Dr. Eng-kiong YEOH

Professor Yeoh is Professor of Public Health, Head of Division of Health System, Policy and Management, and Director of Centre for Health Systems and Policy Research at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care (School) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He was Director of the School from 2014-2020. His research is in health systems, services and policy with an interest in applying systems thinking in studying how the complex components of health systems interact and interrelate to improve health. He was recently commissioned by the government to study how to better integrate health care in Hong Kong’s health system for older people with chronic disease and end-of-life care
for persons with life-threatening illness and evaluate the pilot of the recommended service models. A current research interest is the development and evaluation of an innovative district health system in Hong Kong. He is a member of the Research Council of Our Hong Kong Foundation and led 2 health policy research projects for the Foundation,
namely An Investment for the Celebration of Aging, and Fit for Purpose: A Health Syste for the 21st Century, and also a member of Advisory Committee for a multi-sectoral Endof- Life Community Care Project in Hong Kong.

He is also involved in collaborative work with research networks such as the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities and Asia Pacific Network for Health Systems Strengthening (ANHSS) in studies on health systems and training for policy. He was Chairman of the ANHSS from July 2009 – June 2014, and serves as Cluster Leader for the Knowledge Events. He also supports the work in health system of the Western Pacific Region of World Health Organisation undertaking commissioned research and as Temporary Advisor. He was President of the International
Hospital Federation and has been a member of the International Advisory Board of the National University of Singapore Initiative to improve health in Asia, which seeks to contribute to thinking and policy formulation in public health & health systems development in Asia.

Prior to joining The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Yeoh was Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region between 1999 and 2004. As Secretary, he establishedsystems in health care delivery, financing and quality assurance for a vision of “a lifelong investment in health.” From 1990 – 1999, Professor Yeoh was head & the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority with the responsibility of the management and transformation of the public hospital system. The greatest impact of Professor Yeoh’s work as Chief Executive was in transforming the entire public system into one which embraced new values of being patient-centred, a focus on outcomes, an emphasis on quality and initiative in clinical governance.