Professor John Leong Chi-yan is currently the Chairman of the Hospital Authority. He graduated from The University of Hong Kong (HKU) with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree in 1965, after which he worked at his alma mater for 38 years.  He was Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery from 1981 to 2003. Concomitantly, he headed the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at Queen Mary Hospital.  He was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine from 1985 to 1990, and Director of the School of Postgraduate Medical Education and Training from 1993 to 1999.

As an internationally renowned clinician-scientist specializing in spinal and pediatric orthopaedics, Professor Leong has frequently published papers in top orthopaedic journals and has been invited to deliver eponymous lectures at prestigious overseas universities and orthopaedic associations.  He was also elected President of the Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie.  During his term as President of The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) from 2003 to 2014, OUHK flourished remarkably in many aspects.  These include the transformation of the institution into a genuine multi-modal university by offering full-time programmes, and later expanding to provide other teaching modals, on the basis of distance learning programmes.

During his tenure, he completed two major campus extension projects which made tremendous contributions to the University’s long-term development.  He also facilitated several new programmes on the arts including Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Advertising and Media Design, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Writing and Film Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) in Animation and Visual Effects, and Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) in Cinematic Design and Photographic Digital Art.  Professor Leong has been conferred Emeritus President upon retirement in April 2014.

With outstanding achievements and contributions in various fields, Professor Leong has received numerous accolades.  He was elected as Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was conferred Doctor of Science, honoris causa by HKU and OUHK.  In addition, he received the Walter P. Blount Service Award from the Scoliosis Research Society (USA) and the Leader of the Year (Education / Research category) from Sing Tao News Corporation Limited.

Professor Leong demonstrates strong interest in performing arts. Besides his chairmanship on the Consultation Panel of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, he has also supported The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Art with his expertise in the academia as panelist of the selection boards for the Academy to search and make recommendations on appointment of key positions of Director and Deputy Director (Academic Programmes and Educational Innovation).  He has also committed himself to serve on the Academy Professorial Appointments Committee notwithstanding his other heavy commitments to the community at large. The Academy is deeply appreciative of Professor Leong’s consummate leadership skills in educational sector which let the Academy benefi t a lot.

Professor Leong was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1993, and was awarded an OBE in 1996 and a Silver Bauhinia Star in 2009.