LKS Faculty of Medicine (Part 2): The Five-School Structure, the MBBS Programme, and the 2005–2006 Naming

A donation pledge made in May 2005 gave the name it bears today to a faculty that had already been in operation for over a century. This article focuses on the Faculty’s current five-school architecture, its flagship undergraduate MBBS programme, and the facts of the 2005–2006 naming episode that sparked debate. For the founding of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1887 and Sun Yat-sen’s student years, see Part 1: li-ka-shing-faculty-of-medicine-1.md.

For teaching hospitals (Queen Mary Hospital and others) see ./teaching-hospitals.md in this directory; for the research and clinical strengths of individual clinical departments see ./departments-and-strengths.md; for the Faculty of Dentistry see ./faculty-of-dentistry.md; for the School of Public Health, School of Chinese Medicine, and School of Nursing see ./school-of-public-health-and-chinese-medicine.md. This module belongs to the 00–12 Reference Zone (factual, verified official history); no credibility badges are applied. Neutral facts are recorded as attested. Data current as of June 2026; every figure, date, and name carries its source on the spot.

# 1. Overview

The LKS Faculty of Medicine is the older of Hong Kong’s two medical schools (the other being the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, founded in 1981). Its predecessor, the 1887 Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, was Hong Kong’s first Western-medicine medical school and one of the oldest Western-medicine institutions in the Asia-Pacific — it predates the University of Hong Kong itself (1911) and was one of the cornerstones that made HKU’s founding possible. (For the story of its establishment and Sun Yat-sen’s time there, see Part 1.)

# 2. Current Structure: The Five Schools

After more than a century of expansion, the Faculty today is composed of five Schools plus several departments. According to the English Wikipedia entry on the LKS Faculty of Medicine^※ and the official pages of each School, the five Schools are:

In addition, the Faculty includes departments such as the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy^※. For the research strengths of the clinical departments under the School of Clinical Medicine (e.g. Medicine, Surgery, Microbiology), see ./departments-and-strengths.md; for details on the School of Public Health, School of Chinese Medicine, and School of Nursing, see ./school-of-public-health-and-chinese-medicine.md.

The creation of the School of Clinical Medicine (2022) is the most significant recent structural reorganisation: it brings 14 previously dispersed clinical disciplines together under a single School, forming a tripartite “clinical – foundational – population” structure alongside the School of Biomedical Sciences (basic research) and the School of Public Health (population health).

# 2.1 The Current Dean

The Faculty’s current Dean is Professor Chak Sing Lau (劉澤星) — he is the 41st Dean of the LKS Faculty of Medicine, assuming office on 28 November 2023^※. Professor Lau is a rheumatology specialist; he concurrently holds the position of Vice-President (Health) at HKU. In line with the practice of the 00–12 Reference Zone, this entry records his title and start date factually; references touching on University governance are handled under the Unofficial History Zone rules and are not expanded upon here.

# 3. Undergraduate Flagship: The MBBS

The Faculty’s flagship undergraduate programme is the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)^※.

The curriculum is framed by a student-centred, system-based and problem-based learning approach^※, covering four broad domains of learning: (1) human biology across the stages of health and disease; (2) professional skills (diagnosis, problem-solving, communication, clinical management); (3) population health, health services, economics, and policy; (4) medical ethics, professional attitudes, and conduct^※.

The programme includes an Enrichment Year: students may use one year to pursue study locally or overseas, including research projects, overseas exchanges, humanitarian work, community service, and electives^※. There is also a Distinguished MedScholar track for students who excel academically and at interview^※.

Historically, the very first MBBS degree was awarded as early as 1914 to George Harold Thomas^※ (see the chronology in Part 1); the General Medical Council (GMC) of the United Kingdom granted recognition to HKU medicine in 1913^※ — that international recognition is the institutional basis that long allowed HKU medical graduates to practise within the Commonwealth system.

# 4. The 2005–2006 Naming: What Happened

The Faculty’s full current name, “Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine,” originates from a naming exercise in 2005–2006. As a 00–12 Reference Zone entry, this account states only the factual sequence; the associated debates and positions of various parties fall under University governance narratives, and the full thread is routed to this site’s Unofficial History Zone (13/15). Here we merely record the facts side by side.

Donation and resolution (2005): According to HKU’s official press release of 18 May 2005^※, “following news that broke two weeks ago about HKU receiving a HK$1 billion pledge from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, the University announced today (18 May) that its Council, at a meeting this morning, formally accepted the donation” and unanimously resolved to propose to the donor that the Faculty of Medicine be named the “Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine”^※. The release stated that the decision had the support of the Faculty and the Senate^※.

Formally effective (2006): According to the English Wikipedia entry on the LKS Faculty of Medicine^※, the Faculty was formally renamed on 1 January 2006. According to a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report^※, the HKU Faculty of Medicine adopted its new name in a “quiet” fashion over the New Year, including changing letterhead and staff business cards and erecting a new signboard outside the Faculty building on Sassoon Road.

On the controversy: According to the SCMP report^※ and accounts from multiple sources, the naming decision provoked opposition among Faculty alumni and some teaching staff. A Legislative Councillor and a group of medical graduates initiated actions in opposition, arguing that the naming touched upon the Faculty’s historical identity. As a reference entry, this site does not adjudicate the rights and wrongs of that controversy; its complete timeline, the positions of various parties, and subsequent repercussions are covered in the relevant Unofficial History Zone articles (University governance 13 / Campus lore 15). Here we record only the single fact — attested by reliable sources — that the naming itself once gave rise to controversy.

# 5. Unverified / To Be Checked

• Complete list of departments under the five Schools: For departments not incorporated into the formal five-school structure, such as the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, the definitive list is the Faculty’s official organisational chart.
• Complete timeline and named participants in the naming controversy: This article records only the fact that “the naming once gave rise to controversy”; the full thread is routed to the Unofficial History Zone (13/15).
• Complete list of past Deans: This article records only the current Dean (the 41st); for a full list, the HKU Calendar is the authoritative source.

# 6. Cross-references

• The 1887 Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese and Sun Yat-sen’s student years: li-ka-shing-faculty-of-medicine-1.md (Part 1)
• Teaching hospitals (Queen Mary Hospital and others), HKU–Hospital Authority clinical relationship, HKU-Shenzhen Hospital: ./teaching-hospitals.md
• Research and clinical strengths of individual departments (liver transplant, infectious diseases, oncology, etc.): ./departments-and-strengths.md
• Faculty of Dentistry (the only one in Hong Kong) and Prince Philip Dental Hospital: ./faculty-of-dentistry.md
• School of Public Health, School of Chinese Medicine, School of Nursing, Biomedical Sciences: ./school-of-public-health-and-chinese-medicine.md
• Subject rankings (Medicine / Life Sciences): ../03-rankings/