Rosie Young
Biography
Professor Rosie Young is a highly distinguished and widely respected luminary in Hong Kong. Over the past many decades Professor Young has been Professor of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, Honorary Consultant at Queen Mary Hospital and Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital, and has taken on numerous leadership positions in higher education, the healthcare system, and public services. Born before World War II, her life experience shaped her career choices. After obtaining MBBS from the University of Hong Kong in 1953, she embarked on an outstanding research career, becoming the first person from Hong Kong to have obtained MRCP from both the Edinburgh College and the London College. In addition to breakthrough scientific discoveries in her role as a world-leading endocrinologist, Professor Young has served as the first female Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Pro-Vice Chancellor at The University of Hong Kong, Chairman of the Medical Council, and has established the blueprint for primary care development in Hong Kong. Her many achievements and contributions have been widely recognized with prestigious honours and awards, including Honorary Doctor of Science degree from her alma mater. At the age of 93, she still works full time and continues to see patients, teach students and younger doctors, and contribute to various education and charity organizations. Hers is indeed an exemplary life and an inspiring model for many to follow, driven by a strong sense of duty and a lifelong passion for medicine and public service.
Details
Date of interview: October 2024
Archive reference: OBJ/ORA/4/7
Transcription
Interviewer:
Today I'm very honoured to have the opportunity to interview Professor Rosie Young, a world-renowned endocrinologist. She is currently the Emeritus Professor and Honorary Professor of the Department of Medicine in the University of Hong Kong, the Honorary Consultant at the Queen Mary Hospital, and Consultant in Medicine in the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital.
Professor Young, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I'm really excited to learn more about you and to share your wisdom.
Rosie Young:
Thank you, Amy, for coming to do the interview today.
Interviewer:
Professor, you were born before World War II. Did the experience during those turbulent years impact on your views in life and career choices?
Rosie Young:
The war had a tremendous impact on my choice of a career. My childhood dream was to become a statesman, to change the world, or a scientist to win a Nobel Prize. I just finished my primary school when the war broke out in 1941, and Hong Kong became occupied by the Japanese. For almost four years, I did not go to school, but my father, who loved teaching, coached me [in] English, Chinese, and mathematics. When the war ended in 1945, I joined a secondary school and was matriculated in 1947 with six subjects: Chinese, English, mathematics, advanced mathematics, general science, and biblical knowledge. I was very good in mathematics and even obtained a scholarship, which provided me with free university education in any faculty.
In those days, as long as you passed the matriculation examination, you could join any faculty you liked. I was thinking that without the sound foundation in the humanities, such as history, literature, etc., or in science subjects like chemistry, physics, and biology, I would never be able to do well in university. Fortunately, my two elder brothers studied medicine at the University of Hong Kong. As a child, I often played with the human skeleton that my brothers used when they studied anatomy. In other words, we had a skeleton in the cupboard. I also realized how gratifying the career of a family doctor could be. In those days, all doctors were family physicians, and they looked after their patients from cradle to grave. So, I decided to study medicine at the University of Hong Kong.
Interviewer:
For a woman entering a male-dominated field of medicine, were there any challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Rosie Young:
There was no challenge at all. Men and women were treated equally in the university or in the hospital. In fact, my teachers and colleagues treated me politely and kindly. Men and women had equal opportunities for promotion in their career. However, some patients thought that doctors must be men and nurses must be women, and they might ask me to perform tasks like handing them a bed pan for urination.
Interviewer:
Some of us might have [had] similar experiences before. You obtained your MBBS from the University of Hong Kong in 1953, and you then embarked on a research career. What was the journey like?
Rosie Young:
I was under the influence and patronage of my mentor, Professor AJS McFadzean, Professor of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong from 1947 to 1974. Incidentally, he was a Scot from Ayrshire. He was an excellent teacher, a model doctor, and an outstanding researcher. He always taught us to ask questions and to find answers. After all, medicine is both a science and an art. There is much unknown in the science of medicine. We are always on the learning curve, and we must try to find out the ideology of diseases and how to prevent or treat illnesses.
Professor McFadzean helped us to embark on a career in research very early, when we were interns, that is, even before we were fully registered doctors. The journey, however, was far from being easy. Firstly, in those days, there was no research grant, and secondly, there was no protective time for research. In other words, you would have to do research after you had finished all your clinical duties. But despite this, we all enjoyed our research work because of the inspiration and guidance given by Professor McFadzean.
Interviewer:
Can you tell us more about your postgraduate training in the United Kingdom? I remember you have that in Glasgow, Edinburgh, as well as Cambridge.
Rosie Young:
I received postgraduate training in the United Kingdom, in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, and Cambridge. It was an exciting and most memorable time. The experience I [got] ranged from clinical to basic research. It also allowed me to develop my own interest and expertise in the specialty of endocrinology and diabetes. While in Glasgow, I managed to pass the membership examination of the London and Edinburgh Colleges of Physicians. I was the first in London and Edinburgh Colleges of Physicians, I was the first in Hong Kong to obtain both memberships, but not the first to obtain either the London or the Edinburgh membership.
When I sat for the Edinburgh membership, I took haematology as my specialty, because Professor McFadzean was a haematologist. I believe I did quite well. An examiner told me that I should continue to do research in Pernicious Anaemia after my return to Hong Kong. I told him that I would not be able to do so because Pernicious Anaemia was rare in Hong Kong. As you know, Pernicious Anaemia has a genetic basis. For the London membership examination, I had to go to London three times for the written examination, the clinical and lastly the oral examination. Being on the scholarship, I had to be thrifty. So, I always took the second class or economy sleeper train from Glasgow to London. However, knowing that I had passed the examination, I gave myself a treat and took the first-class sleeper back from London after the oral examination.
Interviewer:
Well, that's a real treat. You're a world leading authority in endocrinology. What was it that truly solidified your passion?
Rosie Young:
I think it was quite logical. The [1960s] was a golden era for endocrinology. For the first time in history, you could measure a small amount of hormones like insulin, thyroid and growth hormone in the blood by biological or immunological assay. You also knew the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Research in endocrinology was like doing detective work. It was indeed an exciting time.
Interviewer:
In your decades as an endocrinologist, what were some of the most significant breakthroughs that you are proud to have been a part of?
Rosie Young:
For clinical research, we studied the different patterns of diabetes complications among Chinese patients, as compared with the Western population. We participated in an international project. For more basic research, we studied the mechanism of hypoglycaemia on low blood glucose in patients with primary carcinoma of the liver, which was then a common condition because of the high prevalence of hepatitis B.
We also studied the pathogenesis of thyro-toxic hypokalaemia periodic [unclear]. This condition is unique among Southeast Asians like Chinese, Japanese, Singaporeans, etc. It is also much more common among men than among women. The patient with thyrotoxicosis might wake up in the early hours of the morning and find himself paralyzed. His serum potassium was low due to shifting of potassium from extracellular to intracellular compartment. In most cases, the paralysis would regress spontaneously after a few hours. But a few might succumb to cardiac arrhythmia. It again has a genetic basis due to increased sodium potassium pump activity across the cell membrane. It is rare in Western countries.
Interviewer:
As a Hong Kong [University] alumnus and the first female dean of the Faculty of Medicine in 1983, you have served as pro-vice chancellor and senior pro-vice chancellor from 1985 to 1993. What has it meant to you to be so deeply connected to the Hong Kong [University] family?
Rosie Young:
I was dean of the faculty of medicine in the University of Hong Kong in 1983 and became pro-vice chancellor in 1985. I was asked to join the central administration by the then-vice chancellor, Professor Rayson Huang. It was a very difficult time for Hong Kong then because of a negotiation between Britain and China on the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. The economy was failing and many people left Hong Kong. We not only had to reduce [salaries] in the university but also to freeze posts, that is, leaving vacancies unfilled. Thank God we got over that with the perseverance and support of our colleagues. Personally, I was also in a dilemma. I was at the peak of my research career, and I had to give it up. I felt that research requires your total dedication and you cannot do research half-heartedly. However, Professor Huang was truly persuasive, and I also thought the duty should always come first.
Interviewer:
And in 1995, the university conferred upon you the prestigious Doctor of Science Honoris Causa. What did this recognition mean to you both professionally and personally?
Rosie Young:
It means a lot to me. The honorary doctorate in science is the highest honour that the university can confer based on the candidate's research achievement. I always feel that it is more than I deserve. Most of the honorary Doctor of Science recipients have contributed much more to science than I have.
Interviewer:
And you have also served as chairman of various organisations in Hong Kong, like the Medical Council of Hong Kong, the Working Party on Primary Health Care, and [the] Education Commission. What are the most significant changes you have witnessed in education and healthcare policy these years?
Rosie Young:
As chairman of [the] Medical Council, I have enlarged the membership to include both elected and appointed members. I have introduced more transparency at the disciplinary hearings and reaffirmed the licentiate examination so that foreign graduates have to take a universal examination before they can be registered in Hong Kong. This will ensure that they have reached an appropriate standard of knowledge and experience comparable to our local graduates.
I have mentioned earlier that I have always [had] a soft spot for family physicians, although I always practice as a specialist. The family physician looks after the patients from cradle to grave. He has the patient's full confidence and provides the patient with holistic and continuous care. This is especially important nowadays as we have an aging population and many of the elderly have multiple comorbidities.
In the Working Party on Primary Care, we stretched the importance of primary care, the partnership between public and the private sectors and the interaction with specialists. I have always been interested in education. I have worked all my life in university, and I knew very little about primary and secondary education. In the Education Commission reports, we proposed using mother tongue as a medium of instruction in the primary schools and introducing a second language, English, in the secondary schools. We also proposed school-based management. All these proposals were adopted by the government, but some, like mother tongue education, encountered strong resistance from the public.
Interviewer:
Indeed, you have made a lot of changes in the policies of Hong Kong. And Professor, despite being over the age of 90, you still see your patients every day in the clinic, and you have continued to teach our medical students and young doctors and also contribute [to] various organizations and the university. What [has] kept you so motivated?
Rosie Young:
I feel that [keeping] on working will keep you intellectually if not physically. I always take continued education very seriously. Being a teacher and a medical practitioner, you have to keep up to date with the knowledge and skill of your profession. Not everyone can go to university. University graduates have received a lot of support from the community over the years, and they should pay it back some time. Hence, I try to do community service. whenever I can. I always like teaching. The greatest satisfaction is to see that your students' achievements exceed your own. I have many outstanding students. Some are world renowned in their research. And definitely that's very rewarding.
Interviewer:
Thank you. Professor, your contribution to the university is a great achievement.
Rosie Young:
I have many outstanding students. Some are world renowned in their research. And definitely that's very rewarding.
Interviewer:
Thank you. Professor, your contributions to Hong Kong have been recognized with an incredible array of prestigious honours like the JP, OBE, CBE, GBS, and GBM, which is the Grand Bohemian Medal, the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and award system. What advice would you give to young people, including medical students and young aspiring doctors who hope to follow in your footsteps?
Rosie Young:
Firstly, I think you need to like whatever you do. You need to have a passion for your profession and empathy for your patients. Your patient's interest always comes first. You need to have the correct life-work balance. In your spare time, you should take up services within or beyond your profession, provided you feel that they can help other people and they are within your capability.
Interviewer:
There seems to be a lot of uncertainties everywhere in the world these days. Where do you see are the biggest challenges?
Rosie Young:
The greatest uncertainty is war or regional conflict. The biggest challenges are emerging infections and inequality in health care due to discrepancies in socioeconomic or education levels among the developed and developing countries. The viruses and bacteria are very clever. They can rotate any time. Hence, we had SARS in 2003 and COVID-19 in 2019. As doctors, we must keep vigilance and look out for the spread of these infections, try to prevent them from spreading or discover vaccines and drugs to kill them. We should try to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor countries in the delivery of health care, although this may be beyond our control.
Interviewer:
Certainly, and we have to be well prepared at all times. Before we conclude, I would like to take a moment to share with the audience this book, Rosie Young, A Lifetime of Selfless Service, published to commemorate Professor Young's 70 years of devotion to the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong community. Professor Young, this is a testament to your lifetime of transformative impact. We are deeply honoured to have you today. Thank you once again.
Rosie Young:
Thank you.