UTAR is proud to announce the appointment of Prof Dr Lau Hui-Ping as the CEO and Medical Director of UTAR Hospital, effective 3rd October 2022. Prof Lau is also a Senior Professor of the UTAR M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Prof Lau was born in Sibu, Sarawak Malaysia. He commenced his medical education in 1979 at the China Medical University in Taichung, and was awarded Doctor of Medicine (MD) when he completed his medical degree in 1986. In June 2013, Prof Lau also obtained a PhD degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China.

Prof Lau commenced his training in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery in 1987 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and he was subsequently promoted to be the Chief in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and then the Vice Superintendent in 2006 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

Due to his experience in hospital management, Prof Lau was invited to serve as the founding Superintendent of China Nanjing BenQ Medical Centre (2000-bed medical centre) in 2009. He subsequently moved on to the Beijing New Journey Cancer Centre (affiliated hospital of Peking University Cancer Hospital) as Superintendent in 2012, and he then returned to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 2015 as the Professor of Thoracic Surgery and the Convener of the Chang Gung International Lung Cancer Centre.

Prof Lau is one of the very few cardiothoracic surgeons who pioneered the development of the Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery (also known as Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery, VATS) in Asia, and he is an internationally well-known expert in VATS. He contributed many book chapters, teaching videos and publications related to VATS surgery in indexed journals.

Prof Lau currently serves in more than 15 journal editorial boards and is the guest reviewer for international medical journals. He has been invited as a visiting professor and has performed many live surgery demonstrations to many leading academic institutions in the world, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Japan, USA, India, Singapore, Australia, Italy, Brazil, Luxemburg, China, and more.

His clinical practice covers the field of general thoracic surgery, including pulmonary and oesophageal cancer surgery, minimally invasive thoracic surgery, mediastinal, pleural, lung volume reduction for emphysema, and lung transplantation for end-stage lung disease.

Prof Lau is also the founder of the International Chinese Society of Thoracic Surgery (ICSTS), and he is an active member of the American and European Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He established the world's first platform for international Chinese thoracic surgeon clinical and research personnel to exchange information, so as to enhance the international academic knowledge and techniques of thoracic surgery, and to elevate the world's Chinese thoracic surgeons to an international level. Prof Lau's hard work and successful practice have made him an internationally renowned expert in the field of thoracic surgery.

UTAR welcomes Prof Dr Lau Hui-Ping as the CEO and Medical Director of UTAR Hospital.

Assisting Prof Dr Lau Hui-Ping is Ms Maria Khong Poh Fong who has been appointed as the Deputy CEO of UTAR Hospital. Ms Khong holds an Honours degree in Economics from University Malaya. She has more than six years of corporate and operational management experience in the healthcare industry, including several years in managing private specialist hospitals, serving as COO and CEO. She also has over ten years of media and editorial experience, including prior employment with publicly-listed companies.

UTAR is proud to welcome Prof Dr Lau Hui-Ping and Ms Maria Khong to UTAR Hospital.