Newsletter

Year 2014

Volume 23, Issue 1

Message from the President:

First of all, I wish to extend my warmest welcome to all newly admitted Fellows and Members to the family of The Hong Kong Collegeof Pathologists.

Pathology has evolved into a field combining clinical interpretation and application of advanced laboratory techniques. It is estimated nearly 70% of clinical decision is related to medical laboratory test results.

To address the increased expectation of the community, not just patients and relatives, we have to get well prepared. Nowadays, our responsibilities are not confined to diagnosing infection or malignancy efficiently and finding causes of sufferings or death accurately. From a few cells or drops of blood, we need to predict prognosis and guide the use of personalized medicine, to trace the routes of infection, to dissect genetic basis of disease, and to decide whether a person can receive organ from a donor.

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Volume 23, Issue 2

Message from the President:

Both Hong Kong and our College havefaced unprecedented challenges this year. OurCollege and our specialty have been in the spotlight of the media. There has been doubt on the standard of pathology training and qualification as well as pathology service in Hong Kong. While continuous self-reflection and review are constructive, we must not lose faith in our good practice and should continue our devotion to the community. With our sustained high quality of service, I am confident that the trust of the community can be maintained.

This is also a moment of celebration for our new Fellows and Members. On behalf of the College, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all newly admitted Fellows and Members to the family of The Hong Kong College of Pathologists. You have also faced and defeated challenges bravely. After surpassing years of serious training and examinations, our Fellows are now qualified specialists in pathology. As consultants to bedside doctors, you will play pivotal role in diagnosis as well as guiding the plan of prevention and treatment of disease.

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Year 2013

Volume 22, Issue 1

Message from the President:

After nearly two years of hard work among Councillors, Honorary Advisor and the lawyer of the Company Registry, we are in the process of calling an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in early June. A lot of work has been done on updating our Articles with modifications, including adopting a similar mechanism as the Academy on nomination of Honorary Fellow. The Registrar has, by the time of publishing this Newsletter, sent you the relevant information and invitation to attend the EGM held in the Academy Building in the evening on 10 June. I urge you to come and support the EGM which will only take a little bit of your time. If time permits, we may have a chat and you may let me know your thoughts on College matters. This is an important step for our College to move forward.

I am happy to announce that the structured training programme in Molecular Pathology is now established. Our Specialty Board chairpersons are instrumental in setting up individual programme in respective disciplines. Our laboratory inspectors have completed inspection of training centres. The Training and Examinations Committee reviewed all the inspection reports which have been endorsed by the Council. The new training curriculum will be effective for the new trainee intake this year.

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Volume 22, Issue 2

Message from the President:

After completing two terms as President, I write this final message to bid you farewell. The past four years have been a great challenge to me personally, and I believe my Council Officers and Members would feel the same. We have completed our inspection cycle on training centres for molecular pathology training. A revised training curriculum is now in place for our new trainees registered on or after 18 October 2012, with specific requirement to participate in structured molecular pathology training according to individual specialties. Though we encountered differences in opinion on the admission of scientists, I hope there will be closer liaison between our medical and scientific colleagues in future. Some of the scientists are, in fact, playing an important role in enhancing technical exposure of our residents in molecular pathology.

Our Extraordinary General Meeting held on 10 June this year was successful, after nearly three years’ preparatory work. We updated our Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A) to adopt a similar mechanism as the Academy on nomination and election of Honorary Fellows. The M&A have also been further modified as a result of numerous communications among the solicitor of the Companies Registry, the Registrar and our Legal Advisor. All Council Members participated actively in fine-tuning the changes. I am pleased to report that everything is now in place, and I hope that this will facilitate our future operation.

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Year 2012

Volume 21, Issue 1

Message from the President:

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the College. We are facing a few major changes in the road ahead. Our TEC (Training and Examinations Committee) will start to implement a structured training programme in Molecular Pathology for different disciplines, including conducting the first round of inspection on training centres. The essence of the programme is to introduce some practical experience for our trainees. My personal feeling is that, analogous to performing deliveries during our undergraduate days, our trainees will understand the technology as well as its implications and limitations for their future practice. After all, it is the pathologist who is responsible for the interpretative reporting in pathology practice. The programme is simply an introduction to the field. Pursuit on further understanding in the subject does not stop there. We have witnessed Molecular Pathology developing into a separate discipline in other countries. It will be one of our future directions.

Our partnership with scientists is currently under close review. Following a favourable response from a survey initiated by the Council last year, an open forum is scheduled on 13 April for all members. The forum is an opportunity when all members will discuss on admitting scientists to the College under a new category, “Scientists of the Hong Kong College of Pathologists” (ScHKCPath). A Task Force, chaired by our Vice-President, Dr. Edmond MA, held meetings with representatives from different disciplines and worked out some preliminary admission criteria over the past 2 months. The new category is separate from our existing categories of Associates, Members and Fellows, and bears no voting right. In accordance with our Articles, our trainees need to be medically qualified, and fulfill our training requirement before they are allowed to take the Fellowship Assessment. Through recognition of the contribution by our “Scientists”, we wish to strengthen a closer collaboration between pathologists and scientists. The input of our new members will be channeled to the betterment of our profession. Hopefully, the local development of pathology practice will be taken to a new level.

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Volume 21, Issue 2

Message from the President:

This has been a very busy year for the College – and I truly mean it for the Office Bearers and the Council.

While the College was preparing for the Conferment Ceremony, AGM, T.B. Teoh Lecture and related events in 2011, we were also updating our Articles with modifications, including adopting a similar mechanism as the Academy on nomination of Honorary Fellow. I suddenly realized there is a new Companies Registry Law, and there needs to be clarification and changes in our Articles in order to comply with the Law. Hence, the EGM, planned since last year, has to be deferred till some time next year. I hope this can be done once we get clearance from the Companies Registry. All members will be duly informed, and I would greatly appreciate your support when it is called.

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Year 2011

Volume 20, Issue 1

Message from the President:

The appeal to address manpower shortage from the Department of Medicine in Tuen Mun Hospital initiated a series of events in the medical circle. I attended a forum for Chiefs of Services (COS) of the Hospital Authority (HA) in the Head Office on 8 March evening chaired by Dr. P.Y. Leung, the Chief Executive, and Mr. Anthony Wu, the HA Chairman. The top management appeared to be taken by surprise in regards to the magnitude of the problem which spread beyond one clinical discipline. They were sincere and eager to find immediate or short-term measures to help the frontline doctors.

During the session, many COS presented their views and ideas in helping their staff. It was recognized that the staff morale had been poor since the segregation of salary scales and contract terms a few years back. With the improvement in the private market and increase in demand and workload in the public sector, it is natural to see specialists and senior staff leaving the public service. The increased demand in certain specialties, such as Obstetrics, Radiology, Orthopaedics, and Urology, just to name a few, resulted in brain drain crippling some areas of the public service. This is aggravated by decrease in number of medical graduates for the next few years starting from 2011. Despite a proposal to increase intake of medical students, it will take at least 12 years to see the beginning of any replenishment of specialists.

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Volume 20, Issue 2

Message from the President:

This year we are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the College. Like what we did 10 years ago, we are publishing a book to commemorate the 20th birthday and review the milestones of the past two decades. On behalf of the Council, I write to invite all Fellows and members of the College to our Annual Dinner on 19 November in the Academy Building, including all Past Presidents. It is the time to meet all old and new acquaintances.

The contribution of scientists to laboratory science in our practice has long been recognized. During the last ILCP meeting, I realized the close collaboration among pathologists and scientists, especially when I was told that pathology residents in the States are assigned to molecular laboratories run by scientists as part of their training. The Royal College of Pathologists in Australasia established a Faculty of Science to enroll scientists (including pathologists with contribution in Medical Science) as Fellows. In order to facilitate our further collaboration, it may be time to consider extending our family to our scientific partners. A survey has been carried out under the Credential and Appeals Committee (CAC) recently on the admission of scientists, under the instruction of the Council. Details of the survey are included in this Newsletter. Having discussed in our Council, we understand we do not have the resources to finance and support a separate faculty. Hence we may consider creating a new category, separate from our existing categories (Fellow, Member and Associate) to accommodate our new partners. I would like to discuss more on this aspect with you in the near future in an open forum. At this point so far, I would like to thank our CAC, chaired by Drs. Raymond YUNG and Edmond MA, for their effort in organizing and carrying out the survey.

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Year 2010

Volume 19, Issue 1

Message from the President:

I have been asked a few times about my plan since I took office last November. Though I have some ideas about the work, I must admit I have little time to set up any schedule. Perhaps this gives me a chance to write up some thoughts.

Over the past few years since I joined the College Council, there were major changes. We have a full-time College Secretary who helps to tidy up bits and pieces in our Chamber, including taking Council minutes, managing daily operation of the College, and assistance in CME/CPD. At present, Adrienne plays a crucial role in communication among Fellows, Councillors and the Academy. We discussed and implemented changes in standardizing score in examinations, examination formats in specialties, training requirements (such as in case of long sick leave, autopsy numbers), appeal mechanism, etc. All of these require the work of a team, not individuals, who share the view to better the College and our profession.

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Volume 19, Issue 2

Message from the President:

On behalf of the College, I hosted the International Liaison Committee of Presidents (ILCP) Meeting 2010 on 2 & 3 September in Hong Kong. This is an annual event hosted by one of the member colleges and societies in their respective nations. The member colleges and societies of ILCP include the Royal College of Pathologists (U.K.), Association of Clinical Pathologists (U.K.), the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, Faculty of Pathology of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, College of American Pathologists, and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. The Canadian Association of Pathologists became a new member last year, but its President was unable to attend this meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is for Presidents of Colleges and Societies of Pathologists to meet face to face to discuss on various issues of our professional practice in developed countries, including problems encountered. It is hoped that work on joint statements, projects and high-level strategy can be formulated if necessary.

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Year 2009

Volume 18, Issue 1

From the Chief Editor

Dear Fellows and Members,

Happy New Year! Time flies, and here is another issue of Pathologue.

In the Message from the President, Dr. NG Wing Fung shared with us his vision regarding the future of pathology practice and the College. The 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the 17th T.B. Teoh Foundation Lecture were well attended. As in previous years, we have captured the happy and exciting moments for your memory. The 17th T.B. Teoh Foundation Lecture was delivered by Professor KAN Yuet Wai and entitled “Haemoglobin Genetics, from Diagnosis to Treatment”. The 4th Trainee Presentation Session took place on the same day of the AGM. The winner this year, Dr. Doris CHING, presented the detective work undertaken by the Toxicology Reference Laboratory of Princess Margaret Hospital in identifying the local Outbreak of Hypoglycaemia: Sexual Enhancement Products Containing Oral Hypoglycaemic Agent.

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Volume 18, Issue 2

From the Chief Editor

Dear Fellows and Members,

Molecular biology is becoming the bread-and-butter of pathology in the 21st century. For our featured article of this issue, the Era of Molecular Biology in Diagnostic Pathology, the Editorial Board has invited Fellows of different subspecialties to provide their views on this subject. The importance of molecular pathology in the current practice of pathology was further explored in the Message from the President by Dr. Wing Fung NG. In his message, Dr. NG also highlighted the recent changes in the training requirements for our trainees.

In the Topical Update from the Education Committee, Dr. Morris TAI discussed on the Global Standardization of HbA1c. On a lighter side in the Out of the Whitecoat section, One Pathologist’s Passion of Trekking to the High Mountains, Dr. Harold P.H. YU recollected his fascinating encounter with the mountains and people from different parts of the world.

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Year 2008

Volume 17, Issue 1

From the Chief Editor

Dear Fellows and Members,

In this issue of Pathologue, our new President Dr. W.F. Ng delivered his first Message from the President, with emphasis on his vision regarding training.

For those who could not join us at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the 3rd Trainee Presentation Session last year, we have captured the happy moments to share with you. The winner of the 3rd Trainee Presentation Session, Dr. Allen Chan, provided us with the abstract of his presentation entitled ‘Development and evaluation of a new molecular diagnostic test for the detection, monitoring and prognostication of hepatocellular carcinoma’. He also expressed his personal view towards the Trainee Presentation Session.

The latest Topical Update from the Education Committee is from Forensic Pathology. Dr. Philip Beh discussed the change in the role of pathologists in the Autopsy Interview over the years.

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Volume 17, Issue 2

From the Chief Editor

Dear Fellows and Members,

Laboratory Accreditation has become an important issue in the practice of Pathology. In the Featured Article: Laboratory Accreditation : Relevance to the Pathologist in Hong Kong, the Editorial Board aimed to explore this topic, with the valuable input from Dr. Michael Chan, Dr. Chan Keeng Wai, Dr. Robert Collins, Prof. Christopher Lam, Dr. Wilina Lim, and Dr. Wong Kit Fai. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the contributors once again.

In the Topical Update: Immunogenetics: MHC and non-MHC, Dr. Janette Kwok shared with us her knowledge in a field which is unfamiliar to most fellows. In Out of the Whitecoat section, Dr. Andrew Choi provided us with a glimpse of his fulfilling post-early retirement life. In Fellows’ Laurels section, we are proud to announce the achievements of Prof. Irene Ng and Prof. Alfred Lam. Please continue to keep us informed on similar good news so that we can share them with other fellows and members.

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Year 2007

Volume 16, Issue 1

From the Chief Editor

In the first issue of the College Newsletter this year, Dr. K.C. Lee shares with us his view regarding the current and future trend in the training in Pathology in the Message from the President.

To go back in time, in this featured article, the Passion for Pathology Runs in the Blood, we tell the stories of two important families of pathologists that are instrumental in the development of Pathology in Hong Kong.

In the Topical Update from the Education Committee, Dr. Edmond Ma discusses the Recent Perspectives in Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency. This is another example where molecular biology is playing an important role in the practice of Pathology.

The 15th AGM 2006 and the 15th T.B. Teoh Foundation Lecture were both well attended. For those who could not be there, the snapshots in this issue can let them take a glimpse of what they have missed.

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Volume 16, Issue 2

From the Chief Editor

In the Message from the President, Dr. K.C. Lee has helped us to clarify the issue related to the ‘professionally qualified directorship’ in the Supplementary Medical Professionals Ordinance. The College has worked very hard in the past years to solicit this clarification from the Government.

The Editorial Board is interested in the current medical curriculum, the ways to promote the image of Pathology to medical students and public, and hearing the voices of the new trainees. With the featured article Paving the Way for Our Next Generation, we aim to explore this area in a coherent manner.

In the Topical Update from the Education Committee, Dr. Cheuk Wah discusses the Impact of Molecular Methods in the Diagnosis of Lymphomas. This well-referenced article provides us with the basic as well as the latest up-to-date information regarding this rapidly advancing topic.

In the Out of the Whitecoat section, three of our Fellows share with us their precious experience in the Yunnan province of the Mainland. Dr. H.K. Mong and Mrs. Marie Mong drove to Yunnan with the HK Police Motoring Club (香港警察汽車會), while Dr. Tony W.H. Shek and his better half, Dr. Ivy S.C. Luk, joined the fund-raising walk by the Sowers Action (苗圃行動).

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Year 2006

Volume 15, Issue 1

Message from the President

I gave the following message to our new Fellows and Members at the last Admission Ceremony, and wish them to take a broader view on their future careers.

For all young Fellows, and even for us who have been in the profession for quite some years, I think we should not stop reflecting our past and debating on our way forward, for I believe it is our collective hope and desires that are important to shape our own future. So it may help if from time to time we could set ourselves free from all busy routine, take a moment to look back on the path that brought us here, and wonder how we should go forward - ask ourselves questions, get a different view, and critically rethink even the most obvious. You may perhaps also agree with me the two things I am going to say about what pathology is not, and realize that the profession may not be what you have taken for granted.

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Volume 15, Issue 2

From The Chief Editor

This issue of our Newsletter marks the beginning of the establishment of an Editorial Board. I am very fortunate to have Dr. Florence Cheung, Dr. K.T. Loo and Prof. Irene Ng as our Editorial Board members. We have named our Newsletter‘ Pathologue ’, hoping it can achieve its function in promoting dialogue amongst Fellows and colleagues in Pathology.

Starting from this issue, we shall publish featured articles that aim to stimulate constructive discussion within our profession. You are cordially invited to send us your comments and views through mails or e-mails. If you have any specific topic that you want to discuss in the future, you are most welcome to suggest to us. In this issue, Dr. Florence Cheung from our Editorial Board has written an article entitled ‘ To Amend or not to Amend ’, bringing out the dilemma we face in report amendment in Anatomic Pathology. When writing this article, we have solicited the views from a number of experienced senior anatomical pathologists; we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their precious time and effort. Their opinions can certainly provide us with valuable insights in this matter.

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Volume 15, Issue 3

From The Chief Editor

We hope you have enjoyed reading the last issue of Pathologue, our College Newsletter. It has been 15 years since the establishment of our College. In the Message from the President, Dr. K.C. Lee discusses the growth of our College, and the potential to liaise and collaborate with pathology societies nationally and internationally through the Ministry of Health (MOH), the International Liaison of College Presidents (ILCP), and the World Association of Societies of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM).

The College AGM will take place on 25 November, 2006, and the Second Trainee Presentation Session will start at 2:45 p.m. We are honoured to have Prof. H.K. Ng as our speaker for the T.B. Teoh Foundation Lecture this year, and the title of his talk is: The 2007 WHO Classification of CNS Tumours - Some Preliminary Views.

After soliciting input from a number of fellows of different subspecialties, Dr. K.T. Loo from our Editorial Board has written the featured article for this issue - ‘Image Digitalisation in Pathology – The Quiet Revolution’. Image digitalisation has revolutionized the practice of Pathology, especially in Anatomical Pathology. We take this opportunity to critically examine the potential and limit of this technology. We thank all fellows who have contributed to this article. Feedback, comments and sharing of experience, particularly from the private sector, are most welcome.

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Year 2005

Volume 14, Issue 1

Message from the President

Why Pathology Matters? A word to the new pathologists at the 13th Admission Ceremony I wish to extend my warmest congratulations to all soon to be admitted new Fellows and Members of the College. Your success in becoming a specialist is especially welcome and somewhat relieving in times when the prospect of shortage of pathologists is worrisome, when we may edging towards the global trend of manpower insufficiency in pathologists as in many developed countries.

Sometimes I wonder, from the day you decide to take up pathology as your career, what have been your responses to the all-too-familiar question of your parents or friends, when they say: “Well, very good, you want to become a pathologist, but don’t you want to be a REAL doctor? Don't you want to take care of patients? Do you really like dead bodies that much?"

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Volumn 14, Issue 2

Message from the President

One year ago, I had a special meeting with the Pathology Division of the Chinese Medical Association (中華醫學會病理分會) (CMAPD) – not quite a College equivalent but this one is the closest – in Jinan, Shandong, to introduce the College work, particularly on our system of training and examinations. While in many areas, such as in organizing educational programmes or developing professional standards and practice guidelines, we can work further together, I came out from the meeting with an impression that at present there is quite a significant difference in “professional autonomy” between Hong Kong and China Mainland, so that professional bodies there, and not just the CMAPD, are not going to organize independent specialist examinations or training accreditation any time soon. (Remarkably, in a separate session, the CMAPD had also invited the President and Council representatives of the Royal College of Pathologists of the United Kingdom for similar discussions.)

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Volumn 14, Issue 3

Message from the President

In the past one year the College sees many interesting and challenging developments. For the start, as outlined in the last President’s Message, the rapid growth in the mainland has brought us both opportunities and areas of concerns. The Minister of Health of China, in a recent visit to Hong Kong, has made it clear that he wishes the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and its member Colleges to share their experience on training, admission and accreditation of specialists with the mainland counterparts, with a view to establish a model for the mainland as soon as possible. With this objective, an Academy delegation, in which I served as the College representative, visited Beijing in May, closely followed by another similar visit in July, and a reciprocal visit of the Ministry of Health’s delegation in August to the Academy and several Colleges, including pathology, and training centres in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. During these visits, we have had detailed discussions on training contents, supervision of training, accreditation of training units, training posts, and organization of examinations and CME/CPD. To address some important differences in pathology practices between the two places, we tried to make use of the opportunities to convince our counterpart that a broader scope for the profession, taking on board all pathology specialties, that is led by medically trained pathologists, rather than non-medical professionals as could be the case in some disciplines in the mainland, should be the best way forward.

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