Prof. William Cho Chi-shing, PhD

Prof. William Cho Chi-shing earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Chinese Medicine from HKBU in 2006. Currently serving as Scientific Officer (Medical) in the Department of Clinical Oncology at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, he is a distinguished biomedical scientist with an outstanding career marked by significant achievements and transformative impact on global clinical cancer research. For decades, he has tirelessly advanced medical science, making substantial contributions to both research discovery and clinical application to improve therapeutic outcomes.

Prof. Cho’s professional standing is reflected in the numerous fellowship honours he has received from professional organisations worldwide. He has been a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science (FIBMS) in the United Kingdom since 1998, a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences (FHKIMLS) and a Fellow of the Hong Kong Society for Molecular Diagnostic Sciences (FHKSMDS) since 2003. Furthermore, he has been recognised as a Chartered Scientist by the Science Council (UK) since 2004, a testament to his exemplary professional competence and contributions in the scientific arena.

Throughout his career, Prof. Cho has focused on some of the most challenging questions in oncology: Can we detect cancer and identify relapse earlier through biomarkers? How do cancers become resistant to treatment, and how can such resistance be overcome? His multidisciplinary work spans molecular biology, genomics, immunology, bioinformatics, and Chinese medicine, with particular emphasis on cancer biomarkers, proteomics, non-coding RNA, extracellular vesicles, and novel anti-cancer therapeutics. His contributions to biomarker studies in lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and colorectal cancer have informed personalised treatment strategies.

As a prominent clinical scientist, Prof. Cho has published over 700 peer-reviewed articles in internationally recognised scientific journals, including Annals of Oncology, The Lancet Oncology, Molecular Cancer, and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. His work has achieved global influence, with over 35,000 citations and an H index of 108. Since 2017, Prof. Cho has been named on Stanford University's list of the world’s top 2% scientists. Additionally, in both 2023 and 2024, he was recognised as a “Highly Cited Researchers” by Clarivate Analytics, an honour awarded to fewer than 7,000 scholars worldwide. He remains one of the very few scholars within the Hospital Authority to attain this prestigious global recognition.

Beyond journal publications, Prof. Cho is a prolific author, with over 36 academic books held by the libraries of renowned universities worldwide. His notable works include Resistance to Anti-CD20 Antibodies and Approaches for Their Reversal (Academic Press) as well as multiple volumes published by Springer Nature, such as An Omics Perspective on Cancer Research and book series Evidence-based Anticancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Through this book series, he has been a key driver in advancing evidence-based traditional Chinese medicine on the world stage.

Prof. Cho is deeply grateful to his alma mater for laying a solid foundation for his scientific career. He maintains close and active collaboration with HKBU, frequently serving as an academic speaker and partnering with HKBU scholars on biomedical and cancer research. He remains dedicated to enhancing HKBU’s academic reputation while actively engaging in international conferences to foster inter-institutional research collaborations. Upholding HKBU’s motto “Faith and Perseverance”, Prof. Cho is a perfect embodiment of rigorous academic pursuit and selfless professional service.

(HKBU would like to thank the award recipient for providing the information.)