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Biography
Dr FAN has been the Under Secretary for Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) since 14 July 2025. She served as the Consultant Family Medicine (Elderly Health Service) of the Department of Health (DH) before the current position.
As a specialist in Family Medicine, Dr FAN had been the Head of Professional Development and Quality Assurance Service of the DH since 2014. Apart from administering the operation of family medicine clinics and elderly health centres, as well as professional training, she took part in coordinating medical posts at quarantine centres during multiple epidemics, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome, human swine influenza and coronavirus disease 2019, demonstrating extensive experience in public health management.
In 2023, Dr FAN led the DH’s medical team to join the search and rescue team deployed by the HKSAR Government in the frontline search and rescue work at the quake-stricken areas in Türkiye. She was recognised with the National Outstanding Individuals in the Foreign Medical Aid commendation by the National Health Commission.
Universal Healthcare in Hong Kong – Dual Track System
Biography
Prof. Peter P. Yuen is Dean of the College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He is also Professor of PolyU’s Department of Management and Marketing. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Master in Business Administration degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Health Economics from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Prior to his appointment as Dean of CPCE, Prof. Yuen held a number of management positions at PolyU, including Associate Vice-President (Management), Director of the Public Policy Research Institute, and Head of the Department of Management. He was also the founding Director of the Doctor of Business Administration programme in the Faculty of Business.
Prof. Yuen’s research mainly focuses on public policy formulation and evaluation, and health services management. He is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Public Administration and Policy and an Editorial Committee member of Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management. He was also a consultant for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Bauhinia Foundation on a number of public policy related projects including the West Kowloon Cultural District, Sustainable Built Environment, Subsidised Homeownership, Managed Care in Hong Kong, and Health Systems Reform.
Prof. Yuen is currently the immediate Past Chairman of the Federation for Self-financing Tertiary Education (Hong Kong). He has served as a member of the HKSAR Government Manpower Development Committee, Health and Medical Development Advisory Committee, and the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education. He is a founding Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Health Services Executives, and an Honorary Fellow of the Australian College of Health Services Management. He once served as Vice-President of the Chinese National Institute of Health Care Management Education, and President of the Hong Kong Public Administration Association.
Abstract
TBC.
Tradeoffs and Strategies in the Quadruple Aim: Lessons from Hong Kong’s Health System
Biography
Professor David Bishai is a Clinical Professor in Public Health at the School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong. He served as Director of the School from 2023 to 2026. Prior to joining HKU, Professor Bishai had served as Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 27 years and served in the government as a health officer for the state of Maryland in 2021.
As a world-renowned educator, researcher, and practitioner, Professor Bishai has made lasting contributions to scholarship. A leading health economist, his research focuses on the performance and financing of global public health activities, primary healthcare, vaccines, and health disparities. He is the author of two books and more than 260 peer-reviewed scientific publications, and has raised USD50 million in grant support from NIH, CDC, World Bank, WHO, ADB and foundations. His award-winning courses on systems thinking and health economics have reached over forty-thousand students. As President of the International Health Economics Association, he helped to establish a global mentoring network for early career researchers. During his government service, he used local evidence to eradicate racial gaps in COVID vaccination.
Professor Bishai maintains certification by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard in Philosophy and Physics, his Masters in Public Health from the University of California at Los Angeles, his Medical Doctorate from the University of California at San Diego, and his Doctor of Philosophy from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Abstract
Hong Kong's health system ranks among the highest globally in life expectancy, yet allocates only 6% of GDP to health expenditure. Despite these achievements, residents face substantial financial barriers to outpatient care, and the public hospital workforce operates under considerable strain. This paradox reflects the inherent tensions of the Quadruple Aim — improving population health, enhancing patient experience, containing costs, and supporting provider well-being — whose objectives do not naturally converge. Evidence from Hong Kong demonstrates that upstream investments, particularly in tobacco control and preventive care, generate virtuous cycles in which health gains and cost efficiency are mutually reinforcing. Conversely, sustained fiscal restraint has contributed to physician undersupply, prolonged waiting times, and elevated rates of provider burnout. Ongoing reforms — including the Primary Healthcare Blueprint, District Health Centres, and public-private partnerships — represent strategic efforts to restore systemic alignment. Hong Kong's trajectory offers transferable lessons for high-income health systems navigating analogous trade-offs.
Universal Healthcare in Chinese Mainland (To be confirmed)
Biography
Gordon G. Liu, Peking University BOYA Distinguished Professor of Economics, Dean of Peking University Institute for Global Health and Development, a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Medicine, and Director of PKU China Center for Health Economic Research. He has served numerus distinguished roles in professional services, including the chair of the Academic Committee for PKU Educational Economics; co-organizer of the “US-China Track II Dialogue on Health”, associate editor for academic journals of Value in Health (2001-2012), Health Economics (2013 -); China Economic Quarterly (2013-2017), and the Editor-in-Chief for China Journal of Pharmaceutical Economics (2006 -). Prior to joining Peking University National School of Development, he was on fulltime faculty at University of Southern California, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Peking University Guanghua School of Management.
Abstract
TBC.
Challenges of Thai UHC after 20 years
Biography
Dr Somsak Chunharas formerly served as Deputy Minister of Health for Thailand and is currently President of National Health Foundation in Thailand, an NGO promoting and coordinating evidence-based health policy and system development. Throughout his career in the ministry of health, Dr. Chunharas directed several offices of the Ministry of Public Health, focusing on international health, health policy and system development, international collaboration, health manpower development, and the Bureau of Health Policy and Strategies. He was the founding director of the Health System Research Institute. Dr. Chunharas also pioneered a team working on health economics and health financing capacity building which led to various health reform initiatives over the last 30 years, such as a health promotion fund and the development of the Thai universal health care system. He was recently a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2017.
Abstract
TBC.
Universal Health Coverage: Perspectives from Policy, Health Economics, and Quality of Care
Biography
Prof. Hasegawa is a Professor and Chair of the Division of Health Policy and Health Service Research Department of Social Medicine at the Toho University School of Medicine of Japan. He had his medical education at the Tokyo University School of Medicine, where he also received his Doctor of Philosophy. He was previously a Resident at the Tokyo University Hospital in Internal Medicine.
He is a member of the Japanese Society of Public Health, Japanese Society of Hygiene, Japanese Society of Transplantation, Japanese Society of Hospital Administration, and Japanese Society of Healthcare Management. He also holds membership of the following specialist councils or committees: Ministry of Labour, Health and Welfare, Committee on Disclosure of Healthcare Information, Committee on the Administration of Healthcare Organisations, Cabinet Office Council for Regulatory Reform, Office for the Promotion of Regulatory Reform and Private Finance Initiative, Japan Council for Quality in Health Care Center for Medical Accident Prevention (vice-chair).
Prof. Hasegawa’s research background includes health policy, health economics, and quality assessment of health care.
Abstract
East Asian countries are commonly facing the dual challenges of population aging and declining birth rates. In Japan, both the number and proportion of older adults are projected to increase until around 2040, when the second baby-boomer generation reaches old age, after which they are expected to stabilize.
In an aging society, it is unrealistic for all regions to uniformly achieve nationally defined standards. Rather, each region should identify its priority health issues, build consensus on these priorities, and develop and monitor context-specific action plans. Establishing a robust information infrastructure and fostering human resources to support these processes have become urgent policy priorities.
One common issue that should be addressed across all regions is emergency care for older adults. In many cases, elderly patients presenting to emergency departments have relatively mild conditions. Without appropriate gatekeeping, this places excessive strain on tertiary emergency care centers. Furthermore, insufficient coordination with home-based care and long-term care facilities often results in unnecessarily prolonged stays in emergency departments, leading to functional bottlenecks. Because older adults frequently receive care from multiple providers, standardization of medical information and the development of interoperable data systems are essential.
To date, Japan’s health policy has focused on expanding healthcare delivery capacity to meet increasing demand, particularly by ensuring sufficient numbers of healthcare professionals across occupations. However, such an approach is no longer sustainable. Reform of the healthcare delivery system is unavoidable. Looking toward 2040, the key will be to recognize the healthcare workforce as the primary limiting factor and to identify the optimal mix of services deliverable within this constraint. Traditionally, staffing standards have been used to ensure the quality of care; however, with the advancement of digital technologies, including eHealth and digital transformation (DX), there is a growing trend toward greater flexibility in staffing requirements. The promotion of these technologies should be further accelerated in this context.
This presentation will examine the sustainability of Japan’s universal health coverage system, with a particular focus on human resources and community-based healthcare.
Universal Healthcare in China – Recent Reforms in Greater Bay Area
Biography
MD, Ph.D., Professor, Doctoral Supervisor. Currently serving as Vice President of Guangzhou Medical University. A core member of the third batch of Huang Danian-style teacher teams nationwide. Director of the Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Guangdong Universities for "Health Governance Based on Big Data Utilization". Outstanding Talent in Medical and Health Care (General Practice) of Guangzhou. Visiting scholar at the University of Wales in the UK, and the University of Maryland in the USA. He has long been engaged in teaching and scientific research in forensic medicine and general practice, as well as health management and related research. He has published more than 100 papers in domestic and foreign journals such as Cell Reports and Cell & Bioscience. He has edited 8 textbooks and works, and also has participated in compiling more than 20 other works on general practice, primary care, public health and forensic medicine. He has won 5 scientific and technological awards including the First Prize of Guangdong Province Science and Technology Progress Award, and six teaching awards including the Second National Award for Textbook Construction (Second Prize for Excellent Textbooks) and the First Prize of Guangdong Provincial Teaching Achievement Award.
Abstract
TBC.
Universal Healthcare in South Korea – Lessons for the Asia-Pacific Region
Biography
Prof. Dongwoon HAN, MD, MPH, PhD (in health service management) is a Professor at College of Medicine, Hanyang University, College of Medicine, and the Chairperson of Global Health and Development. He was also a chairperson of both the Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, and the Department of Medical Administration at Graduate School of Public Policy. He is also currently the Director of Institute of Health Services Management, Hanyang University. He received a bachelor’s degree in medicine from College of Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, master’s degree (MPH) from Seoul National University, Graduate School of Public Health, and a doctoral degree from The University of Birmingham (UK). Prof. Han was a member of WHO working group for various health related topics including traditional medicine. For many years, he has worked as short-term consultant at many developing countries, Vietnam, Nepal, Cambodia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Peru, Honduras and so on. In his country, he has advised national and local governments on health promotion, health planning, and Official Development Assistant (in Health). Since 2004, he has been working to establish a public health programme using traditional Korean medicine in public health care system. Prof. Han is serving as Director of the National Traditional Korean Medicine Research and Development Centre. From 2010 to 2012, he had also directed a research team on the evaluation of Korean Case Payment System (KCPC) funded by the Health Insurance Review Agency (HIRA).
Abstract
TBC.
The Role and Implication of Insurance in UHC
Biography
Professor Hui Zhang is Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University of China. Her research interests are health policy evaluation, health insurance reform, economic burden of diseases, and telemedicine evaluation. She is now the member of Health Insurance Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Health Economics; the member of Health Services Management Division of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association; and the member of Guangdong Province Society of Health Economics. She has got more than 10 grants including the National Natural Science Foundation of China; the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province; China Medical Board Open Competition Research Project, and published more than 30 international and domestic journals such as Social Science & Medicine, BMC Health Services Research.
Abstract
TBC.
Universal Health Coverage Challenges Across the Region: An Australian Primary Care Case Study
Biography
Professor Zhanming Liang is an internationally recognised scholar and academic leader specialising in health management competency, digital health workforce development, and health systems leadership. She is Associate Dean (Research Education) and Academic Head (Governance, Management and Tourism) in the College of Business, Law and Governance at James Cook University. Her research has established foundational models and globally validated frameworks, including the widely adopted Management Competency Assessment Program (MCAP) tool, with strong translational impact across diverse health systems.
Professor Liang has an extensive publication record and leads major national and international workforce development initiatives, most notably the Commonwealth-funded National Commissioning Training Program, which integrates contemporary theory, empirical evidence, and practice-based learning. She brings a distinctive career spanning clinical practice, senior health service management, and academia, enabling her to bridge research, policy, and practice. Her sustained international leadership is reflected in long-standing multidisciplinary collaborations, doctoral supervision across multiple countries, editorial roles in leading journals, and her service as President of the Society for Health Administration Programs in Education (SHAPE).
Abstract
Universal health coverage is often framed primarily as a question of insurance and entitlement; however, the Australian experience suggests that the more demanding challenge emerges after coverage is achieved - sustaining a primary care system that remains affordable, accessible, coordinated, and equitable. Australia has achieved notable success through long-standing Medicare coverage, a strong general practice foundation, and high levels of public trust in primary care, yet persistent challenges remain, including rising out-of-pocket costs, workforce shortages and geographic maldistribution, fragmented federal-state responsibilities, and a predominantly episodic model of care. These pressures disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people living with chronic illness, and populations in rural and remote areas.
This presentation uses Australia as a case study to examine both the strengths and the limitations of a mature universal health coverage system and provides a brief Asia-Pacific comparison situates Australia within a broader regional context in which the performance of universal health coverage increasingly depends on financing design, workforce capacity, service integration, and system resilience. Australia illustrates that the next phase of universal health coverage lies not only in sustaining entitlement, but in strengthening primary care so that coverage is translated into equitable care in practice.
Building a Resilient Healthcare System in Singapore
Biography
Dr Sabrina Luk is Assistant Professor in School of Social Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She was the leading contributor to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) report on Evolution of Science, Technology and Innovation Policies for Sustainable Development: The Experiences of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore. Dr Luk's work on ageing and long-term care in Asia has attracted media attention. She has been interviewed by journalists to explain ageing population in China and Singapore.
Abstract
TBC.
Associate Professor Dr Jukkrit WUNGRATH
Primary Health Care (PHC) - Part of the UHC in Thailand
Biography
Dr Jukkrit Wungrath is a distinguished academic and researcher currently serving as the Associate Professor, ASEAN Institute for Health Development (AIHD), Mahidol University, Thailand. He was the Head of the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Public Health, Chiang Mai University. Dr Wungrath's primary areas of research expertise include vulnerable populations health, ethnic minority health, maternal and child health, and community nutrition.
Abstract
TBC.