12 <strong>Western</strong> news | January 17, 2013 All the world’s a stage When it comes to gambling, taking precautions just makes sense. safeorsorry.ca Take our quiz online <strong>for</strong> a chance at a home entertainment system. AdelA TAlBoT // WeSTerN NeWS Celebrating the launch <strong>of</strong> a new Italian major, the Department <strong>of</strong> Modern Languages and Literature brought a world-famous Italian theatre Commedia dell’Arte per<strong>for</strong>mance to Conron Hall, Jan. 15. Prior to the event, worldrenowned per<strong>for</strong>mer Mace Perlman, pictured left, hosted workshops with students, teaching them the art <strong>of</strong> Italian theatre per<strong>for</strong>mance. RGBR12136-BW-03_v1.indd 1 8/7/12 9:45 AM
Alumni Young leader making public health connections aT 40, WesTern alumnus dr. Gabriel leung heads the School <strong>of</strong> Public Health at the university <strong>of</strong> Hong Kong (uHK), where he has been a tenured pr<strong>of</strong>essor since age 34. After graduating from <strong>Western</strong> with his Md in 1996, he went on to earn a masters <strong>of</strong> public health from Harvard university and an Md from uHK, where he joined the faculty as a 27-year-old pr<strong>of</strong>essor. He has established and directed the school’s Infectious disease epidemiology Group since the 2003 SArS epidemic. In 2008, leung took a four-year leave <strong>of</strong> absence to serve as Hong Kong’s first under Secretary <strong>for</strong> Food and Health and fifth director <strong>of</strong> the chief execu- leuNG tive’s <strong>of</strong>fice. Six months ago, leung returned to uHK, where he assisted with the merger <strong>of</strong> the department <strong>of</strong> Community Medicine and the School <strong>of</strong> Public Health. leung, who won <strong>Western</strong>’s Alumni Award <strong>of</strong> Merit-Asia in 2007, has hopes <strong>of</strong> reconnecting with <strong>Western</strong> by establishing collaboration between his public health program with <strong>Western</strong>’s soon-to-arrive School <strong>of</strong> Public Health. <strong>Western</strong> <strong>News</strong> reporter Paul Mayne spoke with leung this week about his time at <strong>Western</strong> and the future <strong>of</strong> public health. • • • WN: You spent the majority <strong>of</strong> the early 1990s here at <strong>Western</strong>. What do you recall from your time in London? Gabriel Leung: I still remember the first day I arrived at Saugeen-Matiland. I stayed there <strong>for</strong> three years. It was then the largest mixed residence in North America. Not sure if it still is. WN: Those were the days <strong>of</strong> ‘The Zoo.’ That is no longer, but I’m wondering how a medical student got any work done at that time? oh, it’s lost its edge? (laughing.) I didn’t have much trouble. It was a very good social and supportive environment. Contrary to popular belief, people actually do study and get some sleep – despite the frequent fire alarms, which was a bit inconvenient when the medical school exam schedule was different that the rest <strong>of</strong> the university. At <strong>Western</strong>, I started majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Music. It was through the Scholar’s elective program, which was new at the time, where you could mix and match and not be bound by traditional disciplinary boundaries. That was a lot <strong>of</strong> fun. I remember doing most <strong>of</strong> my studying on scientific subjects in the Music building. All in all, it was a very good experience. “alSo, don’t <strong>for</strong>Get oUr WorK in health SyStemS, economicS and policy. We appreciate health re<strong>for</strong>m doeS not taKe place in a VacUUm, bUt in indiVidUal coUntrieS. We can only improVe by learninG from What happenS throUGh each other’S experienceS.” WN: In 2008, you left academia to take on a new role in government. Now, you have returned to academia. Was the plan always to return? I had been at the university <strong>for</strong> 10 years when the government came calling. I told them right from the start I would be doing only one full-term (four years) <strong>of</strong> government, so here I am back again. I actually never left; I just took a leave <strong>of</strong> absence. ... It feels like being home. I think the government experience has been exceptionally enriching and helped me think from a broader angle about some <strong>of</strong> the critical public health questions that face not just Hong Kong, but the world, today. It’s been an absolute synergy in terms <strong>of</strong> that experience and what I do now back at the university. I think it gives you real-life perspective into vexed policy questions which, when viewed from a scientific viewpoint, gives you a lot more insight into the sorts <strong>of</strong> questions one should be asking. WN: As the Department <strong>of</strong> Community Medicine joins the School <strong>of</strong> Public Health at UHK, what are you hoping to see come from the school in regards to its teaching and research surrounding public health? I look <strong>for</strong>ward to consolidating our strengths within a new vision <strong>for</strong> the future. We will continue to lead the country in what we have always done quite well – infectious diseases, in particular those with major global health significance such as influenza, handfoot-and-mouth disease and HPV, and non-communicable diseases. We see fairly different patterns <strong>of</strong> these chronic diseases in Hong Kong, China and Asia, as compared to the West. These epidemiological differences, we believe, point to underlying gaps in the scientific mechanisms <strong>of</strong> disease causation, or pathology. From an epidemiological viewpoint, we see and celebrate these differences and exploit them to draw out new scientific insights as far as fundamental biological pathways, which would ultimately benefit global health. Also, don’t <strong>for</strong>get our work in health systems, economics and policy. We appreciate health re<strong>for</strong>m does not take place in a vacuum, but in individual countries. We can only improve by learning from what happens through each other’s experiences. So this is kind <strong>of</strong> experimental learning through a systematic science <strong>of</strong> comparative health systems. And from my previous conversations with your president (Amit Chakma) at <strong>Western</strong>, we very much hope to work with <strong>Western</strong>’s new School <strong>of</strong> Public Health (slated to begin in September) and try and build bridges. WN: Do you feel the pressure <strong>of</strong> high expectations? I have always been very excited about returning to the university. Now that I’ve been back <strong>for</strong> six months and putting into action some <strong>of</strong> these plans – with some already bearing fruit – is enormously satisfying. This is what gives us all the collective drive to continue to pursue our vision. ultimately, it’s really when you see your work resulting in policies that protect and improves health <strong>for</strong> whole populations, not just within Hong Kong, but well beyond our borders, and you’re producing graduates who become leaders in the field; that’s what makes it all worthwhile. WN: Your education has taken you all over – Hong Kong, Canada, the United States and Great Britain. Has having these global experiences, along with the <strong>for</strong>mal education you received, shaped who you are and what you hope to bring to your new position? I really think the world is a global village, and this is truer than ever in this day and age. Not only because we are so interdependent on each other, but also because <strong>of</strong> the means <strong>of</strong> communication. I don’t think anybody would dispute that. The challenge <strong>for</strong> us all, including in academia, is how to leverage on this new ongoing development – which is only going to get more intense – to give the best student experience and also to make sure we leverage on this globalization to the best <strong>of</strong> our advantage in our research endeavours. Hong Kong has survived and thrived on being exactly that – a free port <strong>of</strong> what used to be goods and then, laterally, services, and throughout all that time, a free port <strong>of</strong> ideas and people. I very much look <strong>for</strong>ward to working together with colleagues at <strong>Western</strong>, under the president’s leadership, to find commonalities and parallels. <strong>Western</strong> news | January 17, 2013 13 Nov 8 Sushi Galore <strong>of</strong>fers all the sushi & select asian items you can eat <strong>for</strong> one great price, all made fresh as you order and delivered to your table. 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