Li became founding dean of the new School of Medicine at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on June 1, the university announced. He had led the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which the university calls the world's first engineering-based medical school, from its creation until his retirement.
His appointment followed a global search that drew more than 100 candidates from 10 countries and territories across North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, said Edith Shih, vice-chairwoman of HKUST's council, who chaired the search committee.
Speaking at the announcement, Li said HKUST president Nancy Ip Yuk-yu had approached him with an offer he could not refuse, despite never having considered returning to Hong Kong. He said the opportunity was larger than what he had built in the U.S. because, in his words, China had "decided to head in this direction" on technology-driven medicine.
Ip called the founding dean's responsibilities "monumental," saying Li was among the few people worldwide to have built a medical school from the ground up.
The hire signals how aggressively Hong Kong is spending to build world-class medical training. HKUST has committed more than HK$7 billion over 25 years to the school, the third in the city after those at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported.
