15 | Our Doctors
Dr Brian Chung
Touched by gratefulness
Dr. Brian Chung is currently an associate professor in HKU and one of the first fellows in clinical genetics in Hong Kong. However, it was only after completing his medical degree did Dr. Chung’s passion for rare diseases flourished. Having worked with rare disease patients for years, Dr Chung says he was most touched by the gratefulness and support this special patient group alrealys shows.
His proudest moment
The proudest moment for Dr. Chung was when his genomics team led the discovery of a new rare disease — MN1 c-terminal truncation syndrome. Not only was it the first time an Asian genomics team led the discovery of a new rare disease, it was also a deeply emotional moment for Dr. Chung, since he could finally give his patient the answer he could not give for the past 10 years.
About Dr Chung
Occupation
Associate Professor of Pediatrics at HKU
Clinical Interest
Genetics & Genomics
Involvement with Rare Disease
One of the first founding fellows of clinical genetics in HK
Finally after 10 years, I was able to diagnose one of my rare disease patients. I no longer owe that patient an answer. That was my happiest and most satisfying moment as a doctor."
From bedside to policy
Dr. Chung finds it very encouraging to see expertise develop in genetics and genomics, an emerging field often overlooked. With his passion in rare diseases, other than playing a part in research and diagnosis of rare diseases, Dr. Chung also has a budding interest in healthcare economics. Ultimately, he hopes to provide comprehensive evidence for the evaluation of the healthcare burden of rare diseases, from the perspectives of clinical utility to healthcare economics. This would help urge the government to give rare disease patients the attention and resources they deserve. Despite his dedication, Dr Chung refuses to take full credit of his research achievements, instead attributing the success to the immense support from rare disease patient groups. Besides, he is also grateful for Rare Disease Hong Kong (RDHK) for building the network of rare disease patients, centralising data for easier collection and more sophisticated analysis, and allowing more effective communication of information and knowledge.
A bright future
With patients and doctors working hand-in-hand and coming closer together more than ever, Dr. Chung firmly believes that there is immense potential for the future development of rare diseases expertise. No matter what field future medical students and doctors end up in, Dr Chung hopes that they can retain the passion they once had, no matter when facing normal patients, or rare diseases.