e-Bulletin August 2025

Hosting two dozen leaders from the National Health Commission in Hong Kong for three weeks this July and August was an honour that our School lived up to. There were so many details to attend to with visiting VIPs flying, driving, and Zooming into HKU. Our teaching team thoughtfully designed these activities to foster discussions, so that our “one country, two systems” learning community could engage in meaningful sharing.

This small space cannot do justice to the breadth of the exchange. A very important observation was the blurred boundary between who was the learner and who was the teacher. Everyone was called to be both. Insights gained from years spent problem-solving in China’s healthcare system intersected with insights from research, giving new meaning to the word “uni-versity”. Common issues faced by everyone included daily battles against fragmentation that occur because individuals work towards their own ends. Great ideas to achieve alignment were just as likely to come from the visiting leaders as from the teachers.

Our hardworking staff who pulled this off showed grit and resilience. Yes, it was worth it. We did more than wave a flag for Hong Kong and for HKU—we became our best selves, enlarged by our openness to new ideas from new partners.

Professor David Bishai
Director and Clinical Professor
School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong