An eminent clinical scientist born in Hong Kong has returned to the city to lead its third medical school after serving as a founding dean of medicine in the United States, vowing to nurture future leaders of the “healthcare revolution”.

King Li King-chuen, dean emeritus of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI Med), on Monday assumed the role of dean of medicine at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

“Using technology and innovation to transform and revolutionise healthcare delivery is [urgently needed] and something I’ve done before. Looking back on my experience at UIUC [University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign], I see that the opportunity here is actually larger because we have an entire country that has decided to head in this direction,” he said.

“We want our students to distinguish themselves. Every graduate from this new medical school will function very well in the clinical setting, and this is not the only mission we have for them. We want them to be leading the revolution in healthcare delivery.”

Li was selected from a pool of more than 100 candidates across 10 countries and regions in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Edith Shih, vice-chairwoman of HKUST’s council, said.