Professor Anna Kwan Hiu Yee, Director and Associate Professor in the Teaching and Research Division at the School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), has been appointed as Vincent V.C. Woo Endowed Associate Professor in Chinese Medicine in late 2025. This endowed professorship was established through the generous support of the Vincent and Lily Woo Foundation, with the aim of advancing the development and internationalisation of Chinese medicine research at HKBU and further elevating the status of Chinese medicine within modern medicine. 

Professor Kwan joined HKBU in 2010 and has since devoted her career to translational research in nutritional sciences and obesity-associated diseases, with particular focus on investigating the therapeutic potential of herbal extracts and bioactive compounds with anti-obesity effects. She actively collaborates with experts from diverse scientific disciplines in Hong Kong and abroad, integrating the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine with modern biomedical technologies to develop natural and non-toxic herbal health supplements that embody the philosophy of “medicine and food homology”. These efforts provide novel therapeutic strategies for weight management and obesity-related comorbidities. 

Professor Kwan has achieved outstanding success in translational research, with more than 120 peer-reviewed publications to her name. In 2019, she received the HKBU School Performance Award for Young Researcher, and in 2020, she was awarded the Second Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award. Her academic achievements have also gained international recognition. In 2024 and 2025, she was ranked among the top 2% of the world’s most-cited scientists by Stanford University. 

Additionally, Professor Kwan has successfully secured numerous competitive research grants from both internal and external sources, including support from the Chinese Medicine Development Fund to promote Chinese medicine education among local primary and secondary school students. 

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