Recipient of Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Students in 1997/98
尤德爵士紀念基金本科生獎學金1997/98年度得獎者
According to the World Health Organisation, there are about 5000 to 8000 known rare diseases globally. Owing to their low prevalence, patients with rare diseases face numerous hurdles when they seek help in the medical system. The recipient of Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Students in 1997/98, Clinical Associate Professor from the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Dr. Brian Chung, saw the needs of these patients and devoted into the research of clinical genetics and genomics.
Even though rare diseases are individually scarce, they are collectively common, constituting about 1.5% of the Hong Kong population, thus bringing notable burden to the healthcare system. Their conditions are often more complex than most other cases, requiring doctors to allot a significant amount of time to keep up with various journal articles in order to treat them. Despite the challenges, when Dr. Chung is finally able to uncover the aetiology of the disease and the pathogenic genetic mutation, he was rewarded with great intellectual satisfaction, but more importantly an answer for his patients.
Seeing the mature development of genetics and genomics in Canada, Dr. Chung furthered his specialty training in The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto during 2007 to 2010. He became a specialist in Clinical Genetics and acquired many experiences in both clinical service and research. Returning to Hong Kong with valuable insights, Dr. Chung, in collaboration with other doctors, established the sub-specialty of Genetics and Genomics (Paediatrics) under the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians, proving to be the first step in training local doctors in the field. He subsequently contributed to the establishment of the Genetics & Genomics Clinic in the HKU Health System; and also made the discoveries of new genetic syndromes.
His achievements were recognised by various awards, notably the Outstanding Teaching Award, Teaching Excellence Awards, HKU (2019) and Sir Patrick Manson Gold Medal (2018). Yet, when he was prompted to recall his proudest moment as a doctor, what came to his mind was not the prize-giving ceremonies; rather the memories of taking care of his patients. Providing the most accurate and appropriate information and consultation to the patient and his/her family, and assisting them into making decisions amidst their perplexity of the disease, were truly his most precious experiences practising medicine.
His journey in medicine is both physically and mentally demanding. As a houseman, he spent many nights in the hospital on call and was often physically exhausted. After entering the training in paediatrics, he faced many heart-aching life and death situations. Even if Dr. Chung and his colleagues have seen the passing away of paediatric patients many times before, as they witness another young life being taken away, they could not refrain from tearing. This is also the reason why he is strict with his students, hoping to set up a good example and prepare them for their future journey.
Dr. Chung served relentlessly in clinical service, teaching and academic research to facilitate the development of genetics and genomics in Hong Kong, and also acted as a bridge among various parties in policymaking. He will shortly engage in the Hong Kong Genome Project and lead a large-scale genome sequencing project, in order to lay the foundation of genomic medicine locally. It will also benefit the training of local expertise and facilitate genomic research of Asian population.
The attentiveness and similarity in the background of Sir Edward Youde Scholarship interviewers had encouraged the budding medical student 20 years ago to speak of his passion for medicine with easiness and confidence. Today, Dr. Chung still spoke with the same passion of his practice in medicine and memories with patients; and with it a steadfast dedication to his clinical service, academic research and nurturing of future generations of doctors in Hong Kong.
根據世界衛生組織的統計，全球已知有五千至八千種罕見疾病，大部份與基因遺傳有關。它們病發率之低，以至患者往往在求診路上處處碰壁。尤德爵士紀念基金本科生獎學金97/98年得獎者，香港大學醫學院兒童及青少年科學系臨床副教授鍾侃言醫生在行醫的路上，看到這群罕見病患者的需要，立志投身遺傳學及基因組學研究之中。
雖然個別罕見病的患者不多，但綜觀所有罕見病患者卻是佔了香港人口的1.5%，其病情亦往往較複雜，需運用許多資源處理，所以是公共醫療系統當中不容忽視的存在。但當鍾醫生能夠在複雜的病情中抽絲剝繭，研究出致病的基因，不僅能獲得學術上的滿足感，更是能為病人提供一個答案。
有見加拿大在遺傳學及基因組學上發展成熟，鍾醫生在2007至10年前往多倫多大學赫赫有名的兒童醫院The Hospital for Sick Children深造。他在當地接受了3年的訓練，成為了基因組學的專科醫生，吸收了不少臨床及研究的經驗。回到香港後，鍾醫生與其他醫生在香港醫學專科學院轄下的兒科醫學院成立了第一個遺傳學及基因組學的專科，為培訓本地的專科醫生踏出第一步。之後在HKU Health System下設立了遺傳學及基因組學診所，服務有關病人，並在研究中成功發現了新的罕見病。
他在學術研究及教學上都有傑出的成就，例如在2019年獲頒香港大學傑出教學獎，又在2018年獲頒Sir Patrick Manson Gold Medal以表揚其醫學博士畢業論文。但是當他回想起過去最令他感到自豪的時刻，在腦海中浮現的並不是在頒獎台上的畫面，乃是與病人相處的點滴。在遺傳病患者及其家屬迷惘之時，能夠提供準確的資訊及合適的諮詢，幫助他們作出艱難的抉擇，實在是他感到最可貴的經歷。
回想起行醫的過程，鍾醫生亦體會到不少肉體和心靈上的磨練。當實習醫生時，他常常都要在醫院通宵當值，忙得筋疲力竭；成為兒科醫生後，更是會面對許多令人心酸的生離死別。每每有兒科病人離世，除了家屬之外，亦會打擊長期照顧他的醫護人員。即使他們面對生離死別比常人多，但眼見年幼的生命不敵殘酷的死神時，仍忍不住會傷心流淚。這亦是為何鍾醫生在教學上對學生嚴格，期望以自己身教，裝備醫生學迎接辛苦的行醫之路。
在臨床服務、教學及學術研究上，鍾醫生都不遺餘力地貢獻香港遺傳學及基因組學的發展，亦在罕病政策上作各方面溝通的橋樑。他在短期內將會投身香港基因組計劃，帶領本地的科研人員建立行大型基因組測序計劃，奠定本地基因組醫學的基礎，促進本地的人才培訓及對亞洲人的疾病研究。
當年仍是青澀醫學生的鍾醫生，面對著尤德爵士紀念基金會的面試教授時，因著他們皆來自醫學背景，以及教授真切的聆聽，鍾醫生在他們面前可以侃侃而談，分享自己在醫學院的經歷。得獎接近二十年後的今天，談起其習醫之路，與病人的點滴，他仍是懷著滿腔熱誠，投入在臨床服務、學術研究及教授下一代之中。