Wan-Yee Joseph Lau:the promoter of modernization and internationalization of Chinese surgery

Wan-Yee Joseph Lau

To my knowledge,there have been 3 books[1—3]and 2 book chapters written about me.[4—5]For those who are interested in the details of my life,please refer to these books/book chapters.The title of this article is an English translation of the title of the book I refer to as reference 1,which I find appropriate to describe the role that I play in China.

1.My ancestry and family history

According to the records stored in my Ancestors Temple,my ancestors moved from Northern China to settle down in Ditian,Nanzhuang,Chancheng District,Fo Zhan,Guangdong Province during the Southern Song Dynasty intheyear 1127.After settlingdown,only2 familieshad ever moved out of Ditian,and my family was one of them.During the Japanese Invasion of China,my family decided to first move to Guang Zhou,then to Hong Kong.After movingto Hong Kong,my grandfather decided to move to Singapore and he planned to settle down first before moving his whole family to Singapore.My father was then in his adolescence.Unfortunately,my grandfather died in Singaporesoon after hearrived there,leavingbehind my grandmother,seven sons,and one daughter stranded in Hong Kong.My father spent a few years studying English at Queen's College,got a job at the P&O Shipping Company,and worked his long way to become a manager.He married my mother and I am the first generation born in Hong Kong,together with my 2 elder and 1 younger sisters.

As my father immigrated to Hong Kong when he was very young,he could not remember how to get back to our hometown in Ditian.It was very fortunate that my surgical colleagues in Fo Zhan succeeded in finding my Ancestors Temple and took me there.I finally found my root.

2.My 3 mentors who shaped my career path

2.1.My first mentor who influenced me to take up surgery as my lifelong career-Dr Shu-Hong Wong

My grandfather was a practitioner of Chinese traditional medicine.Under the influence of my grandfather and my father,I decided to study medicine when I was in secondary school.I developed a strong desire to help to improve health and to prolong human life.The medical curriculum was 5 years of undergraduate teaching plus 1 year of internship training.During my internship training rotation to surgery,I met my first mentor—Dr Shu-Hong Wong.Dr Wong is a very famous surgical urologist in Hong Kong.During my close contact with him,I found Dr Wong to be completely different from my previous impression of a surgeon.Previously,I thought a surgeon was an operating machine,which only concentrated on operating and disregarding everything else,which was not related to operations.Surgeons in general tend to be less patient and cool with their patients.Dr Wong,however,is completely different.He is always patient and warm with his patients,even after a long hard-working day,he always gives his best to his patients and his trainees.He taught me that because patients have handed their health and lives to their doctors,a good doctor musttakeup theresponsibility to providethebestpossiblecaretotheir patients.For asurgeon,thebestsurgicalcareisnotonlyincarryingoutameticulous operation but also in providing the best preoperative and postoperative surgical care.He requested all his trainees to do ward rounds twice a day,even during holidays,including Chinese New Year holidays.He insisted on having good communications between doctors and patients.He taught me painstakingly every minor surgical step in operation as he believes that a major surgical operation consists of combinations of minor surgical steps,and to do a major operation well,surgeons have to master every minor surgical step diligently.Dr Wong is the first mentor who established my foundation to develop into a good clinical surgeon.

2.2.My second mentor who converted me from a clinical surgeon to an academic surgeon-Prof Arthur Li

I have been interested in clinical research since I took up surgery as my lifelong career,and I published some clinical articles in surgery.However,I found that clinical research could not resolve some surgical problems as clinical research is a midstream or downstream research.We need to get at the root of the problem to resolve some of the surgical problems;that is,we need to do basic and translational researches.In the year 1988,I was already 1 of the 6 consultant surgeons working in government hospitals,a top-ranking job in surgical service in Hong Kong.I decided to approach Professor Li to offer me a job at the Department of Surgery,the Chinese University of Hong Kong.Professor Li gracefully offered me a senior lecturer post.Working with Professor Li,I had enjoyed the advice,recognition,resources,and support he gave me in my research work.He not only widened my perspective in surgery but also introduced me to the international surgical circle,to be acquainted with top surgeons in the world.My admiration for Professor Li goes to his determination to establish a link between Chinese and international surgeons by conducting the Wilson Wang Surgical Symposia,a pathway that finally led me to change my career path to become the promoter of modernization and internationalization of Chinese surgery.Thank you Professor Li for assisting me with my career development.

2.3.My third mentor who changed my career path from a international academic surgeon to become the promoter of modernization and internationalization of Chinese surgery-the late Professor Fa-Zu Qiu

In the 1980s,China opened up to the outside world.For historical reasons,Chinese surgery was cut off from the Western countries for 2 decades,when surgery was rapidly progressing in the West.Fortunately for China,we have generations of good surgeons who maintain the standard of surgery in China.However,the development of surgery during this period became separated into 2 tracks—The Chinese and The Western tracks.Although the Western countries have the advantages of modern concepts,advanced technical development,and international cooperations,Chinese surgery has the advantages of huge clinical and surgical operative experiences.

I was at the height of my international academic career when China was first opened to the outside world.With the Wilson Wang Symposium,which was held yearly for more than 10 years,I had the opportunity to meet with top international and Chinese surgeons.One of these surgeons who later became my mentor and the model that I decided to follow was Professor Fa-Zu Qiu.

Professor Qiu received a scholarship to be trained as a surgeon in Germany,where he worked his way up to become a leading surgeon there.He decided to move back to China soon after the Second World War,where he later became honored as “The Father of Surgery in China.”He had 2 missions:(i)to modernize and to internationalize Chinese surgery,and(ii)to provide excellent educational training to the next generations of surgeons in China.I was so convinced by Professor Qiu on these missions that I decided to follow his footsteps.The standard of surgery in China at the big centers are excellent,and China has a big population.Why is it that Chinese surgeons had so little voice in the international surgical scene even after opening up to the outside world?Professor Qiu totally convinced me that I should help Chinese surgery to become modernized and internationalized so that the 2 tracks of surgery could merge into a single track by using my influence in the international scene to promote his missions.I did this by introducing top world surgeons to give lectures and perform operations in China,and to recommend Chinese surgeons to go to Western countries for academic exchanges and to recommend them to become observers in surgical training and examinations to allow them a better understanding of the Western system.In addition,I recommended many Chinese surgeons into international societies who later became presidents,honorary secretaries,honorary treasurers,and council members of these organizations.I have also collaborated with Chinese surgeons in publishing SCI articles,which now have exceeded 200 such research articles.Training future generations of surgeons,not only in surgical knowledge and technical skills,but also in doing basic,translational and clinical researches,are other major tasks that Professor Qiu influenced me to carry out.

3.My achievements

I am currently a Research Professor of Surgery,Faculty of Medicine and Founding Master of Lee Woo Sing College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong,Honorary Consultant in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery in hospitals under the New Territories East Cluster,and Honorary Consultant Surgeon to the United Christian Hospital.

I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine,University of Hong Kong,in 1972.Subsequently,multiple medical qualifications have been bestowed upon me(Table 1).

I was trained in Hong Kong and spent 1 year in the United Kingdom for overseas training in surgery from 1979 to 1980.I was consultant Surgeon in 1988 and joined the Chinese University as Senior Lecturer in 1989.I was promoted to Reader in Surgery in 1992,Professor of Surgery in 1993 and appointed as Chairman of the Department of Surgery from August 1996 to March 2001.

I am active both at the international and local surgical scenes and hold many key positions in the government and professional organizations.I am an editorial board member of 36 national and international journals,reviewer of 28 international journals,and fellow/full member of 18 international and 11 local surgical associations or societies.I am the Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Surgery from 2005 to 2023.I was the President of International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association for 2002 to 2004.I was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was awarded Honorary FRACS in 2003.I was President of the Asian-Pacific Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association for 2009 to 2011,Honorary Fellow of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong in 2011,and Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in 2021.I became Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kongsince2012.Iwasawarded an Honorary Citizen of Fo Shan in 2004,the city where my ancestors were before my grandfather and family immigrated to Hong Kong,Wu Jie-Ping Medical Prize in 2012 and the Silver Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Government in 2013.

I have won many scholarships and awards.I am honorary/visiting professor to 18 universities/hospitals in China and 13 universities/hospitals in Sweden,South Africa,Singapore,the Philippines,India,Australia,the United States,Demark,and the United Kingdom.

Other honors include T.Y.Lin Foundation Lecturer in 1997 and in 2002,Dr H.S.Sachdeva Memorial Lecturer by the Chandigarh Postgraduate Medical School in 1999,Foundation Lecturer in General Surgery in 2000 and Foundation Lecturer in Liver Surgery in 2008 by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons,Dr Joseph H and Mrs.Helene Pollack Lecturer by the Washington University School of Medicine in 2003,1st Ricardo Alfonso Memorial Lecturer by FEU-NRMF Medical Centre in the Philippines in 2004,Pearce Gould Visting Professor by the University College of London in 2004,Evarts Ambrose Graham Medal from the Washington University School of Medicine,Endoscopic Award from China in 2004,Gold Medal by the Chinese Chapter of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association in 2006,Overseas Gold Medal in 2006 and Gold Medal in 2012 by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh(the only person to receive 2 gold medals from this College),Professor A.K.Sharma Oration by the Society of Surgeons of Nepal in 2008,Certificate of Outstanding Service by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2008,Living Legend Oration by the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Associationin2010,Henry Fok Memorial Lecturer bytheWorld Associationof Endoscopyin2010,and Gordon Gordon-Taylor Memorial Lecturer by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2012.

Table 1Medical qualifications of Professor Lau

I have published more than 850 peer-reviewed articles in international journals,90 articles in Chinese journals,152 books/chapters,3 articles in monographs,and 55 reviews/editorials/letters to editor.I have been invited todeliver lectures to national/international societies and medical collegesin different parts of the world.In 2023,I was ranked by AD Scientific Index,ranking for scientist in general surgery as no.1 in Chinese University of Hong Kong,no.1 in Hong Kong,no.1 in Asia,and no.11 in theworld.[6]

The 2 achievements that I would like to mention in particular:

(1)Training of Chinese surgeons in doing medical researches.

In many medical centers in China,I have been training Chinese surgeons doing medical researches,especially clinical research.In the Eastern Hepatobiliary Hospital,the Navy University of Medicine,China alone,I have trained 5 generations of surgeons who can now independently carry out clinical research.Based on my experience,I have published a book on Clinical Researchfrom Conceptto Practice.[7]Withpublicationof thisbook,I hope it can be used to improve the standard of clinical research in China.

(2)As the Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Surgery.

I was the third Editor-in-Chief of the Journal,and I resigned from this position in July 2023 because of personal reasons.When I took over the position 5 years ago from Professor David Rosin,the Journal had an impact factor of 2.6.For the year 2022/2023,the impact factor has risen to 15.3,and now it is ranked number 2 journal in the Surgery Category out of more than 200 titles,ranking even higher than the Annals of Surgery and British Journal of Surgery,an achievement that was beyond my imagination when I first took over the helm of this Journal.In addition,this Journal has achieved the following:

· A 2022 Citescore of 23.9,ranking 14th out of 830 journals in the General Medicine Category

· More than 3 million downloads to a global audience,who can view their research for free as the Journal is being completely open access

· Broad indexing in major data base including PubMed,PMC,Web of Science,Scopus,Embase,SCIE,and others

· Having an active social media to promote articles on@IJSurgery

· Offers rapid peer-review as standard,with an average time of 32 days between submission and first decision

· Publishing all articles online first before issue assignment,ensuring the work is available as soon as possible.

4.Conclusions

This article traces my Ancestry and my Family History,elaborates on the 3 mentors who shaped my career path,and lists my achievements.I hope the readers of this article would understand how I change my career path from a clinical surgeon,to an academic surgeon and finally spending most of my time in playing my role as the promoter of modernization and internationalization of Chinese Surgery.