Event: AI and Big Data Research for Health Improvement Symposium

Over 200 attendees joined the “AI and Big Data Research for Health Improvement Symposium” held virtually on 30^th and 31^st August 2022.

The Symposium, joint-organized by the HKU Musketeers Foundation Institute of Data Science (HKU-IDS), the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy of HKU, and the Hong Kong Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (HKAPI), aims to demonstrate the capacity of the HKU-IDS and its potential in using AI and healthcare Big Data to promote public health, informed policy and strategic planning; and to advice research of new therapies and clinical utilities.

Mr Lawrence Wong (Vice President of HKAPI) mentioned in his speech at the Opening Ceremony that the highly dynamic environment with increasing demands on ever better therapeutics and medicines has been driving the pharmaceutical industry to expedite our scientific outputs from bench to bedside.

While the processes of drug discovery, development, regulatory approvals and commercialization remain robust and stringent in the journey of most R&D Pharmaceutical companies, the synergetic linkages between Data Science and Life Science bring new hopes with innovative health solutions for patients. The event demonstrated the partnership between academia and the Pharmaceutical industry in Hong Kong to create incremental value and better outcomes for patients and the public.

During the Symposium, keynote speakers from local and overseas share their expertise in state-of-art AI technology and interdisciplinary collaborative projects in using big data to improve public health. At the same time, HKU researchers showcase their AI & Big Data projects.

Keynote speakers include (in the sequence of appearance):

Prof Curtis Langlotz from the Stanford University
Prof Pak Sham from The University of Hong Kong
Prof Andrew Morris from Health Data Research UK
Dr Patrick Ryan from The Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics

Following the Symposium, a panel discussion titled “Future of Big Data Application for Public Health in Hong Kong” was held on 31^st August at the Hong Kong Science Park to deep dive into the challenges and opportunities of healthcare Big Data applications in Hong Kong from different perspectives.

Panellists include (in the sequence of appearance):

Mr KP Tsang, Chairman of Rare Disease Hong Kong
Ms Ada Chung, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data
Prof Lau Chak Sing, Dean of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
Dr Tony Ko, Chief Executive of Hospital Authority
Dr Calvin Ho, Associate Professor of Law, The University of Hong Kong
Mr Lawrence Wong, Vice President of the Hong Kong Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry
Dr Crystal Fok, Head of STP Platform, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Dr Brian Chung, Chief Scientific Officer of Hong Kong Genome Institute
Dr Alexander Chiu, Medical Director of AXA Hong Kong & Macau
Mr Allen Yeung, President, Greater Bay Area International Information Technology Industry Association
Dr Esther Chan, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, HKU (moderator)
Dr CL Cheung, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, HKU (moderator)