Professor Richard Yu Yue Hong graduated from HKU with an MBBS degree in 1958, after which he completed his clinical training at Queen Mary Hospital and his research at University College Hospital, London, where he was awarded a PhD in 1966. Returning to HKU, he then held the posts of Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine, and completed his MD degree in 1972. Professor Yu went into private practice in 1973, but continued to teach in the Department as Honorary Clinical Lecturer and later as Honorary Clinical Associate Professor.
Professor Yu is currently Honorary Professor of the Department of Medicine at HKU, and of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; he is also an Honorary Consultant Physician at the Ruttonjee and Princess Margaret Hospitals.
Professor Yu is a Fellow of the College of Physicians in Hong Kong, the three Royal Colleges of Physicians in UK and Australia, and of the Academies of Medicine of Hong Kong and Singapore. He was the Founding Honorary Secretary of the Hong Kong College of Physicians (1986-1995), its Vice-President for Education (1993-1995), and then its President (1998-2004). He has served as a member of the Hospital Governing Committee of the Ruttonjee and Tang Shiu Kin Hospitals (1992-2002), and the Queen Mary Hospital and Tsan Yuk Hospital (since 2003).
Just as the Hong Kong College of Physicians continues to benefit from Professor Yu's wise counsel, so indeed does Hong Kong society as a whole, as he persists in his lifelong quest to raise the quality of medical education, hospital services and the medical sector overall. At present, he is the Chairman of the Higher Physician Training Committee, leading a revision exercise to implement changes in the Annual and Exit Examination for Higher Physician Trainees to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability.
In recognition of his contributions to medicine and the community, the University has resolved to confer upon Professor Richard Yu Yue Hong the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa.
