Page 7 - CUHK MEDICAL ALUMNI Newsletter Issue 1 Vol 1 2015

FEATURES
06

UPCOMING GENETICIST SEES CUHK

AS SPRINGBOARD TO REALISING GOALS

“Everything in genetics seemed very logical and…very mathematically satisfying.”
遺傳學裡的任何東西都有很強的邏輯性 ... 這滿足了曾學習數學的我。

- Landon Chan (Med 3)

hird year medical student Landon Chan quite a long time before you can see
T( 陳瓏 , Med 3), has three goals. “I want to any results of influence at all”.
be a clinician, a professor and a researcher.”
And for him, The Chinese University of Hong So he applied to CUHK. “It was
Kong is the near perfect place to help him only natural I chose CUHK. I
realise these goals. “It has very prestigious liked interacting with Professors
researchers, very good people who are very Yip and Chan at the time
open minded and very willing to help students. and for me, having a good
I am pleasantly surprised at the amount of relationship with teachers is
helpfulness from the teachers". important for my education.”
Landon was president of the Asian
Landon - who did his undergraduate studies in
Mathematics at Carleton College in Minnesota, Medical Students’ Association of Hong
USA - says he had always been interested in Kong in 2013/2014. He says being
statistics. During the summer break of 2009, president taught him a valuable lesson: “You
he became fascinated with genetics during a don’t need to be the brightest or have all
research opportunity at The University of Hong the best qualities to be a leader. But you
Kong for a study involving tuberculosis. “The must know how to
work was a combination of biology, statistics mobilise people
and genetics. Everything in genetics at that to work for you.”
time seemed very logical and, that to me, was Now, besides
very mathematically satisfying.” doing his MBChB,
Landon also does
Two years later, while waiting to sort out “some research work
issues” with his US work visa, he took up a under Professor
summer lab job at CUHK under Professor Kevin Dennis Lo in the Chemical
Yip in the Computer Science and Engineering Pathology Department, whom he has
Department and Professor Chan Ting-fung in described as “super bright”.
the School of Life Sciences.
Landon loves playing the piano. The
After his studies at Carleton in 2011, he worked future geneticist-cum-doctor, however,
at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota as a statistical couldn't complete his music degree at
programming analyst. While working there he Carleton because he had to go to Oxford
had an epiphany - he wanted to be a doctor. “I to study in his third year. Nevertheless
realised that by being a clinician, I would see Carleton awarded him honours in music
results more quickly. In research, it would take performance.