Pathology, CUHK
- 2009- Chairman, Department of Chemical Pathology, CUHK
- 2018- Director, State Key Laboratory in Translational Oncology
- 2020- Scientific Director, Centre for Novostics
Other leadership roles
- 2022- President, Hong Kong Academy of Sciences
- 2022- President, Hong Kong Alliance of Technology and Innovation
Major honours
- 2011 Fellow of Royal Society
- 2014 International Member, U.S. National Academy of Sciences
- 2014 King Faisal International Prize in Medicine
- 2016 Future Science Prize in Life Science
- 2016-2020 ”Top 20 Translational Researchers”, Nature Biotechnology
- 2021 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
- 2021 Royal Medal
- 2022 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
- 2023 Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
- 2023 Tengchong Science Award
- 2024 Jiménez Díaz Lecture Award
By Jessica Chu and Eva Choy
Photos by Desmond Chan
