The Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme is delighted to extend its warmest congratulations to Prof. Emily Ying Yang Chan, Director of the IRDR International Centre of Excellence for the Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CCOUC) for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (IRDR ICoE-CCOUC), on her appointment to the prestigious Kuok Group Professorship in Global Public Health and Humanitarian Medicine.

Prof. Emily Ying Yang CHAN

Prof. Chan, the inaugural holder of this professorship, is a clinical doctor and distinguished leader in public health and humanitarian medicine, with more than a decade of experience in global humanitarian health intervention research and frontline operation.  Her research focuses on Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (HEDRM), disaster and humanitarian medicine, climate and planetary health, ethics in public health emergencies, and evidence-based interventions in resource-limited settings. She has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles, including in The Lancet and Bulletin of the World Health Organization, and has secured more than HK$89.3 million in competitive research grants.

Throughout her career, Prof. Chan has championed health equity first, and actionable science approaches that bridge science, policy and frontline actions, with particular attention to populations disproportionately affected by poverty, geography, ageing, chronic disease or social marginalisation. As the inaugural Professor in Global Public Health and Humanitarian Medicine at CUHK, Prof. Chan will continue to lead academic developments in collaborative global scholarship and field practices that advance resilience, reduce disaster risk and promote health for all in an era of climate disruption and complex crises.

As the Director of IRDR ICoE-CCOUC, Prof. Chan has been a transformative force. Her work has consistently bridged the gap between high-level policy frameworks and on-the-ground community resilience, exemplified by the recently published IRDR Special Report from IRDR ICoE-CCOUC, Managing Dengue Risk Along the Laos-China Railway: An HEDRM Approach. From her extensive field research in remote and disaster-prone communities to her influential roles in global health governance, she embodies the IRDR mission of reducing risk through evidence-based, interdisciplinary, and people-centred approaches.

The Professorship

The Kuok Group Professorship in Global Public Health and Humanitarian Medicine is a prestigious academic position at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), established to advance research, education, and practice in global public health, humanitarian medicine, and disaster response. It emphasises health equity, humanitarian ethics, and public health diplomacy, particularly in the context of protracted crises and digital-era challenges in healthcare delivery.

This distinguished recognition is a testament to Prof. Chan’s unwavering dedication, pioneering research, and exceptional leadership at the nexus of public health, humanitarian action, and disaster risk reduction. The Professorship not only honours her individual academic excellence but also underscores the critical importance of integrating global health security with humanitarian medicine in an era of complex and cascading crises.

Inaugural Lecture

On 8 June 2026, Prof. Chan delivered her inaugural lecture at the CUHK JC School of Public Health and Primary Care. The lecture, titled “Frontline Medical Humanitarian Response and Public Health Diplomacy in the Digital Era”, highlighted lessons learned from disaster and humanitarian medicine, challenges in protecting health and dignity, and the latest frontiers in global health equity and humanitarian ethics.

The Kuok Group Professorship will further amplify Prof. Chan’s impactful work, enabling new frontiers in research, capacity building, and advocacy for vulnerable populations. Her achievements bring great honour not only to her institution and to IRDR ICoE-CCOUC, but to the entire IRDR network. She serves as an inspiring role model for early career researchers and practitioners committed to the intersection of disaster risk reduction, health equity, and humanitarian ethics.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Prof. Chan and look forward to her continued leadership and groundbreaking contributions under this new appointment, which will undoubtedly advance IRDR's mission of mobilising science for the reduction of all types of disaster risk.