Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation Professorship in Surgery

Professor Albert Chan is the Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation Professor in Surgery.  He is the Director of the Liver Transplant Center at Queen Mary Hospital, Co-Chief of Division of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery, and the Deputy Chairperson of the Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong. 

As a liver transplant/surgical clinician-scientist, his research interests centred on novel strategy, or technology for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).  Notably, he performed the first Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation (ALPPS) in Hong Kong in 2013, and the world first pediatric ALPPS for hepatoblastoma in the same year, as well as having co-edited the first book on ALPPS in China.  In 2017, he coined the idea of combining SBRT with immunotherapy for downstaging locally advanced HCC, and later founded the first phase II clinical trial ‘START-FIT’ in 2019.  The findings of this study was published in Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2023, and was later adopted in the Clinical Practice Guideline for Primary Liver Cancer 2024 & 2026 edition issued by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China.  Last but not least, he started a novel ultrasonic ablative treatment termed ‘Histotripsy’, the first in Asia in 2024.  To date, he has applied such treatment modality to over 150 patients, one of the largest series for malignant liver tumours.

Professor Chan served as the President of the Asian Surgical Association from 2015 to 2017 and as the Chairman of the Vanguard Committee at the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS) from 2019 to 2021. He held various positions in committees at the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) and the Asia-Pacific Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (A-PHPBA) including the Scientific Committee, Research Committee, Education and Training Committee, and Publication and Communication Committee. Currently, he is a member-at-large at the International Society of Liver Surgeons (ISLS), and has recently been elected to be an Honorary Member of the European Surgical Association (ESA).

As an academic scholar, Professor Chan was ranked the World’s Top 2% scientists by Stanford University in 2024 and was awarded the Dr. Abdol and Mrs. Joan Islami International Guest Scholar by the American College of Surgeons in 2018.  His innovative work in liver cancer has rewarded him with a series of accolades including the IHH Medical Excellence Award, Hospital Authority Outstanding Team Award 2026, Special Grand Prize awarded by the delegate of Malaysia, as well as Silver Medal at the 49th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions. 

He has authored 8 book chapters and published over 300 peer-reviewed articles with some notable publications in esteemed journals such as Lancet Oncology, Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, JAMA Oncology and Annals of Surgery. He served on the editorial boards of Annals of Surgery and Hepatobiliary and Surgical Nutrition. Throughout his career, he has successfully secured a series of grants from the RAISE+, RGC, mainland funding agencies, and industry support for over $10 million USD.