In an age where "smart healthcare" is whispered like gospel, and artificial intelligence is heralded as a panacea for all human frailty, it is easy to forget the essence of medicine. Not the machines, not the systems, not even the hospitals—but the human being. In this episode of Connie Talk, we meet someone who has not forgotten: Professor Kenneth M.C. Cheung.
He is not merely a hospital chief or an academic figurehead. He is, in his own words, "a doctor, first and always." That identity, humble yet unwavering, threads through his every decision—from clinical care to scientific inquiry. He does not speak in slogans, but in questions: What does it mean to serve patients? What if research could save more lives than a lifetime of surgeries? What if medical progress must slow down to stay safe?
Over thirteen years, Prof. Cheung has quietly steered a path that resists easy categorization. Not Western nor purely Chinese. Not bureaucratic, but not anarchic either. Deeply rooted in both tradition and reform, he holds a vision of healthcare that is neither utopian nor cynical—but earnestly possible. A system that is safe without being rigid, efficient without becoming heartless.
When discussing AI, Prof. Cheung acknowledges its advantages in certain aspects of healthcare, such as translation and transcription, which improve efficiency. He also notes that AI diagnostics show promising results, with an error rate of just 7%. But in medicine, even a 7% error rate can be a matter of life and death. "It's not acceptable, so that's why I said we've taken a more cauious approach," he said.
This interview is not a portrait of milestones or accolades. It is a meditation on responsibility, on care, on restraint in the face of power. Prof. Cheung reminds us that true reform is not about building monuments—it is about restoring meaning, one decision at a time.
He speaks not as a spokesman of a hospital, but as a witness to a changing era—and as someone still determined to ask: What kind of future are we building, and who will it truly serve?
(Video Shooting: Jack Wang; Video Editing: Jack Wang / Ian Lau; Editor: Felicia Li / Zoey Sun)
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