Explore the history of the Academy to learn more about the story of the Academy and our developments
1968
July 1968
The idea of introducing specialist registration in Hong Kong was first considered by the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK).
1986
October 1986
The Government established a Working Party on Postgraduate Medical Education and Training under the chairmanship of Dr. Keith Halnan.
1989
October 1989
On 13 October 1989, approval was given by the Governor for the appointment of Prof. Sir David Todd as Chairman of the Preparatory Committee.
1990
March 1990
The Preparatory Committee, comprising 21 members nominated by the relevant medical bodies and appointed by the Governor, held its first meeting.
1992
March 1992
The Preparatory Committee had its last meeting on 26 March 1992 and confirmed the final design of the Academy emblem.
1992
June 1992
On 25 June 1992, the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 419), compiled by the Preparatory Committee, was enacted by the Legislative Council.
1992
August 1992
The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Ordinance (Cap. 419) came into effect on 1 August 1992. An Interim Council was formally established, comprising six Officers and the Presidents of 12 designated Academy Colleges.
The Interim Council formally admitted 12 Academy Colleges:
The Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists
Hong Kong College of Community Medicine
The College of Dental Surgeons of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong College of General Practitioners (subsequently renamed as The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians)
The Hong Kong College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists
The Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Hong Kong College of Paediatricians
The Hong Kong College of Pathologists
Hong Kong College of Physicians
The Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists
Hong Kong College of Radiologists
The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong
(Two Faculties, Ophthalmologists and Otorhinolaryngologists, were also admitted under The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong by the Interim Council.)
The Interim Council formally admitted 12 Academy Colleges:
The Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists
Hong Kong College of Community Medicine
The College of Dental Surgeons of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong College of General Practitioners (subsequently renamed as The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians)
The Hong Kong College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists
The Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Hong Kong College of Paediatricians
The Hong Kong College of Pathologists
Hong Kong College of Physicians
The Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists
Hong Kong College of Radiologists
The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong
(Two Faculties, Ophthalmologists and Otorhinolaryngologists, were also admitted under The College of Surgeons of Hong Kong by the Interim Council.)
1993
January 1993
The Academy was finally notified on 15 January 1993 that the Department of Health would offer a site in Wong Chuk Hang to the Academy after much difficulty in finding a suitable site for the future headquarters.
1993
May 1993
On 21 May 1993, the Interim Council agreed on a dark green base with silver trim as the appropriate colour combination for the academic gown of the Academy.
1993
September 1993
The Academy Secretariat moved into the Multicentre Block A of the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, generously provided by the Hospital Authority as a temporary headquarters until the Wong Chuk Hang site was ready.
1993
October 1993
On 20 October 1993, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust confirmed a grant of HK$165 million on condition that the building would be named after the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
1993
December 1993
The Academy’s inaugural ceremony was held on 9 December 1993 and was officiated by the Governor, the Rt. Hon. Mr. Christopher Patten. The ceremony was attended by over 167 overseas dignitaries during which over 2,000 Fellows were admitted in accordance with the admission criteria set by the Interim Council.
1994
July 1994
The interim period officially ended on 19 July 1994 when the first Annual General Meeting was held, at which Prof. Sir David Todd was elected the first President of the Academy. The meeting was held in conjunction with the first Academy’s Fellowship Conferment Ceremony
1995
March 1995
On 23 March 1995, the land grant was formally executed. The Academy took over the site in Wong Chuk Hang.
1995
March 1995
The Hong Kong Medical Journal, a joint publication of the Academy and the Hong Kong Medical Association, was first published.
1995
October 1995
On 2 October 1995, the Academy admitted another two new Academy Colleges: the College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong College of Otorhinolaryngologists.
1997
January 1997
The Academy admitted another new College, the Hong Kong College of Emergency Medicine, increasing the total number of Academy Colleges to 15.
1997
May 1997
The Academy’s Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony was held on 20 May 1997 and officiated by the Academy’s President, Prof. Sir David Todd and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr. Chung-hin Wong.
1998
October 1998
Construction of the Academy Building was completed on 1 October 1998. The Academy and College secretariats moved in.
1998
November 1998
The grand opening of the Academy Building was officiated by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hon. Chee-hwa Tung on 26 November 1998. The Academy also held its first International Congress on the same day.
2000
April 2000
The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Jockey Club Building was awarded the 1999 Certificate of Merit by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.
2004
October 2004
On 8 October 2004, the Academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Health of the Macao SAR Government to provide assistance in accreditation assessment for specialists.
2005
April 2005
An 18-person delegation of the Academy visited Beijing in April 2005. The Academy delegation had fruitful discussion and exchanged views with these organisations on various topics including specialist registration system, exchange programmes on training and continuing medical education.
2006
April 2006
On 14 April 2006, the Academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health for collaboration on specialist training, accreditation and registration in the Mainland.
2007
December 2007
The Academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Society of Medicine for reciprocal use of facilities by members of both organisations.
2009
March 2009
On 10 March 2009, the Academy signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM) and the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (AMS), seeking to consolidate and strengthen links amongst the three academies in form and substance of the AMM-AMS-HKAM Tripartite Congress of Medicine. The Tripartite Congress would be held every 3 years, to be hosted by the three academies by rotation.
2010
November 2010
The first AMM-AMS-HKAM Tripartite Congress was held at the Academy Building on 12 November 2010.
2013
July 2013
In July 2013, the Academy signed an agreement with the Center of Medical Simulation, seeking to promote patient safety, medical education, and research using simulation in Hong Kong.
2013
December 2013
The Academy’s Hong Kong Jockey Club Innovative Learning Centre for Medicine was officially opened on 10 December 2013.
2014
August 2014
The Academy’s Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute was officially established on 20 August 2014. The funded project was concluded in October 2022 (Click here for the archived website).
2015
October 2015
On 31 October 2015, the Academy renewed the Memorandum of Understanding with the National Health and Family Planning Commission to extend and continue the collaboration in training of general practitioners and medical specialists for the establishment of “Standardisation of General / Specialist Medical Training” in the Mainland.
2018
December 2018
The Academy celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 2018 with the slogan “Medical Excellence for a Healthy Future”, which conveys our mission to upholding medical professionalism and nurturing young leaders for better healthcare. A series of activities were organised throughout the year, including the finale Anniversary Congress titled “Beyond 25: New Paradigms in Healthcare”, at which local and international healthcare leaders and experts gathered at the Academy Building to share and exchange knowledge and experiences.
2019
July 2019
With support from the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, the Academy and the Shenzhen Medical Doctor Association formally established the SZ-HK Medical Specialist Training Centre on 2 July 2019. The Centre is housed in the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in Shenzhen, China.
2019
October 2019
The Academy promulgated a Well-being Charter to promote well-being of Fellows and specialist trainees. Various well-being enhancement projects such as a Peer Support Scheme, mindfulness workshops, and gardening programme, have since been organised to realise the commitment.
2020
September 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Academy established a "COVID-19 Corner" on its website , and helped train over 1,800 healthcare practitioners to support the Government’s Universal Community Testing Programme in 2020.
2021
February 2021
The Academy provided online training to over 12,000 healthcare professionals for the Government's COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
2021
June 2021
The Academy formed a Task Force to kick off the works on the development of a Learning Management System (LMS), an online platform to provide e-Learning resources and virtual learning experience in response to the demand for new forms of education and training. The system was completed and implemented in October 2022.
2023
December 2023
The Academy celebrated its Pearl Jubilee throughout the year with the slogan “Nurturing Specialists for 30 Years: Guarding the Health of the Community”, which conveys its mission to guarding the health of Hong Kong society by nurturing generations of medical and dental specialists across different specialties. Educational, social, sports-related, as well as commemorative activities were organised, including the Pearl Jubilee Gala Dinner that were graced by many honorable guests, as well as local and international healthcare leaders and counterparts.