Ho Hung Chiu Lecture

Prof. John Ho Hung Chiu was born on 6 July 1916 in Hong Kong. He completed his secondary education in St. Joseph's College and then studied medicine at the University of Hong Kong. He obtained his medical degree in 1940. After graduation he served in the army in China during the Pacific War from 1941-45. He returned to Hong Kong after the war and was in charge of the Lai Chi Kok Infectious Disease Hospital at the time when there were several epidemic outbreaks. Prof. Ho then went to Manchester and London. He obtained the MRCP in 1947 while under training in radiology. He was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1963. His mentors in therapeutic radiology included Sir Brian Windeyer and Ralston Paterson. Prof. Ho is the only radiologist who obtained the double qualifications in diagnostic and therapeutic radiology conferred by the Royal College of Radiologists.

Prof. Ho returned to Hong Kong in 1949 and formed the Institute of Radiology & Oncology (IRO) in 1950. In addition to holding the directorship of IRO since its inception, Prof. Ho also held the post of Consultant in-charge of the entire radiology service of the territory until his retirement in 1986. Prof. Ho was affectionately known as the "Emperor Ho" for laying the very foundation upon which the present achievements in Radiology and Clinical Oncology in Hong Kong have been realized.

His academic achievements are immense. He delivered the 32nd Skinner Lecture to the Royal College of Radiologists in 1967; has awarded the First Patrick Manson Gold Medal for his MD thesis on nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 1974; delivered the 6th Digby Memorial lecture in 1974; delivered the 1st del Regato Foundation Lecture in 1977; delivered the 5th Annual Lecture to the Gilbert H. Fletcher Society in 1980; conferred by HM Queen Elizabeth II the CBE in 1985; awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the UICC in 1990; delivered the first Werner Henle's Memorial Lecture in 1996. He was the author of numerous textbooks and had published more than 150 original papers in most of the referred journals. He was also elected Honorary Fellow of the American and Canadian Colleges of Radiology.

For having achieved so much and served Hong Kong so well in the fields of Diagnostic Radiology and Clinical Oncology services, the Hong Kong College of Radiologists pays tribute to this great and legendary figure by establishing a lecture named after him.