Hong Kong-born physician-scientist King Li, who assumed the role of founding dean of the city’s third medical school on Monday, vowed to cultivate future medical talent with innovative skills and contribute to the medical development of the nation.

At a media conference on Monday, Li — who studied abroad after completing secondary school in Hong Kong — expressed his gratitude over having been given the opportunity to return to the SAR to take part in shaping a forward-looking medical school in Hong Kong.

The internationally distinguished physician-scientist and biomedical innovator previously served as founding dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of UIUC in the United States — one of the world's pioneering engineering-based medical schools, from 2016 to 2021. He is also an adjunct professor at Stanford University.

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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s new medical school is the third medical school in Hong Kong. The university announced in November 2025 that it will invest over HK$7 billion ($893 million) to set up the medical school, which aims to attract global talent. The school will offer a four-year graduate-entry MBBS program, with its inaugural intake expected to commence in the 2028-29 academic year.

Li has identified three priorities for improving the medical system, namely: providing medical services with better quality; lower pricing of services; and enabling people in need to accept timely treatment.

“These are missions of the third medical school,” he said, adding that the school will nurture doctors to ensure they not only have the right medical skills and ethics, but are also equipped with innovation capabilities.

Li said, the medical school will combine its efforts with other HKUST schools and with the other two medical schools in Hong Kong, and will cooperate with the whole medical system, to achieve its goals.

“Apart from contributing to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the SAR, we may even exert an influence across China and the entire world,” he said.

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Nancy Ip, president of HKUST, said that Li will set the direction for the school of medicine and lay a solid foundation for HKUST's medical education system. Ip believes that Li can help address healthcare needs in Hong Kong and even in the Greater Bay Area.

“Li is one of the few leaders who (can) truly build a medical school from scratch,” Ip said, adding that he can bring a rare combination of founding dean experience, academic excellence, and a forward-looking vision for technology-driven medical education.

Li was appointed after a going through a rigorous global recruitment process lasting several months and stood out from more than 100 candidates.

Known for his commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, Li has consistently bridged fields such as radiology, bioengineering, computer science, and nanotechnology — an approach that will be instrumental in shaping HKUST's innovative model of medical education, the university said.

During his tenure at UIUC, he played a pivotal role in developing a technology-oriented curriculum, recruiting founding faculty, and building academic-clinical partnerships. The medical expert holds 20 issued patents across the US, Australia, and Europe, and has founded a company based on his translational research.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com