Good afternoon, Prof. Lo Chung Mau, Secretary for Health, Health Bureau, Prof. Philip Li, President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Dr. the Honorable David Lam, Legislative Councillor, Legislative Council, Dr. Joanna So, Assistant Director of Health, Department of Health, Dr. Ching Wai Kuen, Director, Strategy and Planning, Hospital Authority, Presidents and representatives from Sister Colleges, Fellows, Members, Associates, ladies and gentlemen.

May I welcome you all to the conferment ceremony of our College this afternoon.

Congratulations:

Firstly, it is with immense pride that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to our new Fellows. This occasion marks a new milestone to recognize your tremendous effort in your specialist training, but this is not the end. Today, as you stand on the threshold of new opportunities, you embody the promise of a brighter future. It is important to thank your mentors, trainers and colleagues for their guidance, as well as your patients, whom you have helped manage, for providing you with valuable training opportunities. As newcomers to our College, you will sooner or later adopt new roles and responsibilities in your career development. I look forward to your contributions in the days to come. Please also be reminded to undergo your CME/CPD programs in a timely manner.

For those Members in the audience who have already passed their intermediate exams, I am sure it will soon be your turn for Fellowship conferment.

Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Faculty Development:

Our College, as one of the constituting Colleges in the Academy, will continue to align with the Academy’s initiatives. Following the initiatives of Faculty Development, some of our College Fellows have actively participated in the Academy’s Basic Medical Education Courses. Our College will continue to explore developments in other aspects of Faculty Development. The Academy has organised the Medical Education Conference on 27 September 2025, and a Position Statement Workshop on 28 September 2025. A number of topics were covered in the conference, particularly about the integration of the technologies in medical education. Many of us enjoyed this Academy flagship event. The integration of new technology in post-graduate medical education will be one of the directions our College will consider. Some of us, including me, participated in the Position Statement Workshop on 28 September 2025, and this Position Statement will serve as the cornerstone for our College’s further explorations.

Digital Pathology and Artificial Intelligence:

I believe all of you have witnessed the tremendous development of artificial intelligence in medical care recently. It is also a hot topic in the field of Pathology. Having reviewed last year’s speech, I realize that the content of the annual speech would not capture the rapid developments and transformative changes in the laboratory medicine. It may quickly become outdated if I continue to discuss the recent developments in digital pathology and the adoption of artificial intelligence over the past few months.

On the contrary, today’s speech will focus on the future developments expected in the next 2 to 3 years. I believe it is too early to predict developments over the next decade, as the impact and transformation are so drastic and substantial. The adoption of artificial intelligence has been brought up in various aspects of laboratory medicine, from barcode reading and specimen tube recognition to report drafting, integration of genetic data for clinical interpretation, prediction of clinical outcomes, and most recently, image analysis. I consider all of these as tools available for our clinical use. Furthermore, I believe the adoption of artificial intelligence, in particular in image analysis, will also open a new page in research.

With increasing experience, we have come to appreciate the advantages of adopting artificial intelligence in our clinical practice, e.g. increased working efficiency, enhanced diagnostic accuracy and minimized errors due to repetitive tasks. As leaders in the pathology, we recognize the limitations and pitfalls of various artificial intelligence models. I am pleased to share that the introduction of digital pathology and the application of artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of histopathological and cytological examinations have been highlighted in the Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address. It is gratifying that our clinical duties have drawn public attention. Nevertheless, pathologists are in the right position to carefully apply our professional knowledge to choose the right tools for our clinical practice. Similar to our experiences with new technology and diagnostic tools, careful planning, evaluation of the clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness analysis are all important considerations in our roles and responsibilities as pathologists.

Green Pathology and Well-being:

This year, our College has utilized funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Government for well-being initiatives and the use of electronic examination platform as part of our Green Pathology initiative. We have received positive feedbacks on our well-being activities and we shall explore enhancement of these activities next year. For the electronic examination platform, the experiences for both candidates and examiners have been promising. In the coming two years, we aim to expand the scope of conducting examinations via the electronic platform. I deeply hope that one day we can fully implement the electronic platform for all examination components. Who knows? Maybe we can even adopt artificial intelligence for viva exam through an electronic platform in the future.

About dinner:

This year, our College is honoured to welcome prestigious guests to join our Annual Dinner this evening. We encourage our College Fellows, Members and Associates to stay for the T.B. Teoh Foundation Lecture on “Between Slides and Soul: Finding Fulfilment at the Intersection of Practicing Histopathologist and Translational Researcher” by Prof. TO Ka Fai, followed by our Annual Dinner.

2025 Legislative Council General Election:

With less than one month to go before the 2025 Legislative Council General Election, the atmosphere is heating up. It is anticipated to be a very competitive election year in different constituencies. I would like to remind all of you to mark 7 December, and cast your votes and exercise your right and fulfil your responsibilities to elect capable Legislative Council members.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have contributed to the preparation of this event. It has been a lot of hard work, as always. I wish everyone the best in the days to come.

Dr MAK Siu Ming

President

15 November 2025

Volume 34, Issue 1 (click here to download the full pdf version)

As I reach the midpoint of my term of presidency, I wish to take a moment to reflect on our progress and share some of our priorities and upcoming initiatives. This is a time for us to celebrate our achievements and to look ahead with renewed focus.

First of all, following the return of normalcy in Hong Kong, the College has now re-established connections with overseas sister Colleges and professional bodies through the platform of the International Liaison of Pathology Presidents (ILPP) and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM). This year, we will continue to collaborate with overseas sister Colleges of Pathologists and professional bodies, to share the difficulties and challenges ahead and to foster a collaborative effort in managing the turbulence in our profession.

Apart from the regular educational activities and the annual examination, I would like to highlight two initiatives newly introduced by the College: the electronic examination platform and the well-being programmes.

The introduction of the electronic examination platform aligns with the initiatives first presented in the last President’s speech at the Conferment Ceremony, namely, Green Pathology. As we step into 2025, the College is committed to evolving the landscape of our examination. I am excited to share our dedication to enhancing the examination experience through the adoption of the electronic examination format. This transition represents not only a technology advancement in examinations, but also a significant step toward fostering a more inclusive and efficient learning environment.

We understand that transitioning to an electronic examination format may present challenges, but we are committed to providing the necessary support and resources. Development of training sessions will be considered for our candidates and examiners to ensure everyone is comfortable with the new system. We encourage open communication and feedback throughout this process, as your valuable input is essential to the success of this initiative. A pilot scheme will be rolled out this year, and the experience will be shared in an appropriate platform to facilitate the phased implementation of the electronic examination platform across various specialties.

Furthermore, the College is also committed to enhancing the mental health of our Fellows, Members and Associates via introducing well-being programmes. The first programme is a complimentary hand building pottery workshop offered to our members. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chairman and the members of the Professional & General Affairs Committee (PGAC). Without their invaluable contributions, the successful organization of this workshop would not have been possible. I hope the participants will find this well-being activity enjoyable and rewarding.

As we move forward, I encourage each of you to stay engaged and share your ideas. Your feedback on both the electronic examination platform and the well-being programmes is essential to motivate us. I look forward to seeing you all at upcoming well-being programmes, educational activities and the College’s annual event.

Dr MAK Siu Ming

President

June 2025

Results of College Examination September 2025

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Pathology of Vertebral Artery Trauma

Dr FOO Ka-chung

Specialty Coordinator (Forensic Pathology), Education Committee The Hong Kong College of Pathologists

Volume 20, Issue 2, July 2025  (download full article in pdf)

Editorial note:

Vertebral artery trauma involves potentially fatal injury that can lead to catastrophic outcomes including subarachnoid haemorrhage and cerebral ischemia. The pathology typically includes vessel rupture or dissection, which usually results from blunt trauma to the neck. Its severity often results in rapid collapse without prominent external findings. This Topical Update provides a proper approach to the diagnosis, etiology and mechanism of trauma. We welcome any feedback or suggestions. Please direct them to Dr. FOO Ka-chung of Education Committee, the Hong Kong College of Pathologists. Opinions expressed are those of the authors or named individuals, and are not necessarily those of the Hong Kong College of Pathologists.

Results of College Examination July 2025

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Updates from the Thyroid WHO Classification and Bethesda System

Dr. Angela Zaneta CHAN

Department of Anatomical & Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Volume 20, Issue 1, Jan 2025  (download full article in pdf)

Editorial note:

With the release of the 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Tumours of Endocrine and Neuroendocrine Tumours and 3rd edition of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology, major changes have been made in thyroid pathology and cytopathology. This topical update provides a review on selected new entities and changes in terminology in thyroid pathology, and updates to the Bethesda reporting system. We welcome any feedback or suggestions. Please direct them to Dr. Angela Chan of Education Committee, the Hong Kong College of Pathologists. Opinions expressed are those of the authors or named individuals, and are not necessarily those of the Hong Kong College of Pathologists.

Good afternoon, Prof. Lo Chung Mau, Secretary for Health, Health Bureau, Prof. Gilberto Leung, President Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Dr. the Honorable David Lam, Legislative Councillor, Legislative Council, Dr. Liza To, Assistant Director of Health, Department of Health, Dr. Law Chun Bon, Kowloon West Cluster Cluster Chief Executive, Hospital Authority, Prof. Peter Schirmacher, President of the European Society of Pathology, Dr. Raed Al Dieri, Chief Executive Officer of the European Society of Pathology Presidents and representatives from Sister Colleges, Fellows, Members, Associates, ladies and gentlemen.

May I welcome you all to the conferment ceremony of our College this afternoon.

Congratulations:

Today is a very special day for our new Fellows. This marks a new milestone to recognize your tremendous effort and hard work over the past few years. Congratulations! I would also like to invite everyone in the audience to give your family, including your parents, significant others and your children, a round of applause for their unwavering support and encouragement. It is important to thank your mentors, trainers and colleagues for their guidance, as well as your patients, whom you have helped manage, for providing you with valuable training opportunities.

For those Members in the audience who have already passed their intermediate exam, I am sure it will soon be your turn for Fellowship conferment.

CME/CPD reminder and Genetic and Genomic Pathology:

To our new Fellows: Your future practice requires you to be competent in your field of practice. CME/CPD, continuing medical education/continuous professional development, is essential for your career development. As a usual practice of our College, I shall leave this part to Prof. Leung and I believe Prof. Leung from the Academy will remind you again later.

Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Faculty Development:

Following the Academy's Position Paper published in 2023, our College has committed to aligning with the Academy's latest Faculty Development initiatives. The Academy has organized several activities this year, including the 1st and 2nd Competency-based Medical Education Seminars, Basic Medical Education Courses, and Learner onLine Educator Courses. The purpose of these training events is to create a momentum for future faculty development in post-graduate medical education. A number of our College's key members have already joined these activities, and this would form the foundation for our College to follow the Academy's direction in Faculty Development.

There are several domains in the perspective of Faculty Development, including the structure of training and involvement of relevant stakeholders. Last year, we revised the Regulations to incorporate workplace-based assessments in various disciplines. Led by the Training and Examinations Committee, we are moving forward to engage College key members, Educational Supervisors, trainers and, most importantly, trainees in further enhancing training outcome. We believe that there are a number of skills our trainers need to acquire in order to ensure improved training outcomes. I hope that our trainees, who will eventually become one of our trainers in the College, will also actively engage in providing feedback on the training process.

Digital Pathology and Artificial Intelligence:

Talking about the Regulations, our College has recently revised and published the latest version of the training Regulations. The College has incorporated the concept of digital pathology in the latest regulations. I believe most of us have witnessed the rapid evolution and advancement in digital pathology over the past year and might have heard about various proposals in adoption of artificial intelligence in the field of Pathology. I would also like to report that the College Council has just endorsed the latest Guidelines in Implementation of Digital Pathology and Adoption of Artificial Intelligence. Details will be announced in due course.

I believe most of us might have been questioned or challenged about whether Artificial Intelligence will replace the role of pathologists. This was also a question I pondered about when ChatGPT first rolled out. Learning from the recent Academy Medical Education Conference, I strongly believe that the technology of artificial intelligence will not replace the role of pathologists, but pathologists using artificial intelligence will replace those who do not. The role of pathologists is unique in that we serve as a bridge between various advanced technologies in the field of laboratory medicine and clinical application. Taking reference from the field of Genetic and Genomic Pathology, we witness it being fully integrated into our clinical practice, for example, in tumour genetics, haematolymphoid malignancy, inborn errors of metabolism and immunopathology. The adoption of artificial intelligence would enhance our future working efficiency and the quality of diagnostic services. The adoption of artificial intelligence in image analysis and big data analysis may provide an edge in the next wave of technological advancement.

Green Pathology:

In addition, the implementation of the digital pathology aligns with another wave of recent development in the field of Pathology—Green Pathology. Having discussed with overseas colleagues across the globe, we realised that our College has various aspects to catch up on regarding environmental sustainability. The implementation of digital pathology represents one of the important steps to enhance our digital workflow in our daily practice. The College shall consider adopting a proactive approach to recent developments in the field of Pathology, with Green Pathology being one of the key directions.

European Society of Pathology:

One of our College's objectives is to promote advancement of knowledge in the science and art of pathology. In order to strengthen the role in promoting educational activities, our College signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Society of Pathology earlier this year. I believe that this MoU would set the cornerstone for future international cooperation and foster further collaboration in the field of Pathology. I highly recommend that our College Fellows and trainees, particularly those in the specialties of Anatomical Pathology and Genetic and Genomic Pathology, learn about the various educational activities organised by the European Society of Pathology.

About dinner:

This year, our College is honoured to welcome prestigious guests from our European counterparts to join our Annual Dinner this evening. We encourage our College Fellows, Members and Associates to stay for the T.B. Teoh Foundation Lecture on "Third generation molecular pathology – from research to diagnostic implementation" by our Honorary Fellow Prof. Peter Schirmacher, followed by our Annual Dinner.

Hong Kong Academy of Medicine President Prof. Gilberto Leung:

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Prof. Gilberto Leung. Back in 2017, when I represented the College at the Academy's Young Fellows Chapter, I only marginally fulfilled the requirements to be a Young Fellow. Fortunately, it has been a privilege to have joined the Academy's Education Committee. Since then, I have had a number of opportunities to learn from Prof. Leung about the Academy's operation and participate in activities organised by the Academy. This invaluable experience has greatly benefited my career. Thank you, Prof. Leung.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have contributed to the preparation of this event. It has been a lot of hard work, as always. I wish everyone the best in the days to come.

Dr MAK Siu Ming

President

16 November 2024

Results of College Examination October 2024

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